But even if one looks back at the books fifty years hence and ignoring the time gaps, I think they'll conclude this book is perhaps even less helpful to the plot than aFfC. When readers whined that they wanted Tyrion chapters, they were thinking of his rollercoaster ride throughout the first three books, with highs and lows but hardly a slow chapter in the mix. This slow depressed dwarf stuff is still fun to read because Tyrion's a great character with a great sense of humour, but it really isn't the same.