Robb and Catelyn are killed.

For those who have finished reading the existing books, what do you see in Tyrion's future? I figure he has to leave Westerland (or whatever it's called)- will he hook up with Dany and ride some dragons? Alternatively he may just head to the wall, they could use a dwarf like him, and I suppose he might be safe under the protection of Stannis and Jon Snow.

Tyrion is definitely on the first boat out of Westeros. Even the wall is probably too close for comfort, though maybe Stannis would give him shelter.

I can see Tyrion winding up with Dany, as you suspect. That's possible; Dany has every reason to hate the Lanisters, but maybe she'll recognize that Tyrion is a Lanister in name only, and they will get along well. Alternately, the way Martin writes, Tyrion could wind up with Dany and she could immediately have him executed.

Or he could wind up in the same place Arya is headed. Arya's pretty clearly destined to train with the Faceless Men (or whatever they're called) in the eastern cities, and it would be interesting to see the two of them -- the two most bitter, angry characters -- meet up.

I totally agree with your assessment. I think he'll end up with Dany, but it could go either way there. I wouldn't put it past Martin to kill him, but I really like the character!. Or he could end up with Arya. I can't wait until the next book!

I too could see him landing up with Arya. It would be ironic since he looked so long for her while serving as Hand. Plus, as far as the world knows, he killed Joffrey, who is near #1 on Arya's list, so they should get along fine. I was just about to say I don't see them meeting for long, if she is going to be training with the faceless men; but can a dwarf train as a faceless man? Tyrion is already fairly faceless as it is...

Ahhhg. I can't tell you how much I detest the Catelyn character. I wish she'd been written out completely!!!! Because her instincts are messed up, she precipitates the whole mess by kidnapping Tyrion. Then she wants Robb to just QUIT fighting. If I had been Robb, I would have sent her packing and told her to keep her nose out. Plus, she hates Jon for something that is not his fault at all, very unfair of her. I hate her!!

But then, I was not a particularly nice teenage kid and was not exactly respectful of my elders.

the Red Viper being wiped out...I was really liking that character and was hoping some more Dorn stuff would develop; plus that stupid brutal Mountain is still around...I wonder if he'll survive so the Hound can have at him?

These are definitely great books, but Martin's style of putting his characters through the grinder for most of the book before anything good happens to them is pretty onerous. Except for Dany, but am I the only person who finds it difficult to care what she's doing? It's probably partly because she's not yet a part of the greater story.

The best part of this book for me was probably the change in Jaime. I never expected to see him in this light, and I can't wait to see what'll happen to him in the next book. I was almost certain Tyrion was going to die, and was glad to see him survive. I find it pretty funny that my two favorite characters are Lannisters.

My jaw hit the floor when I got to the last page of the book. The fact that Cat is still alive just floored me, though I had a sneaking suspicion that her death wasnt all it seemed. I agree with yrth that she made some pretty poor choices, but I still like her character quite a bit. Though like others, I think my favorite character is Tyrion...

I've heard that the 4th book, supposedly called A Dance With Dragons, takes place 10 years after the end of A Storm of Swords... it will be interesting to see how Martin explains what took place in that time, what with most of the storylines being left in limbo (assasination of Tywin, Catelyns revenge, what Littlefingers plans are, Jon being named Lord Commander and Stannis's reaction, and what he does with Mance Rayder, what Arya does... assasin training sounds good to me )

The only storyline he leaves that's not quite hanging on the edge of a cliff is Dany deciding to be Queen of that city for awhile... and I do like her story, it will be interesting to see what happens with it...