Sorry, George R.R. Martin will *never* finish "A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE" (aka GAME OF THRONES series)

I think you're right. He spends way too much time traipsing around from one appearance to another and he claims he can only write at home. Everyone works on the road - he can't be that sensitive.

But I guess he doesn't need the money from finishing the series.

That's Great!

Hi Jamin.

I was thinking. If Ted Cruz can become a politician who people vote into office and get married there is hope for you.

Have you considered politics?

You make good points. But there is one more reason why he will not finish the books. The story is going to be completed via the TV series. Its my understanding that he continues to work closely with the show's script writers so that it is his story line being told within the parameters of a tv show. Once the tv show runs its course, what is his motivation for writing a book?

Also, I suspect he has simply run out of inspiration. That is all too common with book series that become highly popular. They write a couple first books that are really compelling and become hits. Then they are trapped. They are under pressure to finish the cycle when they don't know the ending any more than the average reader of the series.

Who cares?

He reads or posts a chapter from the new (forthcoming) book ocassionally (there's been three or four I think) but it's never clear to me if it's truly "new" or just something cut from the last book during edits six years ago.

I think the sixth book will be released sometime in the next year and we'll probably not see the seventh.

I've often thought that we won't see the end of the series. But maybe the OP is right: we will, but Martin won't write it.

OP is exactly right on this. However, Martin has said he won't allow the series to be completed by another author following his death. I think legal precedent is to respect the author's wishes in this regard. If he doesn't change his mind and dies before finishing (likely), we'll have to wait for the copyright to run out which won't occur in many of our lifetimes for someone to finish the work using Martin's notes.

Martin doesn't write when he is not at home at his ancient 1990s computer. And he is constantly away at conventions. Who wouldn't invite GRRM as a guest of honor, he could not write another word for 20 years and still be a popular convention guest. He was never a fast writer and he never figured out how to live a normal life with his success when popularity for ASOIAF exploded around 2000.

There are other books you could read though. Why not read The Wheel of Time or the Malazan Book of the Fallen? Those are similarly long and complex series that were completed.

ryan foreman wrote:

Its my understanding that he continues to work closely with the show's script writers so that it is his story line being told within the parameters of a tv show.

Your understanding is wrong. As of this past season (number 6) HBO has its own creative direction for the show, and while they DO know George's ending, there is no longer a needed consensus on how they get there. "His storyline within the parameters f a tv show" went out the window two season ago anyway. Well, I guess you will argue that they have loosely done so, but I'd venture a guess we are seeing two completely different stories reach the same conclusion. Where they dovetail back together is irrelevant to us or George.

Furthermore, George wrote 0 episodes for season 6 of the show and I wouldn't be surprised if he wrote 0 for season 7, depending on how serious he stays about finishing this book.

Point being: He's not spending his time working on the television side of things. he has spent a LOT of time doing so, but he understands where his focus should be right now.

yes, he will finish the 6th and at least start the 7th. his mind is still working fine.

Loved the early stuff but got tired when I had to go back to previous books to identify the characters.

I think he got bored and started to produce crap.

As one who read the books long before there was a TV show, I decided to just ignore it all. If I hear one day through the grapevine that somehow the series was completed, I'll go back to it. Otherwise, I'll stick to the 9,000,000 other books out there that have some sort of conclusion.

kvothe wrote:

There are other books you could read though. Why not read The Wheel of Time or the Malazan Book of the Fallen? Those are similarly long and complex series that were completed.

Oof. I had a supervisor who was a huge fan of WOT, so I tried the first book. Did NOT enjoy it. Among other things, a major character was introduced about 3/4 of the way through--I don't care that you're thinking in terms of 6+ books in your series, each book has to be able to stand on its own*, and that one didn't. So I haven't tried any more of WOT, but will look into the Malazan thing (which I've never heard of).

*I think this was something J.K. Rowling did fairly well in the Potter books. Only the penultimate book was a disappointing "setup" for the following one; the others told individual stories on their own.

Brandon Sanderson is my favorite author. He releases several books per year, plus most of his books are actually in the same universe, leaving clues that they are connected. He has an underlining story that encompasses all of these books. You get hints as your read them, if you are paying attention.

Malazan is the worst series I've ever read (although I only read the first five books or so). There's basically no exposition at all, it's like the story starts in chapter with what would be chapter 10 in a regular book. Someone does something and you have no idea why then find out chapters or whole books later why they did it.

Lots of fans seem to really enjoy that aspect of it but I thought it was tiresome and way too much work to read and understand wtf was actually going on.

The characterization is also terrible.

molespokeaboutballs. wrote:

Loved the early stuff but got tired when I had to go back to previous books to identify the characters.

Agree. The universe of characters and plot lines kept expanding until I found myself annoyed. Supposedly the universe of the series was contracting again in the last book, but I found that every time I thought we had safely left a thread ended, it would pick up again (Iron Islands, Dorne) plus several more that just seem to meander.

Danger will r danger wrote:

Who cares?

Well, among others, it looks like you do--given that you clicked on a thread whose title pretty well advertises what the thread is about...

Who is daario naharis? Surely he is not a sell sword born to a whore.