Race for the Iron Throne's Steven Attewell will be sharing some of his work on Tower of the Hand, offering his historical and political insights on A Song of Ice and Fire. Steve began with a five-piece analysis of the Hands of the King, and followed that with his five-part look at Hollow Crowns and Deadly Thrones. Now he turns his attention toward the great continent of Essos. In Part III: The Secret City, Steve focuses in on Braavos, the city-state that we have the most textual evidence to go on, and how this metropolis is both exemplary of and different from the other Free Cities.

This post discusses the fifth book of the series, A Dance with Dragons (published 2011). If you've completed the book, set your scope above to ADWD. Otherwise, we advise you to avoid reading this post as it may contain spoilers.