The Ghosts of Harrenhal: A Song of Ice and Fire Podcast (ASOIAF)

Send us Fan Mail Daenerys agrees to marry Hizdahr zo Loraq as long as he can bring peace within Meereen. This news leads to tension with Daario Naharis. Simon and Mackelly love a soapy love triangle. Chapter Review: Daenerys Targaryen dines with Galazza Galare, the Green Grace. The older woman is glad to see that the hostage-wards are still in one piece, despite continued provocation from the Sons...

Send us Fan Mail Tyrion isn’t dead. But will have to (painfully) test himself for greyscale for the rest of his life. On a detour to a brothel during a fact-finding mission, he’s waylaid by a bear-like Westerosi knight who plans to take him to the Queen. Mackelly and Simon wonder which queen? Chapter Review: Tyrion Lannister wakes aboard the Shy Maid. His companions have pulled him from the river...

Send us Fan Mail Jon takes supplies to the Free Folk huddled in Mole’s Town. They’re not thrilled. But he has an offer: join the defence of the Wall and get full rations. Several heed the call. Mackelly and Simon (and Jon) wonder where the Free Folk's loyalties lie. Chapter Review: Jon Snow heads south to Mole’s Town with wagons of supplies for the Free Folk. Along the way he sees newly carve...

Send us Fan Mail Reek/Theon helps secure Moat Cailin for the Boltons. His ironborn brothers pay the ultimate price. Ramsay meets his new bride-to-be, but Theon sees through the Bolton ruse. Today Simon and Mackelly discuss difficult topics such as torture and self-harm. Please seek help for yourself or reach out to a friend who might be struggling with thoughts of self-harm. Chapter Review: Reek h...

Send us Fan Mail Davos meets with Lord Wyman in front of a packed court. The Freys blame a most unlikely culprit for the Red Wedding. Davos’ arguments for the Manderlys backing King Stannis fall on deaf ears, minus one. Ultimately, Lord Wyman makes his final decision; off with his head (and hands). Mackelly and Simon light a candle to the Father. Chapter Review: Davos Seaworth is brought before th...

Send us Fan Mail Tyrion floats down the Rhoyne through the unnatural fog of the Sorrows. He divulges top secret information before unwillingly taking a swim in the eerie waters. Mackelly and Simon reach for their goggles. Chapter Review: Tyrion Lannister and his companions aboard the Shy Maid have reached a ruined city along the Rhoyne now called the Sorrows. A mysterious, unnatural fog surrounds...

Send us Fan Mail Jon tours the quickly dwindling food stores of the Night’s Watch and then is summoned by King Stannis. The king offers Jon a surprising gift, then adds to the shock by revealing his risky plan to win the north. Jon redirects him to a new plan that is safer and has huge upsides. Mackelly and Simon fear that Stannis is not earning their loyalty. Chapter Review: Jon Snow joins Bowen...

Send us Fan Mail Daenerys gets an offer she cannot refuse from Xaro XHoan Daxos. But she refuses and adds one more enemy to her list. Simon and Mackelly lose count. Chapter Review: Daenerys Targaryen is feasting Xaro Xhoan Daxos’ dancers. He’s here to plead with Daenerys for her hand in marriage and to take the 13 ships he’s brought with him and to go back to Westeros. He makes a case for reinstat...

Send us Fan Mail Davos reaches White Harbor. The intel he’s able to pick up does not bode very well for his King Stannis. He wonders if he should have fled with Salladhor. Mackelly and Simon give him a pep talk. Chapter Review: Davos Seaworth arrives in White Harbor aboard the Merry Midwife. He’s disguised as a common sailor. He notes signs of increased defense and military buildup. This could be...

Send us Fan Mail Tyrion gets to know his new traveling companions, and, by dint of his cyvasse skills, some secrets about their mission. Mackelly and Simon consider their opening gambit. Chapter Review: Tyrion Lannister wakes early on the Shy Maid. He watches with undisguised interest as Septa Lemore bathes in the river. She shows signs of having given birth at some prior point, but remains an att...

Send us Fan Mail Bran Stark survives a run-in with wights and meets Children of the Forest and the three-eyed crow. Simon and Mackelly admire the plumage. Chapter Review: Bran Stark and his companions have reached the foot of a hill that contains their final destination. A warded cave halfway the side of the mountain. But Coldhands and other sensitives know that they are under attack from the unde...

Send us Fan Mail Theon Greyjoy has been tortured and abused into being Ramsay Bolton’s latest Reek. He’s going to be a part of Ramsay’s plans to gain Winterfell by facilitating and witnessing Ramsay’s wedding to Arya Stark. Simon and Mackelly are busy that day. Chapter Review: Reek has caught a rat and is eating it raw when the Walders Frey come to his dungeon. He’s been summoned to attend his mas...

Send us Fan Mail Daenerys comforts Missandei, whose brother has been murdered by the Sons of the Harpy. She gets spoilers from Quaithe and visits her chained dragons. Another bad day in Meereen. Mackelly and Simon consider free-range dragon rearing. Chapter Review: Daenerys Targaryen is again roused with news of loyal men being murdered by the Sons of the Harpy. Missandei’s unsullied brother is am...

Send us Fan Mail Jon watches as Mance Rayder and the Horn of Joramun are consigned to the flames. Stannis displays Lightbringer and the free folk are invited to come through the Wall, to bend the knee, and to get a bowl of onion soup. Mackelly and Simon fear that Stannis is not earning their loyalty. Chapter Review: Jon Snow watches as Mance Rayder is dragged to his death. The former Brother of th...

Send us Fan Mail Davos is marooned on Sweetsister, Salladhor Saan has lost patience with his unpaid service to Stannis. The local lord is sorely tempted to sell his guest to Queen Cersei. But tradition dictates that he aids a rebel. Mackelly and Simon assume Davos will be OK, at least until he gets to White Harbor. Chapter Review: Davos Seaworth is brought before Lord Godric Borrell. The onion kni...

Send us Fan Mail Tyrion meets Griff and young Griff. He has suspicions about who Griff might be, but Griff is plenty suspicious of Tyrion in return. Mackelly and Simon ponder the possibilities.  Chapter Review Tyrion is passed from Illyrio to Haldon the Half-Maester and Ser Rolly “Duck” Duckworth, along with letters, chests, and candy for young Griff. As they depart Tyrion sees Mopatis looking for...

Send us Fan Mail Jon sends Aemon, Gilly, Sam, and the wrong baby away from the Wall. He appoints Night’s Watch brothers to rebuild and command castles along the Wall. Janos Slynt refuses and Jon levies a stiff punishment in response. Stannis approves. Simon and Mackelly admire Jon’s transformation - from boy to man. Chapter Review: Jon has met with Maester Aemon, who provided the same advice he on...

Send us Fan Mail Quentyn Martell is thwarted in his efforts to get from Volantis to Meereen to woo his future wife Daenerys Targaryen. Simon and Mackelly consider opening our first branch of our Essosi travel agency. Chapter Review: Quentyn Martell tries to find passage from Volantis to Slaver’s Bay. But despite the abundance of ships, nobody wants to take him. The autumn brings storms to the sout...

Send us Fan Mail Tyrion and Illyrio Mopatis are trapped in a closed palanquin, hidden from the world, with just each other’s voices for company. Mackelly and Simon try to imagine what that must be like. Chapter Review: Tyrion Lannister and Illyrio Mopatis leave Pentos in a closed palanquin. Nobody can know of Tyrion’s presence or destination. He thinks that between the sailors and Mopatis’ servant...

Send us Fan Mail Bran and company are north of the Wall. Things are bleak but Coldhands protects them from those who would do them harm, and brings back some meat to roast. Simon and Jenny throw up in the back of their throats. Chapter Review: Bran Stark rides on Hodor’s shoulders, Meera and an increasingly frail Jojen ride on Coldhands elk. Coldhands keeps his face obscured, but there’s no hiding...

Send us Fan Mail Jon has a wolf dream and wakes to face a trying day. He meets with Stannis and disappoints him by rejecting the king’s plan to assume control of the abandoned Night’s Watch castles. Afterward, he talks with Melisandre who gives him an ominous warning. Simon and Mackelly interpret her meaning. Chapter Review: Ghost races along the Wall in the night. As he runs, he senses his packma...

Send us Fan Mail Daenerys learns that the Sons of the Harpy are bold enough to murder her Unsullied and her dragons are wild enough to eat children. It’s not a great day. Mackelly and Simon consider the cost of ambition. Chapter Review: Daenerys Targaryen is roused before dawn to see the body of her Unsullied Stalwart Shield’s body. He’s been murdered by the Sons of the Harpy, a group fighting a r...

Send us Fan Mail Tyrion arrives in Pentos wallowing in self-pity. His plans for revenge against his family are dismissed by Illyrio Mopatis who has a much better idea for the Iron Throne - a three-headed dragon. Simon and Mackelly say hello to their little friend. Chapter Review: Tyrion Lannister drinks himself into oblivion while confined below decks on a ship. He doesn’t know where he’s headed -...

Send us Fan Mail Varamyr Sixskins flies a bit too close to the sun and ends up dead. Just when his day looked like it couldn’t get any worse he possibly inadvertently creates an immortal enemy. Simon and Mackelly consider the state of the Free Folk. Chapter Review: The wildling army is in fragmented disarray. Rumors abound of where to go, who to follow, and what to do next. None of them offer much...

Send us Fan Mail A Feast for Crows comes to an end when Sam reaches Oldtown and the Citadel. He gives his news to Alleras, as well as Maester Marwyn who promptly departs for Essos. Simon, Jenny, and Mackelly review the murder’s banquet. Chapter Review: The Cinnamon Wind makes its way through the Redwyne Straits towards Oldtown. Signs of the trouble being caused by the Iron Born are everywhere, and...