New point-of-view characters we want in the final Song of Ice and Fire novels

George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series operates on a point-of-view structure, but not everyone gets their say. Who still needs to?

Every Song of Ice and Fire fan knows that George R.R. Martin’s novels operate on a point-of-view structure, with every chapter told from the perspective of a different character. Some characters, like Tyrion Lannister, get a lot of POV chapters. Others, like Melisandre, only have one to date.

Martin’s novels are huge, and the great majority of characters have yet to get their own POV chapters. We expect it to stay that way for most of them, but with two more books coming — The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring — it’s always possible a new POV could slip in there. So we got to thinking: from whose perspective do we most want to experience this story? Who hasn’t had a POV chapter that needs one?

Now, it’s tempting to wish for the most mysterious characters to get POV chapters purely because we’re desperate to know their secrets. But as readers, we should be careful what we wish for. Fan service isn’t the same thing as a good story, and the secrets we long to know might lose their luster once we learn them. A good storyteller gives the audience what it needs, not what it thinks it wants. Many ASOIAF fans have probably learned that lesson by now. None of us wanted a Red Wedding, but looking back, would we rather it never have happened? Would we love these books as much without it? I don’t think we would.

So what are we looking for here? We’re looking for characters whose perspectives on the story could be interesting, but not whose inclusion as a POV character would damage the suspense, pacing, and tone that makes this story what it is. We are looking for sources of insight, but not of the kind that would turn A Song of Ice and Fire on its head. We want deeper knowledge of Westeros and beyond, but not information that’s been intentionally hidden for the sake of the plot. We might want characters located in places or from milieus that have been under-explored.  Or maybe we want to hear from characters who are fascinating because of their personalities, rather than because of their secret plans. Let’s get started: