A Song of Ice and Fire - Page 10

On July 29 2010 02:39 Subversive wrote:
Wow I hate seeing fans get so pissed off at criticism. Look, you can love the books and series it doesn't mean everyone else will. This post



was barely critical in my opinion. I can see where he's coming from. My own criticism is that it feels like Martin doesn't even know where he's going with this story. He's created this gargantuan beast with so many twists and sub-plots and then he just downs tool and barely writes anything for years. As someone who started this early on and found it fascinating I now have serious doubts. And it's not like Martin looks like a slim and healthy man. He could easily kark it before he finishes this mammoth series.

On December 02 2006 09:43 Protoss-Fighting wrote:
Hey guys, i just bought the entire series of
"a son of fire and ice"
because i've heared so many people @ tl reccomend it
so far my favorite series is dragonlance (ive red almost every book) and favorite book is eragon.

can someone explain why they liked these books so much, and maby a short summary? i hate the bavk of the book summaries :{

On July 29 2010 02:50 nam nam wrote:
I don't see anyone "pissed off" at his post. I merely disagreed with him. Also the "he may die" argument is retarded for so many reasons.

On July 29 2010 03:24 KurtistheTurtle wrote:
For some reason I popped a boner while reading this thread. I think I'll go sleep with my sister now.

On July 29 2010 03:34 levelping wrote:



Well... it happened with Jordan. Let's just do the math. Martin is about 62 (ish?). So far, just on Dance of Dragons, he has taken about 5 years and counting. Assuming the average life span of a US male to be about 76 years old, Martin only has 14 more years to sort out the whole plot, write and publish the books.

So yea... dying is not very retarded.

On July 29 2010 03:34 levelping wrote:



Well... it happened with Jordan. Let's just do the math. Martin is about 62 (ish?). So far, just on Dance of Dragons, he has taken about 5 years and counting. Assuming the average life span of a US male to be about 76 years old, Martin only has 14 more years to sort out the whole plot, write and publish the books.

So yea... dying is not very retarded.

No, it’s not done.

Yes, I am aware that more than a year has passed since my last update. A lot of you have been emailing me to point that out. Thanks, but really, I did know. Unlike many of you out there, I got my copies of the Song of Ice & Fire calendar, so I knew what date it was.

No, I’m not planning to update the update, for reasons stated in the update itself. Until such time as I can write, “It’s done,” it will remain the last update… aside from what I may say here from time to time, on my Not-A-Blog.

I made a lot of progress on the book in the first half of 2008. So much so that I was optimistic that I would be done by the end of the year. Unfortunately, I did not make much progress on the book in the second half of 2008. Indeed, I made some regress. (That Sansa chapter I talked about finishing, for instance. It’s still finished, but my editor and I decided it belongs in THE WINDS OF WINTER, not A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, so it’s been moved into the next book. Sansa will not appear in DANCE.)

Some of the reasons were literary, arising from problems in the narrative itself. I’m not going to discuss them here, because I really do not like talking about questions I am still wrestling with on a work in progress. It never helps. Art is not a democracy, and these are problems I need to solve myself. Having a few hundred readers weigh in with their thoughts and opinions — which seems to be what happens whenever I post here about DWD — does not advance the process. I’m sorry, but that’s true. I know that many of you would like to help me, but you can’t. I have editors and I have two capable assistants, and that’s sufficient. I’m the only one who can dance this dance.

Some of other reasons for the delay have nothing to do with the book itself. They’re extra-literary, arising from other things in my life. I could sketch out some of them here, sure, but what good would it do? Those who are inclined to understand would send me messages of sympathy and support. Those are not so inclined would dismiss them as “excuses,” or even “feeble excuses.” A few will even go so far as to accuse me of lying.

That’s the part that really bothers me. For the record, I have never lied about anything having to do with A DANCE WITH DRAGONS or the series as a whole. I have been wrong, yes. I have been wrong lots of time, especially when I’ve tried to predict how long it will take me to complete the book, or when it will be published. Being wrong is not the same as lying. Since the very beginning of this series, I have been guilty of being over-optimistic about how long it would take me to finish the next book, the next chapter, or the series as a whole. I cannot deny that. I have always been bad with deadlines… one reason why I did my best to avoid them for the first fifteen years of my career. That’s an option I no longer have, however. Or at least will not have until A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE is complete.

That’s the main reason why I no longer want to give any completion dates. I am sick and tired of people jumping down my throat when I miss them.

This latest flood of emails has worn down my resolve, however. So in hopes of quieting it, once more I will step into the breach –

I am trying to finish the book by June. I think I can do that. If I do, A DANCE WITH DRAGONS will likely be published in September or October.

(Yes, I am aware that I have previously said that I hoped to finish by the end of 2008. And before that, I said that I hoped to finish by June 2008, before I went to Spain and Portugal. And before that, I said I hoped to finish by the end of 2007. I know, I know, I know. No, I was not lying. I was wrong. And wrong again. And wrong before that. This time I hope that I am right. But you know, I can’t swear that in blood. I write one chapter at a time. One page at a time. One word at a time. And then the next.)

That’s all I have. But it’s more than Amazon has, or anyone else.

The INSTANT that I finish the novel and put it in the mail to Bantam, I will post that fact here, just as I did for SUICIDE KINGS a few days ago. Until and unless you read that announcement here, believe nothing you hear from any other source.

I have made a lot of progress on the book since August 2007, but this part hasn’t changed:

Thanks for your continued support… and for your patience.

On July 29 2010 04:43 nihlon wrote:


It is possible but is still retarded reasoning as nam nam said. Are you going to blame Martin for aging? I don't have the energy to go through all the reasons but here are Martins own response so some of the issues. There is another better out there regarding his age but I couldn't find it.

On July 29 2010 18:14 KurtistheTurtle wrote:
Just e-mailed that old geezer. Hope he has a nice day

On July 29 2010 17:49 Telemako wrote:
HBO show is going to take 1 season per book. That looks good.

On the release date of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, realize that once he finished it, it will be reviewed by editors, continuity checks, and so on, so don't expect it to be out in around 6 months after he actually finishes it.

On August 12 2010 03:24 Ghardo wrote:
no, the book is not finished.

but at least george put up a new sample on his homepage from DANCE - the first Jon Snow chapter.

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/if-sample.html

enjoy!