Episode 92  for the week of December 2nd, in which we interview Jason Walden (Game Producer) from Fantasy Flight Games (FFG). We talk about FFG’s A Game of Thrones: The Board Game, 2nd edition. We ask Jason a variety of questions suggested by our listeners and learn about some other FFG titles, including the A Dance with Dragons Variant, the A Game of Thrones Card Game, and the Battles of Westeros. We also cover chapter 22 (Bran III) of A Clash of Kings. Note that Mimi joined the call about 30 minutes in.

Episode 91 for the week of November 11th, in which Ashley and Amin are joined by guest host Nick for a late night recording. We discuss chapter 20 (Arya V) and chapter 21 (Tyrion V) of A Clash of Kings and get caught up on various forum topics and discussions.

Episode 90 for the week of October 21st, in which we are joined by returning guest host Laura (Cosmia) while Mimi is away attending the APOIAF meet-up in Houston. We discuss chapter 19 (Sansa II) of A Clash of Kings.

Episode 89 for the week of October 14th, in which we discuss the release of the ebook Tower of the Hand: A Flight of Sorrows. We are joined by “guest host” Amin Javadi to discuss his essay contribution to the ebook, specifically A Game of Beds: Marital infidelity, adultery, and fandom theories in A Song of Ice and Fire.

Tower of the Hand: A Flight of Sorrows has just been released today! Mimi and Amin are contributing authors to this work. For the full list of authors, check out our previous post below. For those interested, you can purchase it from Amazon here.

Episode 88 for the week of September 16th, in which we are joined by Elio M. García (aka Ran) and Linda Antonsson, the founders and managers of Westeros.org. We get caught up on their various ASOIAF projects, explore various fandom theories, and discuss their experiences with season 2 of HBO’s Game of Thrones. We also cover chapter 18 (Tyrion IV) of A Clash of Kings.

Notes: Sorry about the audio quality in the first part of the episode. The Melisandre/Jon theory was actually suggested by FTWard in the comments here and is being further discussed in this forum thread. In other news, Amin is now on twitter!

Episode 87 for the week of September 9th, in which we return to our infamously glacial chapter re-read of A Clash of Kings. In this episode, we discuss the upcoming e-book from Tower of the Hand while congratulating ourselves on being participating authors. We also cover chapter 17 (Bran II), shedding medical insights in regards to the neuroscience of Hodor’s speech, Ser Rodrik’s possible STD, and why eating your own fingers is a terrible idea.

Tower of the Hand: A Flight of Sorrows is coming out a month from today, and to celebrate, we’re letting you all in on a little secret: the book’s complete lineup (which, we’re delighted to finally share, includes a few more friendly faces from the Ice and Fire community).

Here we go:

Foreword – Phil Bicking, editor-in-chief of WinterIsComing.net
And Now It Begins…

Introduction – Marc N. Kleinhenz, editor
All along the Watchtower

“Under the Bleeding Star” – Stefan Sasse, essayist at Tower of the Hand and co-host of the Boiled Leather Audio Hour
On the role of prophecy in songs of ice and fire

“Daggers in the Dark” – Miles Schneiderman, essayist at Tower of the Hand
The ultimate fates of protagonists, from A Game of Thrones to A Dance with Dragons

“The Prince That Illyrio Promised” – Alexander Smith, co-founder of Tower of the Hand
Exploring the identity of – and the aim of the conspiracy around – Aegon Targaryen

“A Game of Beds” – Amin Javadi, co-host of A Podcast of Ice and Fire
Marital infidelity, adultery, and fandom theories in A Song of Ice and Fire

“Every Case Is Different, Every Case Is Alike” – John Jasmin, co-founder of Tower of the Hand
Investigating murder investigations in Westeros

“You Win or You Sit the Bench” – Douglas Cohen, author and former editor of Realms of Fantasy magazine
Power ranking – NFL style – the top contenders in the game of thrones

“The Narratives of Winter” – Marc N. Kleinhenz, editor
Discerning the structure of Martin’s saga and teasing out its final act

“The Telltale Knight” – Mimi Hoshut, co-host of A Podcast of Ice and Fire
The narrative parallels and foreshadowing of the Tales of Dunk and Egg

Afterword – Chelsea Monroe-Cassel, co-author of InnattheCrossroads.com and A Feast of Ice and Fire
Just Desserts

Appendix I: What’s a Game of Thrones without the Tower of the Hand?
Appendix II: The Creaking Door of House Manwoody

As you can see, it’s a packed house, and we’re excited to squeeze you into the nerdfest, as well.

(Note: the two appendices are previously published material – one at Corona’s Coming Attractions, the other at Tower of the Hand itself – that interviews the respective braintrusts behind TOTH and A Podcast of Ice and Fire. It’s collected here to heighten the reader’s enjoyment of these two wacky-but-popular ASOIAF staples.)

A Flight of Sorrows goes on sale on October 13th, exclusively at Amazon, for $5.99.

For the past seven years, ToweroftheHand.com has prided itself on being a premiere source of A Song of Ice and Fire analysis, information, and speculation. There has been nearly a metric ton of essays, forum posts, and encyclopedia entries logged at the site to date, all designed to give the hardest of the core fan the most rewarding experience possible while reading George R.R. Martin’s seminal novels. Consistently referred to in our podcast as our unofficial sponsor, TOTH has been an invaluable resource behind every episode we publish.

And now the editors are taking all those years of mastery and applying them to an ebook.

Tower of the Hand: A Flight of Sorrows takes five of the site’s most prolific authors – including its two founders – and draws out their best, most in-depth work yet. Unlike other Ice and Fire compendiums, the focus of these essays is on the narrative, character, and thematic elements of the story itself, as opposed to the literary aspects surrounding the books.

What role has prophecy played in the narrative thus far, and what might they really tell us about the future? Did Martin truly kill off one of his most beloved protagonists, and, if not, how can we tell for sure? Who exactly is the Young Griffin, and what is the aim of the conspiracy surrounding him? And just what is the overall structure of this epic, convoluted story, anyway, and what might it tell us of the upcoming final stretch?

Even better, the TOTH editors are joined by some of their good friends, who just so happen to be leading voices in the Game of Thrones community. Amin Javadi and Mimi Hoshut, co-hosts of the Podcast of Ice and Fire, tackle the role of infidelity in Westerosi society and the narrative clues and parallels of the Dunk and Egg novellas, while noted fantasy editor and author Douglas Cohen power ranks, NFL style, the top contenders in the game of thrones.

A Flight of Sorrows releases on Saturday, October 13th, 2012 at the price of $5.99. It will be available exclusively at Amazon.com and is edited by Marc N. Kleinhenz, a freelance journalist who has written for 19 sites, including IGN, Comic Related, and Westeros.org. Other books he has written or edited include It Is Known: An Analysis of Thrones, Vol. I, another travelogue to Martin’s novels and television series, and the upcoming Green Switch Palace: A Year in the Life of Nintendo Fandom.

Episode 86 for the week of Aug 5th, in which we complete our Beyond the Wall ranging project. In this episode, we are joined by guest host Susan Vaught, author of the article The Brutal Cost of Redemption in Westeros. Or, What Moral Ambiguity? We chat about her article, Twilight, and a variety of other topics.

Episode 85 for the week of July 22nd, in which we continue our traditional chapter re-read of A Clash of Kings. In this episode, we cover chapter 16 (Tyrion III). We also cover some “recent” ASOIAF news, rant about Game of Thrones, fake low voices, and ship Tywin/Eddard.

Episode 84 for the week of July 22nd, in which we continue (part 2 of 3) our Beyond the Wall ranging project.

In this episode, we are joined by guest host Brent Hartinger, author of the article A Different Kind of Other: The Role of Freaks and Outcasts in A Song of Ice and Fire. We discuss his article and revel in our podcast’s own outcast nature during an extensive aftershow.

Ashley of A Podcast of Ice and Fire attempts to cook Cheese and Onion Pie from A Feast of Ice and Fire, a cook book written by the authors of The Inn at the Crossroads.

http://www.amazon.com/Feast-Ice-Fire-Official-Companion/dp/0345534492

Episode 83 for the week of July 1st, in which APOIAF begins our Beyond the Wall ranging project. We will be hosting some of the authors of articles in the recently published Beyond the Wall book.

In this episode, we are joined by guest host Alyssa Rosenberg, author of the article Men and Monsters: Rape, Myth-Making, and the Rise and Fall of Nations in A Song of Ice and Fire. We discuss her article and she joins us in our A Clash of Kings re-read, specifically chapter 15 (Arya IV).

Episode 82 for the week of June 10th, in which we wind down from Game of Thrones episode recaps in a return to our traditional chapter re-reads of A Clash of Kings. In this episode, we cover chapters 13 (Dany I) and 14 (John II). Amin presents his Bear Mode theory while Mimi brings the Jeor/Benjen crackpot pairing to the table.