I do like how the dreams and prophecies are continuing to play out. Coincidentally, a friend tells me the HBO adaptation of the first book doesn't have any of the dream sequences. I guess it's something that doesn't translate well into the other medium; unfortunate, because they are some of the reasons why the writing is great.
The HBO adaptation, however... appears to have upped the sex without conveying the sense of female agency in the novels. I suppose the more narrow purpose of the TV adaptation is to entertain and not to overturn conventions. Regrettably, one can watch the TV series and utterly miss this dimension of the novels.
If I have to pick one favorite part of the book, it would be this chilling passage:
...A shadow fell across them both, blotting out the sun. The queen felt cold steel slide beneath her, a pair of great armored arms lifting her off the ground, lifting her up into the air as easily as she had lifted Joffrey when he was still a babe. A giant, thought Cersei, dizzy, as he carried her with great strides toward the gatehouse. She had heard that giants could still be found in the godless wild beyond the Wall. That is just a tale. Am I dreaming?
...
Cersei never saw where Qyburn came from, but suddenly he was there beside them, scrambling to keep up with her champion's long strides. "Your Grace," he said, "it is so good to have you back. May I have the honor of presenting our newest member of the Kingsguard? This is Ser Robert Strong."
"Ser Robert," Cersei whispered, as they entered the gates.
"If it please Your Grace, Ser Robert has taken a holy vow of silence," Qyburn said. "He has sworn that he will not speak until all of His Grace's enemies are dead and evil has been driven from the realm."
Yes, thought Cersei Lannister. Oh, yes.
