New GRRM Update on ADWD

[Werthead]

At the Belfast moot, GRRM confirmed he 'currently' has five chapters to finish off. However, he apparently told Bantam in confidence, not expecting them to tell everyone. The reason he hadn't announced this himself is that he was wary after one chapter early this year became two in rewrites and three in final revisions, and it's possible some of these five chapters might be broken up further. He was adamantly against putting any kind of timescale on how long it will take to finish off these chapters.

So yeah, encouraging but still not news to get hugely excited by.

[Conor]

Originally Posted by The Imp

Do yourself a favor and either avoid GRRM forums like the plague, or, finish the next 3 books asap. It's almost guaranteed you'll run into a spiler, maybe of epic proprtions, and I'd hate to see that happen. There are spoilers, and then there are SPOILERS

The Imp is completely correct!
I dont think I have ever seen such great twists and developments in all my years of reading.To see a spoiler by accident would surely ruin the experience.

[The Imp]

Originally Posted by Conor

The Imp is completely correct!
I dont think I have ever seen such great twists and developments in all my years of reading.To see a spoiler by accident would surely ruin the experience.

Here's something terrible to c ontemplate. An online friend whom I had told about the series bought all 4 books at the same time. He made the mistake of reading the dust jackets , and was told, right there on the back of the book, that Edard and Robb both died. He is halfway through AGOT right now, and he can't be sure of when the deaths will occur, but he'll be on the lookout.

SOmeone at the publishing company should be fired

[Conor]

Originally Posted by The Imp

Here's something terrible to c ontemplate. An online friend whom I had told about the series bought all 4 books at the same time. He made the mistake of reading the dust jackets , and was told, right there on the back of the book, that Edard and Robb both died. He is halfway through AGOT right now, and he can't be sure of when the deaths will occur, but he'll be on the lookout.

SOmeone at the publishing company should be fired

I completely agree! I hope they are fired and flogged.
Come to think of it I may have read the jacket of Clash of Kings before finishing Game of Thrones but stopped after the first sentence or two.
I may have done that with the second book from Brian Buckley's Godless world...I should have learned.

[Quick Ben]

Yeah the Red Wedding was slightly spoiled for me because of this board.

Was in the middle of reading and was absolutely refusing to look at any topics with anything mildly spoilerish in the title but still couldn't help joining in at least some discussion whilst churning through the books.

So saw a poll titled 'Most Hated Character' and thought "Hmm, seems fairly harmless, I'd say Cersei would be winning in a landslide, let's see what people are saying about the bitch". And lo' and behold Walder Frey was beating Cersei

Was shocked as at that point all I'd read of Walder was the part in AGOT where he had, after some negotiation, let them cross the river. So I knew he must have done something absolutely terrible to have edged ahead of Cersei and Joffrey...

And from that point onwards, I was just looking for something terrible from the Frey's and when Robb broke the promise and they rode to the Twins I had an inkling something terribly bad was coming (and there were little hints in Martin's writing which I would never have picked up if I wasn't on the lookout). And though I didn't expect the massacre that went on (I thought Catelyn or one or two others might be killed) and so was still shocked, it was no where near as it would've been had I been totally blindsided.

Just goes to show, avoid this board like the plague if you are still reading!!!

[Lofwyr]

I still remember, fondly as it were, the absolute and utter shock I was in whilst reading the Red Wedding. At work on a break...15 minutes stretched to 45 minutes but my supervisor said I looked slack-jawed and stunned so he didn't bother me. Good times.

[TK-421]

I remember sitting on the bus going to work in the morning and saying out loud "NO!" when I read the Red Wedding. A few months later I saw a similar expression on someone's face on the bus and they were also reading ASOS.

Good times indeed.


R.I.P. Leslie Nielsen. Another great Canadian comedian has gone.

[The Imp]

Originally Posted by TK-421

I remember sitting on the bus going to work in the morning and saying out loud "NO!" when I read the Red Wedding. A few months later I saw a similar expression on someone's face on the bus and they were also reading ASOS.

Good times indeed.


R.I.P. Leslie Nielsen. Another great Canadian comedian has gone.

I was listening to the audiobook and walking upstairs. I got the the living room and HAD to sit down. I literally felt weak, almost as if I had the wind knocked out of me. Excluding real life events, the Red Wedding was absolutely the most upsetting moment of my life

[Clansman]

I have a friend who quit the series at the Red Wedding. She just had no desire to continue, and felt that Martin had taken a sharp left towards cynicism and dystopia. As life is cynical and dysfunctional in reality, she had no desire to make her entertainment the same way, and thought Martin had missed an opportunity to do more with ASoIaF than what he has done (which is a lot). Not to make it "hollywood", but to make a deeper exploration of the human soul other than the dark side he seems content to reveal.

At times I am inclined to agree, thought I am not exactly sure why. Perhaps that criticism will be answered in the coming books. Of course, they must be written first!

[Ursa major]

I can't say that I agree with your friend, Clansman.

I do understand that the Red Wedding is an unwelcome shock to many, but how did GRRM miss an opportunity? Are there so few books where the good guys win? Would ASoIaF without the Red Wedding have stood as a beacon for those authors who would rather their heroes didn't die, their quests unfulfilled (as they always seem to do)? Are we still weeping over Sauron's success, and Frodo's failure, in LOTR? Or the Wicked Witch of the West's triumph over Dorothy? Or any of a vast number of similar tales?

And if we don't have the depair, how do we create the overwhelming feeling of elation when things do turn out right? Where's the contrast?

[crooksy73]

Has there been any update from George recently? I've just had a look on his "notablog" and the last serious mention of it seems to be in August? Does anyone know if he's actually working on it at all or not?

[TK-421]

Crooksy:

Rest assured he is working on it.

Post #571 by Wert above has the latest news, which is copy here:

At the Belfast moot, GRRM confirmed he 'currently' has five chapters to finish off. However, he apparently told Bantam in confidence, not expecting them to tell everyone. The reason he hadn't announced this himself is that he was wary after one chapter early this year became two in rewrites and three in final revisions, and it's possible some of these five chapters might be broken up further. He was adamantly against putting any kind of timescale on how long it will take to finish off these chapters.

So yeah, encouraging but still not news to get hugely excited by.

[Ursa major]

He was kraken on with it the last I heard.

[No One]

Originally Posted by Ursa major

I can't say that I agree with your friend, Clansman.

I do understand that the Red Wedding is an unwelcome shock to many, but how did GRRM miss an opportunity? Are there so few books where the good guys win? Would ASoIaF without the Red Wedding have stood as a beacon for those authors who would rather their heroes didn't die, their quests unfulfilled (as they always seem to do)? Are we still weeping over Sauron's success, and Frodo's failure, in LOTR? Or the Wicked Witch of the West's triumph over Dorothy? Or any of a vast number of similar tales?

And if we don't have the depair, how do we create the overwhelming feeling of elation when things do turn out right? Where's the contrast?

Couldn't agree more. It's standard practise for heroes to win the day and the villains to get their just deserts, but it's clear (maybe from the moment that Lady is killed) that GRRM is not telling that sort of story.

I do see where Clansman's friend could maintain that she reads for uplifting entertainment, and that anyone could "bottom out" at the Red Wedding and give up, but surely that's the WORST point to quit reading if someone was so inclined. Personally, I needed to press on in hope of finding some kind of redemption and justice (besides the fact that I would never quit on such a well-constructed story or the other characters).

Putting that aside, the Red Wedding is simply one of the greatest scenes I've ever read (taken into account from the moment Rob says "We're going home" to Arya's heartbreaking addendum to the wedding).

Erm - apologies for the off-thread discussion (I seem to be doing that a lot lately).

[Culhwch]

Originally Posted by No One

...but it's clear (maybe from the moment that Lady is killed) that GRRM is not telling that sort of story.

I'd suggest from Bran's 'flight'. But I do agree with everything else you say.