5. The Death Of Renly
Ah, Renly. Readers of Martins novels barely got to know him before his death. Viewers of the TV series got a bit more of him, but he was taken away too soon. About that. In book two, Renly looked to be the hero of the series. Young, gallant, charismatic, he had attracted numerous supporters in his fight against the Lannisters. He ran into a bit of trouble with his older brother Stanniswho had a better claim to the throne but less gravitasbut Renlys superior forces seemed able to take care of that. But then Melisandre, a priestess following Stannis, gave birth to a shadowy creature that snuck into Renlys tent and killed him suddenly. And Renlys forces fell apart. I guess it was supposed to highlight the mystery surrounding Melisandres religion, and the magical forces gradually awakening as the series went on. And I agree Renly might have been too conventionally heroic a character to fit into Martins world. But it feels a bit like cheating. In this supposedly hyper-realistic world, a woman can give birth to a shadow that resolves the difficulties in the plot?