Do the dead frighten you?

Contempt, thought Tyrion, the universal tongue.

I want you to be afraid to turn the page (and to do that) you need to show right from the beginning that you're playing for keeps.

When you find yourself in bed with an ugly woman, the best thing to do is close your eyes and get on with it

Catelyn wanted to run to him, to kiss his sweet brow, to wrap him in her arms so tightly that he would never come to harm.

The prejudice is still there, but it's breaking down. You have writers like Michael Chabon and The Yiddish Policemen's Union. He's a writer who's determined to break down genre barriers. He's done amazing things.

Tyrion Lannister could not have been more astonished if Aegon the Conqueror himself had burst into the room, riding on a dragon and juggling lemon pies.