A Game of Thrones is eating through A Dance With Dragons and A Feast for Crows like termites gnaw on wood

I think Sons of the Harpy on Sunday night confirmed a theory that I've long had about the Targaryens and whether or not Jon Snow is one of them. It happened in a scene where Melisandre approaches Jon Snow to seduce him with all her women parts. The scene was remarkable in two ways: first it isn't in the books unless my memory has flown completely out the window (which is possible) and two, she was sniffing about him the same as she does Stannis and alluding to "power" being in his veins. Well what power is that exactly? I'm betting on it being dragon's blood, a.k.a. the Targaryens.

In fact, Sons of the Harpy was all about Jon Snow. Remember the exchange under Winterfell between Littlefinger and Sansa? Littlefinger told Sansa about the tournament in which Rhaegar Targaryen rode off with Lyanna Stark. Of course, Sansa replied with the whole "rape" story that's been spoon fed to her by the Baratheons but is that really what happened? Littlefinger seemed to know more but held back from setting the record straight. And that's when we cut to Daenerys Targaryen talking with Barriston Selmy. Hmm? Barriston also waxed poetic on Rhaegar who seemed like a gentle soul. He hated swords and loved to sing, and he gave the money he made to charity or to just get drunk and have a good time with his best friend. That doesn't sound like a rapist to me. It sounds like the kind of guy that's beloved.

I'm thinking more and more that Ned Stark participated in the biggest coverup in history. Jon Snow is a Targaryen. Yup. So how does that change things? I'm not sure dammit.

So now that that's settled, the other remarkable thing that I'm seeing develop in this season is how swiftly the show writers are eating up material in A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons simultaneously. I know that Martin said the material in both books runs concurrently, but it's hard to separate that in my mind because there was an eight year gap between books. Tyrion took forever in crossing the vast expanses of Essos to Mereen, and it looks like that by the end of the season, we're going to have a showdown at Winterfell between Stannis and his men and the Bolton boy (will Sansa get rescued?), we'll have Tyrion in Mereen, and we'll have all of Cersei's scheming with the High Septon get thrown back in her face when Margaery and Olenna figure out how to outmatch her at her own game.

I know I've written before that The Winds of Winter is supposed to be out this fall. I've been checking Martin's website and now I'm not so sure. It may get published as early as next spring, but I hope it does before the start of the next season. I'd like to see how things go in the books before getting too many spoilers. It's a given that HBO is going to finish this thing in seven seasons, but I'd like one more book under my belt (I think) before then. I wonder if (knowing the ending when it happens) I'll even feel like buying a Whisper of Spring. Maybe? Maybe not?

It must be so weird being George. That being said, we are headed for one hell of a season finale.