What Major Plotlines Continue In Asoiaf Book 6?

I’ve been combing through the sample chapters and fan theories for years, so here’s where I think we’re headed. The big one is the Meereenese knot—George R.R. Martin’s term for the narrative tangle in Slaver’s Bay. The last we saw, Barristan had just seized control in Meereen after Dany flew off on Drogon. Tyrion’s with the Second Sons, and Victarion Greyjoy is sailing in with his fleet and that horn. The continuation will be the battle of fire, for sure, resolving whether Dany’s forces can hold the city. Then there’s the aftermath: does she return? Does she head west? That’s the primary plot engine.

Up in the North, the cliffhanger is Stannis at Winterfell, supposedly dead per the Pink Letter but almost certainly not. The continuation will be the fallout from his battle in the snow, the true fate of the Karstarks, and the huge reveal of what’s happening with the Boltons and the Freys inside. We’ve got Theon and Asha right there in the middle. Plus, Davos is off to Skagos to find Rickon, so that’s another thread that has to pick up.

And don’t forget King’s Landing. Cersei’s just had her walk of shame and is out for blood, while the Tyrells are in a precarious spot with Margaery’s trial. That’s a powder keg waiting to blow. Meanwhile, over in Oldtown, Samwell is learning secrets at the Citadel while Euron Greyjoy threatens the Reach—that’s a major new front. And of course, Bran’s training with the Three-Eyed Crow, which will likely start revealing the deep history of the Others and the Long Night. It’s a lot of plates spinning, but the continuation is really about convergence, moving these scattered pieces closer together for the endgame.

Honestly, after all this waiting, I’m less interested in the new shocks and more in how these established tensions finally snap. The sample chapter with Arianne heading to meet Aegon gives a taste of that—it’s all about momentum shifting back towards Westeros.