Today, the essay col­lec­tion, Beyond the Wall: Exploring George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, From A Game of Thrones to A Dance with Dragons is offi­cially released. This col­lec­tion con­tains reflec­tions on George R.R. Martin’s magnum opus, including my essay Art Imi­tates War: Post-Traumatic Stress Dis­order in A Song of Ice and Fire.

To cel­e­brate, I kicked off a give­away con­test a couple of weeks ago, asking folks who they thought was the most trau­ma­tized char­acter in the saga. I got a lot of great entries, but one really stood out. The person who wrote this prefers to remain anony­mous, but she turned in a poem that I think really cap­tured what I was after, and the effort put into it def­i­nitely deserves recog­ni­tion. I want to pub­licly con­grat­u­late (without naming) her, and let her know that a free copy of BEYOND THE WALL is on its way to her.

For folks inter­ested in the essay col­lec­tion, Smart Pop is hosting an Event of Ice and Fire on their web­site. Check it out!

Here’s the win­ning entry:

Poor, unfor­tu­nate Theon Greyjoy –

He was born by the sea but reared far away

A casu­alty of war, a pawn put in play

His brother, the wolf, he chose to betray

The kraken, his kin, they mocked him all day.

 

Poor, unfor­tu­nate Theon Greyjoy –

He longed for approval so he plotted and schemed

He imag­ined, with vic­tory, all shall be redeemed

Fash­ioned him­self lord of the house he esteemed

But alas not a plan turned out as he dreamed.

 

Poor, unfor­tu­nate Theon Greyjoy—

Defeated and scorned for the choices he made

Yet a quick, simple death is denied and delayed

For an end to his agony he con­stantly prayed

His skin and his soul the long tor­ment had flayed.

 

Poor, unfor­tu­nate Theon Greyjoy,

Bedev­iled, uncer­tain, in search of identity,

His own name momen­tarily faded from memory.

No ships, no home, no friends, no family—

His fate and his future one can’t view more bleakly.

 

Poor, unfor­tu­nate Theon Greyjoy—

Is it likely for him to escape from the quagmire

Or are cur­rent cir­cum­stances plainly too dire?

There is simply too little in him to inspire

‘Is there much left to save?’ one might inquire.

 

Poor, unfor­tu­nate Theon Greyjoy—

It is dif­fi­cult to see an end to his suffering

He has no one to even desire his recovering

From no quarter can he expect aid and comforting

The reek of hope­less­ness can be utterly damning.

 

Poor, unfor­tu­nate Theon Greyjoy—

Indeed, many doubt he can truly recover

But per­haps all his demons he might as yet conquer

Much depends whether he can tear his old self asunder

If he can, a man redeemed just might emerge thereafter.

Out­standing. Con­grat­u­la­tions to our winner and hope you folks enjoy BEYOND THE WALL!