A Song of Ice and Fire Thread

[blatboom]

pre-ordered my aDwD paperback

going to wait for its arrival to start on Feast in an attempt to read them concurrently. should be fun/torturous

[gainesvillegreen]

pre-ordered my aDwD paperback

going to wait for its arrival to start on Feast in an attempt to read them concurrently. should be fun/torturous

How many pages all told to read them concurrently?

[blatboom]

~1800 I'd say.. only about 1/3 of which I've found particularly compelling. maybe this will help change my mind

[GBL]

pre-ordered my aDwD paperback

going to wait for its arrival to start on Feast in an attempt to read them concurrently. should be fun/torturous

Good call on the pre-order, I think I should do the same..

[gainesvillegreen]

~1800 I'd say.. only about 1/3 of which I've found particularly compelling. maybe this will help change my mind

That is an insane amount!
I love to read, but ~1800 for two works is astonishing. It is like reading nineteenth century Russians all the time.

[blatboom]

I plan on taking my sweet time, figure I got another 3 years or so until book 6 drops

[blatboom]

I hate being right sometimes. and f yeah I went comic sans on that ass


http://www.idigitaltimes.com/articles/20338/20131013/winds-winter-release-date-delay-comic-con-george-r-r-martin.htm

'Winds of Winter' Release Date Delay: New York Comic Con 2013 Panel Reveals Three New George R.R. Martin Books For 2014

"Winds of Winter" release date delay looks increasingly likely, as the new book may be pushed back to 2015 or even later, most realistically 2017. A New York Comic Con 2013 panel revealed that George R. R. Martin has three new books coming for 2014 and one that he has edited and contributed to. None of them are "Winds of Winter" though several of them are related to the "Game of Thrones" universe. "A Song Of Ice And Fire" fans are fairly familiar with the glacial pace that George R. R. Martin writes, so if he has several other projects that he is working on you can be sure that "Winds of Winter" is going to take even longer.

The "Winds of Winter" release date delay wasn't directly referenced during the New York Comic Con 2013 panel, but it was clear that it was on the minds of every fan when they saw the projector throw up the several new George R. R. Martin book releases. These included such chenuts as the "Words and Wisdom of Tyrion Lannister", a "Game of Thrones" five book compilation and a sci-fi novel edited by George R.R. Martin "Old Mars." George R. R. Martin has also edited another book called "Dangerous Women" and contributed one story from the "Game of Thrones" universe to it. There is certainly no shortage of dangerous women in the "Game of Thrones" world.

Unfortunate what this means for fans is that "Winds of Winter" release date is not going to come in 2014 as we might have hoped and previously speculated. George R. R. Martin has spoken about his writing pace: "I am aware of the TV series moving along behind me like a giant locomotive, and I know I need to lay the track more quickly, perhaps, because the locomotive is soon going to be bearing down on me," he said. "The last thing I want is for the TV series to catch up with me. I've got a considerable head start, but production is moving faster than I can write. I'm hoping that we'll finish the story at about the same time ... we'll see. Sometimes I make the decisions wrongly. My process as a writer is not one of thoroughly outlining ahead of time, which can result in my muse leading me down blind alleys and dead ends. ... So then I have to double back and rewrite and so forth. It's almost a subconscious thing -- when it's right, it feels right, and when it doesn't feel right, I keep niggling at it until it does."

The "Winds of Winter" release date delay is somewhat distressing since there's an open question of what will happen if the HBO show catches up to the books. George R.R. Martin has said he is cognizant of that fact and is attempting to write more quickly, but if "Winds of Winter" is not released till 2015 or later, then it is quite likely that the HBO "Game of Thrones" show may be forced to resort to other materials. One option for "Game of Thrones" is using prequels and side stories written by George R.R. Martin like the "Hedge Knight" and "Tales of Dunk and Egg". George R.R. Martin has angered fans in the past by overestimating his writing speed and release dates of his previous novels. He has also lashed back at fans who seem to expect him to be chained to a desk saying that he is not their "b**ch".

You know, given the realities, I would. If the publishing world was different-if we could publish a physical book that was 3,000 pages long that wouldn't fall apart, and if my fans and editors and publishers had wanted to wait-then I might have made a different decision. If I hadn't split the books, it still might only be coming out this year, and people would have waited 10 years for the book instead of waiting five. It was a difficult decision, but I think given the realities of what I was faced with, it was the best decision.

Still despite the "Winds of Winter" release date delay at this point we have a reasonable amount of "Winds of Winter" spoilers to tide us over. George R.R. Martin has basically acknowledged that Jon Snow was still alive, though not necessarily in human form, "You introduce characters, and sometimes they take on a life of their own. Some major characters -- yes, I always had plans, what Tyrion's arc was gonna be through this, what Arya's arc was gonna be through this, what Jon Snow's arc is gonna be. I knew what the principal deaths were gonna be, and when they were coming. That would be the closest thing." Many fans have speculated Jon may warg into Ghost. At this point we also have what George R.R. Martin has released in sample chapters on his blog with Arianna Martell and Theon Greyjoy as the viewpoint characters. George R.R. Martin has also said that he plans to introduce an evil character inspired by Walter White from "Breaking Bad".

The "Winds of Winter" release date delay may be pushed back or perhaps George R.R. Martin's publisher, who she refers to as their "lord and master", may be planning to publish the "Winds of Winter" in late 2014. Other possible dates may include 2015, 2016 or even as late as 2017. George R.R. Martin has unfortunately been known to have large five year gaps in between his books. Hopefully that won't be the case for "Winds of Winter".

[cactusfan]

there was an 'expected release date' in people's heads of 2014? that's hilarious.

Storm of Swords: 2000
A Feast of Crows: 2005
A Dance With Dragons: 2011

and keep in mind, those last two books are really just one book. how anyone could have expected the next one sooner than 2017 is beyond me.

having started this series in '01 myself, here's some advice: forget about the next book. then, one day, when its publication is announced, you'll be thrilled.

[blatboom]

well there was only a 2 year gap between each of the first 3 so it's not like it's inconceivable regardless of recent trends

[blatboom]

so my Dance paperback arrived today... but it's the same size as the hardcover. it appears I have erred, maybe I wanted the trade paperback but I didn't know what that meant

[gainesvillegreen]

so my Dance paperback arrived today... but it's the same size as the hardcover. it appears I have erred, maybe I wanted the trade paperback but I didn't know what that meant

You want the smallest of the paperbacks is that right? I believe those are called mass market (or pocket).  :|
I can see the wisdom in wanting that size too for these novels, fuckers are like bricks I'm sure.

[blatboom]

yeah I think you're right. I want it to line up with my other 4 paperbacks on the shelf so I'll probably send this one back

[gainesvillegreen]

yeah I think you're right. I want it to line up with my other 4 paperbacks on the shelf so I'll probably send this one back

When I see folks toting these around, it certainly makes the case for e-readers.

Did you and everyone else see these novels made it into the New York Review of Books?
Good reviewer as well, this is not Jeffrey Brown interviewing Trey! :hereitisyousentimentalbastard

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2013/nov/07/women-and-thrones/

ETA: This reviewer, I should add, is a classicist, and does a ton of their Greek and Roman text reviews (as well as, oddly, tv/cinema reviews). It can be a little heady (but it can also spur suggestions for further reading in ancient Greek texts that others wouldn't propose).

[blatboom]

anyone read the graphic novels? thumbed through Vol. 1 today and it looked pretty cool. fantastic artwork, if a little too derived from the show in places

[mistercharlie]

I read the first issue back when it first came out, but then forgot about it and need to pick it back up. I liked the artwork and thought they did a good job in the little bit that I read.