Title: Knees Falling
Author: Perfidious Albion
Rating: M
Genre: Canon Divergence
Status: Complete
Fandom: A Song of Ice and Fire
Pairings: N/A
Summary: Five kings stake their claims to power, but not only kings bleed in kings' wars. It is the men and women behind them, most of humbler blood, who will decide the course of fate. A seagull takes a different path after a day's hunting in the Narrow Sea, and so one dies who might have lived. From that seed Westeros changes beyond imagination. 'A Clash of Kings' as it could have been.
Link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12302583/1/A-Clash-of-Kings-Knees-Falling

Actual summary: Cressen successfully kills Melisandre in the prologue of A Clash of Kings. Everything changes.

This is how you do a canon divergence. I wasn’t impressed at the start because some chapters only had a line or two changed while the rest was copy/pasted from Clash. But quickly, events spiralled out of control and I admire this writer’s conviction to stick to the GRRM way of writing characters.

It isn’t self-indulgent. Beloved characters can and do die. Others end up in a worse situation than canon. More benefit from the turn of events, and always, the story is unpredictable.

Spoiler

I was especially impressed with the death of Stannis Baratheon. Cressen killed Melisandre for him, but all it did was usher Stannis into an early grave. Brilliant.

Read it. It's nearly complete (well, at least Clash is). It’s not hidden on the Alternative History forums anymore, you have no excuse. DO IT NOW!

5/5.

 

Everything about this fic makes sense.

Everyone stays in character, and the plot progression is completely logical and believable, yet not predictable. The prose is good and there's barely any mistakes at all, so you can immerse yourself with no distractions.

If there's anything to be said against this fic, it's that the start is obviously going to read like a canon rehash, because it takes times for the divergence to really have an effect.

If you're looking for a good ASoIaF fic with an original PoD, this is it. Just don't go into this expecting amazing twists that allow all the Starks to survive and marry their true loves while Jon becomes king of the dragons and flies off on his wildling horde to live happily ever after.

5/5

 

I enjoyed most of the story so far, but the last Sansa chapter with Cersei has irked me. Cersei is way too calm and collected. This is a woman who was going batshit insane when she was still in power (in canon), it just doesn't fit that she's dealing so well with things so far given her state at the time being.

Earlier chapters, however, were absolutely top notch.

I want to give the story 5/5, but for now it's a 4/5. Will have to wait for a few more updates, to see how it goes.

 

This is probably the best ASOIAF fic in a good, long while.

All the positives of it have been listed, so here is my worry for the fic:

Everything is going just a bit too well for Renly and to compensate for it the author has spent a couple of chapters trying to portray him as this harsh and merciless man. And because a Renly victory could be construed as slightly Stark wankish the author has turned this brand new personality against them for some poorly defined reasons.

Not that it distracts too much from the story, just that I could have gone without the Sansa chapters.

EDIT: 5/5 It's one of the best stories to be found in the fandom.

 

While I agree with Odran that Cersei, and the Lannisters in general, are giving much more poise and control than in canon, it doesn't really bother me.

Excellent prose, interesting and original progression, finally a Sansa I like and sympathize with, Renly gets to be more competent than canon but I don't mind much. Stannis is Stannis. It's not my favorite ASOIAF fic, but it is, without a doubt, the best one.

5/5. No doubt. Actually 5.5/5. Odran is a lil bitch.

 

Im not sure I agree with this. Renly winning was probably the natural of order of things (barring magic). Everything had to go the absolutely wrong for Renly to not win. He had by far the biggest army, and with the discord in KL, if he at any point wanted to attack he likely would have won. Thats all not to mention that he took heavy heavy losses against Stannis who had a fraction of his army.

The only thing I've noticed in the Sansa chapter is her realization that nothing really changes (which is true) just because Renly won. He's not going to just send her back while Robb is still claiming to be King in the North. That doesn't make him harsh or merciless, its just the reality of the situation.
I also don't see why Renly's win is Stark-wank. What Cersei said is true, Renly is the only one who actually has the man power to fight both the Lannisters and the Starks. Its probably worse for the Starks that Renly won the throne.

 

KGB Invictus jwlk

Ratings guys? Future generations will scroll past this thread if we forsake our duty.

 

I agree with all of the positives listed in the other reviews here and give it 5/5. It's probably the most readable pure-ASOIAF story out there, what with The Black Prince being a crossover. Here's what I said in the other thread. (I wasn't the first to mention it there, but it had been a couple of months since it was discussed at the time)

 

I give it a 4/5, if only because the "canon chapter goes here" really aggravates me. Petty I know, but I haven't read the books in a good long while so while I can get the gist of what's going on I worry.

 

In canon, she only goes off the deep end after she starts losing them, and begins seeing Maggy's prophecy comes true. In KF, however, her children are still alive, and that's what grounds her. They're her rock, her firmament against the storm, her truth in a world of lies.

And she will protect them at all costs - and she knows that the greatest danger is talking too much. Just one wrong word screamed in a moment of madness, and the truth will out, and her children will die. So she knows her job - maintain her equanimity, keep her silence, and bring her sins and secrets to the grave.

And so she does just that. Because Cersei, whatever her faults, is not a coward. None of the Lannister siblings are, with all of them too proud to be afraid. That's what makes them so dangerous - a ruthless coward is just Joffrey; add some courage and you get Castamere instead.

Anyway, 5/5 of course.

Btw, are we getting that ASOIAF subforum in the library anytime soon?

 

The best ASOIAF fic I have ever read. Most of the others are just guilty pleasure fics for when I feel too depressed. The fact that the Starks arent dead yet makes me happier, because regardless of my appreciation for a well written story, I will always be pro-Stark....well except Catelyn

The whole paste this chapter of canon here thing is kinda annoying, but it serves its purpose quite well in showing how the results of one event will cause small ripples, then waves and eventually storms.

All characters are realistic and follow logic(or what passes for logic in their minds).

No spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and the story flows quite smoothly.

I'd rate it at 4.5/5.

 

This story is now complete.

I have no further comment other than the sequel to this story may or may not happen (as far as the author's note tells me). I really, really hope it does. I've never read an ASOIAF fic quite like this one.

 

This fic was amazing. It's easily the best in the fandom in my opinion.

 

Chapter One of A Storm of Swords: Knees Falling has finally been posted.