Winds of Winter Expected Early 2016

googled eyes

Don't hold your breath...

http://grrm.livejournal.com/

Kunkka

**** sake

RobbingBandit

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

Nody

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

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

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

Thargor

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

Thargor

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

pinkypinky

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

fitz

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

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.

JRant

Jofspring wrote: »

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.

I get the feeling from his interviews and the way the previous couple of books have gone that he hasn't a clue how to wrap up his storylines.

Each story thread has become more tangled as he's gone on with no end in sight.

weemcd

Quite clear for a number of reasons that GRR indulges himself a lot, he has so much power at this point there isn't going to be anyone who can reign him in and get him to meet a damm deadline. The series quality will diminish because of this, a bit of pressure does no harm, actually helps you get things done better imo.

Ascendant

JRant wrote: »

I get the feeling from his interviews and the way the previous couple of books have gone that he hasn't a clue how to wrap up his storylines.

Each story thread has become more tangled as he's gone on with no end in sight.

He has said himself that he prefers not knowing how the story will turn out as he writes and prefers to let him come to him or evolve naturally.

We're now seeing the downside of this approach.

OwaynOTT

Ascendant wrote: »

He has said himself that he prefers not knowing how the story will turn out as he writes and prefers to let him come to him or evolve naturally.

We're now seeing the downside of this approach.

He best stop watching the tv show so.

JRant

Ascendant wrote: »

He has said himself that he prefers not knowing how the story will turn out as he writes and prefers to let him come to him or evolve naturally.

We're now seeing the downside of this approach.

I could live with that if it wasn't for the fact that he has very clearly lined up an ending for the tv show.

Personally, I think he has pretty much given up on the books, which is fine as it's his prerogative.

All that's happening now is a few realeases to keep his editors on the long finger and off his back.

The tv show will finish the series and we'll get an ending one way or another. That in itself is enough for me as I have lost interest in the books, waiting years for them to come out.

In the end, he's an old man and it must be extremely difficult for him to focus on finishing such an extensive work. Thankfully the tv show is top notch and I will certainly enjoy seeing how that pans out.