Winds of Winter Expected Early 2016

Mr. Incognito · 11-09-2015 11:44am #1

http://www.rte.ie/ten/news/2015/0911/727093-game-of-thrones-book-looks-set-for-2016-release/

Bout time old man. Get ****ing typing!!

Ant695 · 11-09-2015 12:09pm

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/ten/news/2015/0911/727093-game-of-thrones-book-looks-set-for-2016-release/

Bout time old man. Get ****ing typing!!

They've said this loads of times. Won't believe it until it's official and he can't push it back. Considering he said the series would be done in 1998. He could still delay it again yet.

GerB40 · 12-09-2015 2:30am

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/ten/news/2015/0911/727093-game-of-thrones-book-looks-set-for-2016-release/

Bout time old man. Get ****ing typing!!

All the signs are looking good. The decision to scrap the five years forward thing must've been massive. I mean, completely changing the story you had planned and starting anew. It must've have been mentally exhausting for him but he seems to have that pretty much sorted out.

Plus the Mereeneese knot he got himself into should start to unravel considering how much time he's had to deal with it..

Not too long ago he had a meeting with his editor and a few big wigs. Then there was this http://www.dailydot.com/geek/alejo-cuervo-winds-of-winter-release-date-asoiaf/.

Now we've all seen TWoW release dates reported and usually I'd just brush the off as barely educated guesses. But things definitely seem to in motion so for the first time in a while I'm cautiously optimistic.

bazermc · 13-09-2015 9:27pm

Is this the last book?

Digital Solitude · 13-09-2015 9:45pm

bazermc wrote: »

Is this the last book?

Second last, A Dream of Spring will be released sometime in the 2100's

Nody · 14-09-2015 6:05am

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Second last, A Dream of Spring will be released sometime in the 2100's

Well the first half; the second half (cut down due to size) does not have a planned release date yet (but as several chapters could be lifted and shifted it's been said it will be a quick thing to right).

Ant695 · 14-09-2015 6:18am

Nody wrote: »

Well the first half; the second half (cut down due to size) does not have a planned release date yet (but as several chapters could be lifted and shifted it's been said it will be a quick thing to right).

Yeah he's been working on them both at the same time so hopefully shouldn't be too long after WOW.

ArmaniJeanss · 14-09-2015 1:17pm

It should be a bit like that one year gap between Crows and Dragons.

DarkoT · 17-09-2015 6:34pm

I think that this is true, because the series demand that!

Paddy Cow · 19-09-2015 7:29pm

Nody wrote: »

Well the first half; the second half (cut down due to size) does not have a planned release date yet (but as several chapters could be lifted and shifted it's been said it will be a quick thing to right).

I'm confused. Is he releasing two books or will these books be divided into two more books, meaning we have to wait for four books

Digital Solitude · 19-09-2015 7:39pm

Paddy Cow wrote: »

I'm confused. Is he releasing two books or will these books be divided into two more books, meaning we have to wait for four books

It'll most likely be 2 books split into 3, though highly probable 2 books into 4

Is it confirmed that WoW will be Part 1 and 2?

Ant695 · 19-09-2015 7:58pm

Paddy Cow wrote: »

I'm confused. Is he releasing two books or will these books be divided into two more books, meaning we have to wait for four books

Digital Solitude wrote: »

It'll most likely be 2 books split into 3, though highly probable 2 books into 4

Is it confirmed that WoW will be Part 1 and 2?

I was under the impression that WoW was part 1 and a dream of spring was part 2 and the final book in the series. I could be wrong though and knowing grrm anything is possible.

Paddy Cow · 19-09-2015 9:21pm

Digital Solitude wrote: »

It'll most likely be 2 books split into 3, though highly probable 2 books into 4

Is it confirmed that WoW will be Part 1 and 2?

I really hope he doesn't do that. The last time books were split I felt a lot of crap was added and it just felt like padding. Plus it will take waaaay longer to get to the end.

Paddy Cow · 19-09-2015 9:22pm

Ant695 wrote: »

I was under the impression that WoW was part 1 and a dream of spring was part 2 and the final book in the series. I could be wrong though and knowing grrm anything is possible.

We should just change his name to Grim :pac:

Son0vagun · 19-09-2015 11:21pm

Currently there are two books left in the series, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, and currently that is all we know. A Dance of Dagons was orginally released in hardback in one volume, but then in paperback in two volumes. Currently we do not know if TWoW will but published in the same way. Currently that is all we know.

froog · 21-09-2015 2:11pm

Generally the books are split in two simply cause they're too big. Wow will be the biggest one yet apparently so I would definitely assume 2 parts. Dream of spring will be 2 parts as well no doubt.

Mugsy_P · 01-10-2015 11:08am

Whats this "five years forward" thing?

GerB40 · 01-10-2015 12:07pm

Mugsy_P wrote: »

Whats this "five years forward" thing?

When GRRM set out his plans for ASoIaF he intended to leave a five year gap between ASoS and ADwD. That's why the Stark kids are so young. He planned on relying on flashbacks to explain what happened in those years but after writing a sizeable chunk of it he realised it didn't work so he kept the narrative the way it was. But because he had always planned to have the five year gap, a lot of the stories didn't make sense so he released AFFC to carry the story along. His decision to change the narrative structure cost him the best part of a decade (I'm open to correction on the amount of time) and arguably his weakest writing in the series so far...

Mr. Incognito · 05-11-2015 11:08pm

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/the.winds.of.winter.news.book.reportedly.already.in.publishing.house.awaiting.release/69474.htm

Seems the finished book is to be sent to translators soon

Ant695 · 06-11-2015 10:33am

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/the.winds.of.winter.news.book.reportedly.already.in.publishing.house.awaiting.release/69474.htm

Seems the finished book is to be sent to translators soon

Trying not to get to excited about this.....

It's not working :pac::pac::D

Kunkka · 07-11-2015 11:36pm

Never been as excited about a book.

Mr Freeze · 11-11-2015 5:10pm

Can't wait.

Do they release on hardcover and kindle on the same day for new releases?

Thargor · 11-11-2015 5:20pm

"Christian Today"? Not the most reliable sounding source Ive ever heard and I dont see many other places taking up the story.

Tbh I dont even bother googling for news anymore as theres a whole cottage industry of clickbait title scum posting articles about Winds of Winter and Game of Thrones all day long with zero extra information in them, Ill believe it when I walk into Dubrays and buy it.

Jijsaw · 19-11-2015 6:55pm

^ That precisely, and it takes a very long time to translate a book, Martin's average book is small-print, 900 pages+ long so it'll take far more than 3-4 months to translate such a massive tome like The Winds of Winter will be.

Bear in mind it took the Spanish Harry Potter translator over 5 months to translate the largest book in the Harry Potter which has near 800 pages and has large-print. It'd easily take a ASOIAF translator well over half a year to translate one of the books and I imagine the original and translated-versions will want to be published as close as possible- to avoid any unauthorised translations and non-English speaking readers being spoiled, so February sounds like an unlikely publishing date.

19-11-2015 6:58pm

Jijsaw wrote: »

^ That precisely, and it takes a very long time to translate a book, Martin's average book is small-print, 900 pages+ long so it'll take far more than 3-4 months to translate such a massive tome like The Winds of Winter will be.

Bear in mind it took the Spanish Harry Potter translator over 5 months to translate the largest book in the Harry Potter which has near 800 pages and has large-print. It'd easily take a ASOIAF translator well over half a year to translate one of the books and I imagine the original and translated-versions will want to be published as close as possible- to avoid any unauthorised translations and non-English speaking readers being spoiled, so February sounds like an unlikely publishing date.

How much of a gap is there usually? If any? Having a manuscript floating around for 6 months for translation on different devices, being checked by others and then doing that for several languages means a lot more chance of leaks. I would've thought the focus would be on English sales and readers as well.

Jijsaw · 19-11-2015 8:51pm

Deleted User wrote: »

How much of a gap is there usually? If any? Having a manuscript floating around for 6 months for translation on different devices, being checked by others and then doing that for several languages means a lot more chance of leaks. I would've thought the focus would be on English sales and readers as well.

Depends on the hype surrounding the book, a book that'll only sell a couple of thousands copies could be translated a couple of years after it is originally translated.

The closest book series to compare to ASOIAF is the Harry Potter series. The final book in that series was released on the 21st of July 2007 and because of the massive cover-up of the ending and not wanting anything to leak, translators weren't given a copy of the book to translate until it had been officially released for the general public.
I'm not sure if this will be the case with ASOIAF but I think they don't want to have what happened to Harry Potter (i.e. amateur-translations being published online) because it loses revenue for the foreign publisher and the original author. We'll have to see though but I don't think The Winds of Winter will be released until at least summer 2016 (but GRRM feel free to prove me wrong!).

mzungu · 22-11-2015 12:55am

Jijsaw wrote: »

^ That precisely, and it takes a very long time to translate a book, Martin's average book is small-print, 900 pages+ long so it'll take far more than 3-4 months to translate such a massive tome like The Winds of Winter will be.

Bear in mind it took the Spanish Harry Potter translator over 5 months to translate the largest book in the Harry Potter which has near 800 pages and has large-print. It'd easily take a ASOIAF translator well over half a year to translate one of the books and I imagine the original and translated-versions will want to be published as close as possible- to avoid any unauthorised translations and non-English speaking readers being spoiled, so February sounds like an unlikely publishing date.

Chances are it will be spoiled anyways when the next season starts in April. But without any credible source I'd be inclined to think it won't be released anytime soon.

23-11-2015 12:08pm

Jijsaw wrote: »

Depends on the hype surrounding the book, a book that'll only sell a couple of thousands copies could be translated a couple of years after it is originally translated.

The closest book series to compare to ASOIAF is the Harry Potter series. The final book in that series was released on the 21st of July 2007 and because of the massive cover-up of the ending and not wanting anything to leak, translators weren't given a copy of the book to translate until it had been officially released for the general public.
I'm not sure if this will be the case with ASOIAF but I think they don't want to have what happened to Harry Potter (i.e. amateur-translations being published online) because it loses revenue for the foreign publisher and the original author. We'll have to see though but I don't think The Winds of Winter will be released until at least summer 2016 (but GRRM feel free to prove me wrong!).

I dunno, I can't see the non-English versions being popular/lucrative enough to induce the publishers/rights holders to delay English publication for a year or more with all the risks that entails. Still, though, early 2016 is looking like a stretch now. :pac:

OneOfThem Stumbled · 07-12-2015 12:58pm

mzungu wrote: »

Chances are it will be spoiled anyways when the next season starts in April. But without any credible source I'd be inclined to think it won't be released anytime soon.

Here's an interesting tidbit from the other day:

"This is going to drive your readers crazy, but I love it. I'm still weighing whether to go that direction or not. It's a great twist. It's easy to do things that are shocking or unexpected, but they have to grow out of characters. They have to grow out of situations. Otherwise, it's just being shocking for being shocking. But this is something that seems very organic and natural, and I could see how it would happen. And with the various three, four characters involved... it all makes sense. But it's nothing I've ever thought of before. And it's nothing they can do in the show, because the show has already—on this particular character—made a couple decisions that will preclude it, where in my case I have not made those decisions," the 64-year-old bestselling author quipped.

Kunkka · 31-12-2015 10:07am

Anyone heard anything more solid about this release?

ArmaniJeanss · 31-12-2015 2:36pm

Kunkka wrote: »

Anyone heard anything more solid about this release?

There won't ever be anything 'more solid' until he officially announces a date - he doesn't do progress reports so everything else you read is just unsubstantiated rumour.

Personally I've believed for a long time that there won't be another book in the series. Its actually a happy state of mind to be in, because theres no more downside.

This slightly tongue-in-cheek blog thinks there'll be no book either and goes further to theorize that nothing has actually been written since 2011. I wouldn't go this far, I suspect theres been a lot written (we had sample chapters in 2013?) but that it won't come together as a structured book.

googled eyes · 02-01-2016 11:19am

Don't hold your breath...

http://grrm.livejournal.com/

Kunkka · 02-01-2016 12:00pm

**** sake

RobbingBandit · 02-01-2016 12:24pm

Damn there are some serious spoilers in that blog post on who is dead or not. Very confusing.

Nody · 02-01-2016 9:57pm

RobbingBandit wrote: »

Damn there are some serious spoilers in that blog post on who is dead or not. Very confusing.

Funny but the key message here is:

Nor is it likely to be finished tomorrow, or next week. Yes, there's a lot written. Hundreds of pages. Dozens of chapters. (Those 'no pages done' reports were insane, the usual garbage internet journalism that I have learned to despise). But there's also a lot still left to write. I am months away still... and that's if the writing goes well. (Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't.) Chapters still to write, of course... but also rewriting. I always do a lot of rewriting, sometimes just polishing, sometimes pretty major restructures.

And at least three months after that to print and publish; so earliest summer but more likely Christmas.

Digital Solitude · 02-01-2016 10:08pm

RobbingBandit wrote: »

Damn there are some serious spoilers in that blog post on who is dead or not. Very confusing.

Could he have stated anymore clearly there were spoilers following?

I'd be surprised if we get the book in 2016 tbh

feelgoodinc27 · 03-01-2016 1:27am

I'd prefer he takes the time to finish it to his standard rather than for some arbitrary deadline.

Thargor · 03-01-2016 1:55am

It'll only be setting things up for a Dream of Spring anyway so all a bit pointless and depressing.

Thargor · 03-01-2016 1:55am

Same for Patrick Rothfuss who doesnt even mention Doors of Stone anymore (Kingkiller Chronicles).

pinkypinky · 03-01-2016 1:36pm

It's surely not a surprise to anyone other than GRRM that he's not ready in time. I know it's his thing, and he owes no one, but he missed 2 deadlines last year. If I were him, I'd look long and hard at the other commitments (anthologies, appearances etc) and scale them back to focus on the main book. Ultimately, the problem is that he's bigger than his books now, a bit like Rowling. Editors are obviously afraid of pushing him too hard.

ixoy · 03-01-2016 2:29pm

He can take what he needs. Honestly, I've fallen out of love with the book series - probably because there's a lot of other high quality fantasy out there now and they're delivered more regularly.

When "A Song of Ice and Fire" started out it was unique but I think it's lost a lot of that and the constant delays, for me, aren't doing it any favours.

I'm not expecting GRRM to match the output of say Brandon Sanderson but really doesn't seem like he's really focused on this. His prerogative but it'll be a shame that the series protracted nature mean it may go out with a bit of a whimper than a bang.

titan18 · 04-01-2016 12:38am

My opinion on GRRM would probably get me banned. I'm already done with the TV shows, and tbh, I expect he'll never finish the series. He'll either die first or give up. AFFC and ADWD weren't exactly good books either so I'm not sure waiting on him to finish to it his standard is a good idea.

If anyone else did our jobs as slowly as he did, we'd have been fcuked out of it. Honestly, he needs to cop on and take the work seriously or else get a ghost writer to finish it for him.

Digital Solitude · 04-01-2016 12:43am

It's his own masterpiece in fairness, he's big enough now to not need to finish the series for financials I'd say, let him plod on at his own pace

froog · 04-01-2016 3:39am

not surprised at all really. and if he had barely got this out before season 6, not a hope he would have the last book out before the tv show ended. i find it hard not to be annoyed with him to be honest. yes it's his series, but it has a huge following now (and a fairly large fanbase before the tv show), and he does have a responsibility to his fans. he seems to take up his time with countless projects that have a lot lot less of a fanbase invested in them - editing some short story books, travelling loads, etc

i seriously doubt the last book will ever be finished to be honest. i'm happy that we will at least get to know (roughly) what the ending to the whole thing is in a timely fashion from the tv show.

Sleepy · 04-01-2016 4:23pm

Saw that over the Christmas and more than a little disappointed. I was really hoping the book would be out before Season 6 as I prefer the depth to break-neck pace... Were I able to avoid spoilers, I'd leave the show until the books were out but that's not really an option unless I give up on social media tbh.

It's no one else's fault other than his own that he missed his deadlines. I'd blame his editor for some of the drop in quality in his prose in the last book (that damned "nipples on a breastplate" line was screaming to be edited out after it's second use, never mind the fifteenth!) but the delays in delivering his novels are blatantly down to his involvement with the Wild Cards series, his Cinema, his convention attendances etc. I don't bear him any ill will for it, it's his life to live as he chooses etc but it'd be a damned shame if he left his defining work as an author unfinished imo.

Thargor · 04-01-2016 4:27pm

Sleepy wrote: »

Saw that over the Christmas and more than a little disappointed. I was really hoping the book would be out before Season 6 as I prefer the depth to break-neck pace... Were I able to avoid spoilers, I'd leave the show until the books were out but that's not really an option unless I give up on social media tbh.

It's no one else's fault other than his own that he missed his deadlines. I'd blame his editor for some of the drop in quality in his prose in the last book (that damned "nipples on a breastplate" line was screaming to be edited out after it's second use, never mind the fifteenth!) but the delays in delivering his novels are blatantly down to his involvement with the Wild Cards series, his Cinema, his convention attendances etc. I don't bear him any ill will for it, it's his life to live as he chooses etc but it'd be a damned shame if he left his defining work as an author unfinished imo.

It would be less annoying if his other projects werent such garbage, Wild Cards and Fevre Dream are unreadable muck, same for the cash-in crap like the Winter Dragon and the Encyclopedia and all that compilation stuff.

Godge · 04-01-2016 4:31pm

Sleepy wrote: »

Saw that over the Christmas and more than a little disappointed. I was really hoping the book would be out before Season 6 as I prefer the depth to break-neck pace... Were I able to avoid spoilers, I'd leave the show until the books were out but that's not really an option unless I give up on social media tbh.

It's no one else's fault other than his own that he missed his deadlines. I'd blame his editor for some of the drop in quality in his prose in the last book (that damned "nipples on a breastplate" line was screaming to be edited out after it's second use, never mind the fifteenth!) but the delays in delivering his novels are blatantly down to his involvement with the Wild Cards series, his Cinema, his convention attendances etc. I don't bear him any ill will for it, it's his life to live as he chooses etc but it'd be a damned shame if he left his defining work as an author unfinished imo.

I agree with that last bit. Whether or not he finishes it is up to him and we can't complain but it would tarnish his legacy if he never got it done.

Mr. Incognito · 04-01-2016 5:25pm

Well that really is a kick in the bollox.

They should starve him every morning.

No food till he writes a few chapters. Would be done in a week

fitz · 04-01-2016 8:17pm

I would not be at all surprised if the series was never finished.
There's a lot of parallels with Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series - a fantastic start, with the books coming out at regular intervals up to a point where things started getting bloated, taking longer to come out, and ultimately had to be finished by Brandon Sanderson due to Jordan's illness and untimely death at the age of 58. Jordan at least had the time, plans and notes to hand over his series to Sanderson before his passing, and left behind a completed series that maybe didn't re-define the epic fantasy genre, but certainly re-invigorated it.

George is nearly 10 years older than Jordan lived to be, and at current pace, won't be finished for another 7 years, when he'll be 75.
It would be a crying shame if he never got to finish his version of his masterpiece.
He's perfectly right to do what he likes and prioritise what he likes, and you can't work on something non-stop, but I do question whether he really cares about the series that much any more. It may seem a callous thing to say, but I can help but wonder does he take his age and time for granted with the other commitments that he puts his efforts into. If he doesn't take that stuff for granted, I just can't see how someone who's still in love with the work wouldn't drop the other stuff and focus on getting Ice & Fire finished.

If he doesn't finish it, I'll be sad that he didn't get to, not that I didn't get to read it.
We'll get an ending of sorts through the show, but as he says himself, the books and the show are two different things now...I'd love to get a chance to enjoy the end of both.

Liam O · 08-01-2016 12:08pm

fitz wrote: »

I would not be at all surprised if the series was never finished.
There's a lot of parallels with Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series - a fantastic start, with the books coming out at regular intervals up to a point where things started getting bloated, taking longer to come out, and ultimately had to be finished by Brandon Sanderson due to Jordan's illness and untimely death at the age of 58. Jordan at least had the time, plans and notes to hand over his series to Sanderson before his passing, and left behind a completed series that maybe didn't re-define the epic fantasy genre, but certainly re-invigorated it.

George is nearly 10 years older than Jordan lived to be, and at current pace, won't be finished for another 7 years, when he'll be 75.
It would be a crying shame if he never got to finish his version of his masterpiece.
He's perfectly right to do what he likes and prioritise what he likes, and you can't work on something non-stop, but I do question whether he really cares about the series that much any more. It may seem a callous thing to say, but I can help but wonder does he take his age and time for granted with the other commitments that he puts his efforts into. If he doesn't take that stuff for granted, I just can't see how someone who's still in love with the work wouldn't drop the other stuff and focus on getting Ice & Fire finished.

If he doesn't finish it, I'll be sad that he didn't get to, not that I didn't get to read it.
We'll get an ending of sorts through the show, but as he says himself, the books and the show are two different things now...I'd love to get a chance to enjoy the end of both.

It's quite insane that he wrote the first 3 books in the same time as the gap between AFFC and DWD. Considering he didn't already have the world built and the kinks worked out and still brought out a Dunk and Egg novella in that time you may be on to something being up with regards his motivation.

Jofspring · 08-01-2016 8:00pm

Ya he seems to be getting side tracked very easily with these other projects. I understand he wants to take time and make the books as good as they can be but at some stage he has to just put everything else aside and crack on with them.

I don't like the thoughts of the tv show going ahead of the books. While they keep saying they are deviating separately with different things happening and different people dying or surviving, I still think it's heading to the same ultimate end and the important storylines will not change enough to un-spoil the books.

Like last season went off on a tangent in a lot of storylines but ultimately it felt like they squeezed everything in to the last few episodes to come back in line with the books. That and the fact it looks like next season will fill in some of the other things that have already happened in the books like the Greyjoys.

Winds of Winter Expected Early 2016

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