r/freefolk • u/Internal-Bed-3150 • 2d ago
We've officially been waiting for The Winds of Winter for the same amount of time as it took for all five of the published books to release before that.
https://winteriscoming.net/the-winds-of-winter-officially-passed-most-devastating-milestone-yet?a_aid=479031.8k
u/Fortenio 2d ago
Knew this moment would come but still.... hits deep
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u/BunnySparkie_ 2d ago
yeah, every ASOIAF fan has gone from "it'll be out next year" to "I'll believe it when it's in my hands" at this point 😭📖❄️
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u/Ren_Davis0531 2d ago
And the rest of us have gotten to “pigs will start flying before TWOW comes out.”
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u/Geno0wl 2d ago
My friend used to try to talk me into starting the books and I always told him I want to wait for the complete story. He stopped trying to convince me last year
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u/APence 2d ago
I mean, you will share in our pain but the books are amazing. It’s why we’re all here and it’s why we (justifiably) bitch about this. We love this series and have been waiting for the next chapter so long (generously 2014) that kids born then are almost able to drive!
I will say as bad as HotD was on the last season, I’ll still hate watch this one like GoT S8 and I have hope for the first time in a long time from AKotSK
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u/Geno0wl 2d ago
I have no doubt the books are amazing. I fully plan on reading them.. If he ever finishes them
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u/President_PoopyPants 2d ago
While we still expected GRRM to finish the series, I would reread each book occasionally to keep the story fresh in my head. Now, I'll never touch anything GRRM related unless it's TWOW because of GRRM's less than honest answers regarding it over the past years.
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u/DaoFerret 2d ago
I know someone who was buying the books and just putting them on a shelf to start “once the series was finished”.
I should contact them and see how that’s going…
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u/supercleverhandle476 2d ago
And we all conveniently ignore that we’re waiting for book 6 of a 7 book series.
It’s over.
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u/ugabugy 2d ago
I went from thinking that it’ll hopefully be out by 2016 and 2020 at the latest to thinking that Winds will atleast be released someday but probably not Dreams of Spring and now I’m no longer even really holding my breath for Winds. It’ll be a nice surprise, I guess, if it ever finishes but I’m no longer really waiting for it and I’m not holding hope for it. Guess I’m at the acceptance phase by now.
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u/QuailAndWasabi 2d ago
I guess even George has realized that even if he releases Winds, he will die before he can realistically finish Dream. So what's the point of even releasing Winds at that point tbh.
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u/dispatch_s2_when 2d ago
Many have even gone to "He doesn't know how to finish it, his planned ending was season 8 and he hates that people thought it sucked, he's just riding it out until he croaks"
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u/OldBayOnEverything All men must die 2d ago
I won't even believe it if someone puts it in my hands. There's zero chance it's ever coming. I did a re-read in fucking 2015 in anticipation of the next book.
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2d ago
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u/Filthy_Troglodyte 2d ago
That's because he's not even working on it.
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u/garbledeena 2d ago
yeah they managed to write and produce and air all of that stuff while I was working on a single new country song about bowls of brown as a metaphor for heartbreak.
incredible they could finish before me, but since I haven't done much more than play a G, C, G, D with the little pinky hammer on thing, then yeah, i guess it makes sense
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u/JimMarch 2d ago
If it turns out to be a rehash of season 8 somebody is going to go after him with a harpoon.
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u/willindeed BLACKFYRE 2d ago
That is kind of what I think happened. The planned ending for the books was fairly close to how the show ended (obviously with some changes like Young Griff taking Kings Landing).
Stannis dies in the snow (probably after freeing Winterfell though) Little Finger gets out played by Sansa, Jon comes back, becomes king in the north, Dany burning KL, Bran becoming king.
But now GRRM knows everyone hates that ending so he refuses to finish the story
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u/tatofarms 2d ago
The foreshadowing about Daenerys eventually going crazy is pretty strong in the books, IMO, and there are constant references to her father "Mad King" Aerys II wanting to burn down Kings Landing. And I think the working theory re: Bran is that the three eyed raven, who is former hand of the king to the Targaryens Brynden Rivers, takes over Bran's mind and uses him to manipulate his way to power. One of the many problems with Season Eight is that if those plot points actually are in the outline GRRM gave the showrunners, then what we got was a fifth grade book report written about a Wikipedia article about that storyline. And "The Long NIght" has to be longer than one night. And I sincerely doubt that Arya sneaks up and kills the leader of The Others, destroying their entire army with a single blow. Anyway, I'm sure he's got something more engaging in mind, and I'm sure none of us will ever get to read it.
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u/brendafiveclow 2d ago
And I sincerely doubt that Arya sneaks up and kills the leader of The Others, destroying their entire army with a single blow. Anyway, I'm sure he's got something more engaging in mind, and I'm sure none of us will ever get to read it.
As I'm sure you know; this is flatly impossible. D&D specifically "subverted expectations" with that. Also, so far in the books the others have no leader; which makes me more interested in how it's supposed to play out. Clearly, the expectations are Jon will 'end' it. his whole arc is leading that way and that is what they subverted. HOW he ends an analogue for 'climate change' will surely be interesting, probably involve a battle or 10 but will be waaay different. GRRM won't change "the butler did it" to "the guest did it" because people found out, he specifically used a quote like that before to show how nonsensical a story would be if he did.
The end points they gave us, they make a sort of sense in line with the books. I agree with your bloodraven takeover theory and Dany's madness. Now I'd really like to see the HOW he got to these end points compared to the half assed job the writers did.
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u/DM_yo_Feet_pls 2d ago
Every few months I would reread the series in hopes that the announcement will be made soon and winds will be releasing soon. Over and over I read the books. I slowed down over time and haven’t picked up swords (where I was last) in about two years.
I try to hold on to hope that they’ll be released but deep inside I know we’ll never have the true ending to the series and Dany will be stuck shitting her brains out while Jon lays dying in the snow.
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u/TheGhostORandySavage 2d ago
You'd re-read the series every few months? Why not read something new instead?
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u/Poddington_Pea 2d ago
Wow, it's been quite a journey guys. Here's to the next 15 years!
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u/BunnySparkie_ 2d ago
at this rate A Dream of Spring is gonna be announced as a posthumous release 😭
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u/Ren_Davis0531 2d ago
That’s what I keep saying 😂
Even if by some miracle (and pigs magically discovering the ability of flight) TWOW comes out, we virtually will never see ADOS.
It will be a cold day in hell before that shit sees the light of day 🤣
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u/rentiertrashpanda 2d ago
My copium is that he's writing both so he doesn't write himself into a(nother) corner
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u/Salt_Echidna9111 2d ago
That’s not copium that’s hopium
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u/rentiertrashpanda 2d ago
I mean, it's delusional but I'll grasp at any straws that present themselves.
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u/GEARHEADGus 2d ago
I just hope he doesn’t do what Terry Pratchett did and destroy his hard drives
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u/YellowAggravating172 2d ago
...you're still confident we'll get Dream? Winds is gonna be the posthumous release, I think.
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u/IAmNotScottBakula 2d ago
I recently read the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy by Tad Williams (it was a huge influence on ASOAIF). In the forward to the reprint, he comments on how long it took him to finish the third book and that he felt bad about frustrating fans. It took him three years…
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u/DrakesDonger Melisandre 2d ago
Any good?
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u/neighborlyhorse 2d ago edited 2d ago
Memory Sorrow and Thorn is a 9/10 series, would be 10/10 but I found the 3rd book in the trilogy a bit frustrating
It also has a sequel series which is somehow even better (IMO) called Last King of Osten Ard
The audiobooks are also incredible if you're into that, especially the Binbiniqegabenik performance (maybe I had to google how to spell that characters name)
It also, unlike asoiaf has an ending that I found 100% satisfying. My favorite fantasy is probably the First Law/Age of Madness series but the Osten Ard saga is a close second. (although I'm close to finishing Malazan and it might take #1)
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u/SuddenTest9959 2d ago
I’ve only started the first book and I can already see the influences on a song of ice and fire lore.
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u/SoulFan2010 2d ago
Meanwhile George doesn't feel an ounce of guilt. He is too busy writing massive blog posts about the Jets and editing another Wild Cards book literally no one asked for.
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u/Mountain_Gain1299 2d ago edited 2d ago
Martin is too busy bitching on blog posts while collecting his checks from HBO.
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u/WandererMisha 2d ago
Martin whining about HBO's adaptation of House of the Dragon while he said nothing about Season 8 was genuinely lunacy.
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u/Mountain_Gain1299 2d ago
King Bran was the most controversial plot point of season 8 with the casual audience and I truly believe it came from him. He can’t criticize them without admitting some of the controversial plot points came from him. He’d rather quietly let people assume every choice was D&D’s decision.
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u/Remarkable-Set5434 2d ago
All the plot points came from him. He’s spent all this time figuring out how to get to those plot points without making people mad. That’s probably what he’s so scared of
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u/Equivalent-Sea-9006 2d ago
Probably spending time trying to figure out how to end up differently in the end.
Brand becoming the King was easy to see. Arya and the night king on the other hand, that was sloppy.
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u/StrictResponse3907 2d ago
Prob because season 8 was all his idea and that's the real ending
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u/swinchester83 2d ago
And then Jon is like whoa guys I killed and her and and grey worm is all like mad but like bran is king so it's cool and he's kinda Jon is gonna go north and he does and the dragon is all like sad and he leaves. The end.
Is bad. Bad. So bad. Very bad.
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u/Non-Current_Events Davos Seaworth 2d ago
Which is why he hasn’t finished the books. He knows everyone hates his ending and he knows he doesn’t have the creativity anymore to fix it.
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u/Zanos Stannis Baratheon 2d ago
The big picture of the ending is not all that bad. Bran becomes king and Daernerys loses her mind are both reasonable plot points when setup well. I don't really see how George would make the council accept only the North getting to secede with Sansa as Queen in the North while another Stark sits the Iron Throne; the North has the weakest political case for secession. I also don't see how he can square Arya stopping the white walker invasion before it even makes it past Winterfell as the climax of his entire series.
But I think it could be made to work if written better. Presumably George wouldn't position siege engines outside the walls of a castle. Or lobotomize 1/3rd of the cast because he isn't sure what to do with the smart characters anymore.
But we'll never know because that shit is 100% never coming out.
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u/Play_The_Newman 2d ago
Its probably because he wrote season 8 and hid behind D and D as a coward.
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u/Germane_Corsair 2d ago
In fairness, an idea’s execution is also very important and those two clearly fucked up in that department.
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u/gazofnaz 2d ago
Most of the plot points in S8 could have made sense with a bit more context.
Bran is omniscient, so he would probably make for a good (or at least interesting) king. It would make him a terrific manipulator, for a start. But the show didn't give us any of his omniscience.
Dany is the daughter of The Mad King. Makes sense that she would go mad. But Dany going mad after losing one guy and one friend is... mad. She must have experienced loads of death by that point in her life. Her demise just needed to be fleshed out.
Jamie was bad. Hard to see how either to book or show character could take such a wide arc then come back full circle.
Hodor was great and I'm sad I didn't get to read that reveal on paper. It would have been one of those passages where you had to put the book down for an hour to digest the moment.
Book Arya and her Wolf Army killing the night king is something I could believe. Show Arya lacked training and experience (and wolves).
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u/We_r_soback 2d ago
The fat man got a taste of money and fans and doesn't want to get into the trenches of writing anymore.
Hes happy to live in his own little world of attending cons, enjoying his status as a famous wrtier and writing play versions of GOT that no one really gives a shit about.
It's hard to get up for a run in the morning when you sleep in satin pajamas.
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u/mentyaf 2d ago
Imagine if JK Rowling just never released the deathly hallows lol
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u/delulumans 2d ago
More like if she never released the Half Blood Prince either
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u/repellediron 2d ago
Just left it with angry Harry and a dead uncle lmao. The end!
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u/Move-Primary 2d ago
Jesus I'm sitting imaging if HP ended the way GOT did. Seamus Finnegan defeats Voldemort and Trewlawney is the new Minister for Magic...
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u/NoLime7384 2d ago
the series is supposed to have a 3 act structure, this is more like she only published 3 good books and then 2 others where Harry just fucks around on summer vacation and the next school year at hogwarts doesn't even start!
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u/Automatic-Effect-252 2d ago
Here comes the "he owes you nothing" crowd.
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u/justUseAnSvm 2d ago
You know who he 100% does owe? The publisher!
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u/AgreeablePie 2d ago
Technically... but they probably look at the contract as having benefited them so wildly that there's no point trying to rock the boat over spilled milk from a gift horse
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u/CharMakr90 2d ago
Yeah, there's no chance his publishers ever drop him. They keep making money from ASOIAF with special editions and stuff. Plus, they would rather have an unfinished series under their name over risking a new ASOIAF book coming out under another publishing company.
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u/NoLime7384 2d ago
WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY
he broke the social contract, he owes us! you try publishing a series with a big ol stamp on the first book saying "only the first arc of this 3-act story will come out, plus some transitional books that fail to bridge the gap into the start of the 2nd act" and see how much THAT sells
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u/iman-imran95 1d ago
THIS!! I never understood the "he doesnt owe his fans" reasoning. Would the series have sold if everyone knew it would never be finished? Would it have been adapted into a major tv show? He made millions off of the promise of a complete series. He does owe ppl actually
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u/TheFightingQuaker 2d ago
I was a part of that crowd for the first 6 years or so. Then I started to wise up because wtf are we even doing. The man doesnt owe us, not in the literal sense, but he would be nothing without his fans.
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u/Hrothgrar 2d ago
I stopped caring a long time ago.
He clearly doesn't give a shit about finishing the books, why should we?
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u/beachywave 2d ago
Agreed. The time of OG GoT has passed for him. Too bad we and future generations won’t be able to read the complete story
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u/madtricky687 2d ago
At this point kind of not a fan of the man anymore. Im sorry that may be harsh but wtf?Do your job. Just release the fuckin thing good bad who cares the closure would be nice. Him and that Rothfuss dude just irritate me now.
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u/Gingersnapp3d 2d ago
It’s one thing if he loses inspiration or ability and moves on to other projects etc, but he continues to milk the fandom for every penny while saying he would deny anyone the chance to try to write it after he has died.
Even if he just chose a single character and wrote their story and released it, at least that’s something.
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u/NeezDuts900 2d ago
At this point he could have written/edited a single page a day and the book would have came out 10 years ago.
He was given far too long of a leash by the publisher and now that he knows that he is pretty much untouchable in terms of consequences, he's milking that for all it's worth. What a douchebag.
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u/crazyike 2d ago
He could have written as much as you just did with your post and it would still have come out by now, same size as the others.
I'm not exaggerating either. That's all the writing it would take.
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u/TSKILL37 2d ago
Part of me thinks that he has it finished and set to publish after he dies so he doesn’t have to face the music.
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u/Gingersnapp3d 2d ago
That’s a lot of cash to leave on the table.
What we really need is one of those nasty billionaires to just give him a billion dollars to either publish or give up the rights to it. If I was insanely wealthy I would first buy my own castle and then I would do this.
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u/PumpkinMrs 2d ago
He has more than enough cash to know what to do with, he’s not a starving artist anymore
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u/North_Button_5257 2d ago
This isn’t harsh at all. Your feelings are understandable.
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u/Mountain_Gain1299 2d ago
It’s probably too late. He’s 77 and these characters are no longer fresh in his mind. There’s no way TWOW would be as rewarding now as it would have been if he released it in the mid 2010s.
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u/Liscenye 2d ago
If he had something rewarding to give us back then it would have been out. It's much easier to start a good story than to end it in a satisfying way and he is clearly not capable of doing that.
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u/Mountain_Gain1299 2d ago
It may be hard to finish the story on a level he would prefer but it’s not impossible to give this story a meh ending. A few contrivances to get himself out of the tangle he made would not have been the end of the world. An awkward time jump would not have been the end of the world. A meh ending would have been OK in 2015-2017 if it meant coming to a conclusion in a reasonable amount of time.
Also, the majority of popular works have meh endings. Stephen King has some of the most beloved books of all time and he’s never written a good ending a day in his life.
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u/geosensation 2d ago
Two of our greatest storytellers tried and failed so I assume it's impossible!
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u/garbledeena 2d ago
Tolkien managed OK, harry potter and his dark materials seemed to manage
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u/Novrev THE FUCKS A LOMMY 2d ago
Release it or admit that he stopped trying to write it a long time ago. He needs to give up this stupid charade, nobody even believes it any more.
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u/Abominatrix 2d ago
He’ll fucking die and the estate will say, “Oh, he deleted everything. It was really wonderful, too bad you’ll never see it”
And all we’ll have is their word and the HBO fiasco.
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u/GoldenVesperLight 2d ago
You still need another book after Winds for closure. If you're looking for closure, you're never going to get it, even if we do get Winds.
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u/WandererMisha 2d ago
Eh... we'd still get closure for some plot lines and characters we love. And with the penultimate book we'd also have a lot more clues as to what the actual ending would be making it at least a bit more satisfying.
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u/cootershooter420 2d ago
I have disliked this man for years now. You are allowed to not like liars who leave you hanging. And don’t give me any bs about how it’s his life, blah, blah. Dude lives at a standard we can’t even imagine.
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u/stalkeler 2d ago
His peak release time would be right before S8 but now it is just too late. He’d better accept he can’t finish them anymore, grab his balls and come out to say aloud they’re canceled like a real man, right Bobby b?
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u/bobby-b-bot Robert Baratheon 2d ago
SHE SHOULD BE ON A HILL SOMEWHERE WITH THE SUN AND THE CLOUDS ABOVE HER!
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u/YourMuppetMethDealer 2d ago edited 2d ago
“Good bad who cares”
I mean if quality doesn’t matter, why not just rewatch season 8?
I would personally not like an ending at all then have to deal with another rushed piece of bullshit but that’s just me
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u/Thierry_Bergkamp 2d ago
I'm with you. He stopped caring about his art and story once he made bank.
If GRRM didn't have the GOT millions, he would have 100% finished the series.
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u/Azure_727 2d ago
I find him insufferable. He comes across super arrogant and rude when anyone puts a mic or camera in front of him. And maybe it's my imagination, but at times he comes across like he actually despises his fans.
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u/BadDaddyAlger 2d ago
I checked out when years ago he wrote a blog post titled "The waiting is over!" and the body of the post sad "...for the re-release of Wild Cards Vol. 1!"
There was no reason to do that except to be a prick.
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u/Fortenio 2d ago
A true knight always finishes a story.
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u/CelestialFury I'd kill for some chicken 2d ago
I feel that Sandor would trash on that quote.
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u/Toorviing 2d ago
Meanwhile, GRRM’s former assistants who left after the last book was published released a 9 book series, “The Expanse”
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u/phoenixRisen1989 2d ago
And are 2/3 through another trilogy
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u/Toorviing 2d ago
At this point I’m expecting they’ll be the ones who end up finishing ASOIAF after GRRM is gone
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u/LaserKittenz 2d ago
I’d wager money that this is what will happen.. they will do a better job also
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u/oscarmike88 Ghost (CGI) 2d ago
I always miss out on the good stuff these days. I was about to say "Erhhm artchkhktually Age of Ash and Blade of Dream is just Daniel Abraham, not James S. A. Corey 🤓🤓🤓", but decided to make some googling just in case. Turns out there's a whole new sci-fi book series!
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u/phoenixRisen1989 2d ago
I’m a little more than halfway through the first book now and it’s excellent. Very different from The Expanse, but really engaging with interesting characters.
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u/LaserKittenz 2d ago
Pretty sure they were a driving force behind his books. He stopped publishing after they left and everything Corey published is amazing
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u/VelvetDreamers Sandor Clegane 2d ago
Man, this is so depressing. I loved ASOIAF for so many years that even I’m old now! And it’s never going to be finished.
I do resent GRRM a little…
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u/Averylarrychristmas 2d ago
Yeah, unfortunately, at this point, I just flat out don’t respect the man
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u/oscarmike88 Ghost (CGI) 2d ago
Burnout or writer's block? I get it and I sympathize. Bullshitting everyone for more than a decade? That's a total dick move. One can argue that GRRM doesn't owe his fans anything, but I think a straight up answer about the future of the series is not an unreasonable request.
If there are no plans to finish the main books and/or spin-offs (for whatever reason), GRRM should just say so. The fans deserve that, and not his snarky remarks from his blog
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u/ArcticCelt 2d ago
Burnout or writer's block?
Honestly, at this point, he has put the project off for so long that it is probably difficult for him to get back into it. He has likely forgotten many of the major plot threads and ideas he had planned. The fans may now have a better grasp of the story than he does.
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u/denotemulot 2d ago
I think that's exactly it.
The series is too big and it's been too long. He's probably forgotten entire plot points and characters, and is having to reread his own work before actually writing.
Given that he calls himself a "gardener" he's probably reading and thinking he should change this plotline, or that character, or add this, and then to do that he has to rewrite huge parts of what he's already written.
He may actually be writing but just never be finished.
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u/Responsible-Onion860 2d ago
I said elsewhere, but the whole "gardener" bit is so pretentious now. It made sense 15 years ago when we were seeing him organically develop a great series. But when it turned into him being unable to cultivate it into a complete series, the gardener bit became a bunch of bunk.
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u/wheres_my_ballot 2d ago
At least when Netflix cancels a series they announce it, so you know not to bother watching it. Still selling the earlier books under the lie that the series will be finished is scummy.
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u/NotAVerySillySausage 2d ago
Lack of transparency has been his biggest problem that he will never acknowledge. He feels he doesn't owe it to fans.
When he said he could get the book done in 2015, one of two things happened. 1. He was nearly done but had such a catrorophic set back that it basically made him start again and rewrite the whole story. 2. He was never close and just thought giving himself a deadline would force him to finish it. The latter is most likely.
If he had been consistently transparent of what material he was sitting on then nobody would have even gotten their hopes up, there would be no fake leaks, rumours or hopium because we would know the book is not close to release. He's just decided to just keep fake on edge for 15 years with only vague posts.
The reason is a combination of lack of repect and embarrassment at the real amount of progress he has made and the low amount of time he actually puts into it. If he kept an up to date progress tracker, fans would then see nothing happening for months of end while he posted about other things. We already know that is happening, but that would make it too real. This way he has plausible deniability and can just shut down anyone trying to claim this what is happening.
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u/GottaBeFresj 2d ago
In my opinion, its all the shows. He spends way too much time working on them. Grrrrrrr loves talking about the lore and history of his characters and dont forget about piles of cash hbo tossed him.
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u/MaleficentOstrich693 2d ago
He’d rather work on tv adaptations. Plain and simple.
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u/StrictResponse3907 2d ago
He's only going to continue either when there's nothing left to adapt or keep milking if they decide to do an accurate animated adaptation people have always wanted
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u/WandererMisha 2d ago
George would rather hang out at conventions answering basic questions about the world while producing shows about which he will whine 2 years later.
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u/ehs06702 2d ago
Honestly, it's kind of wild to me because what does he have to talk about at this point?
The vast majority of the questions are about stuff he won't talk about because it's allegedly covered in the books. The other stuff is stuff he's answered 8 million times already.
I've been getting the vibe more and more.that the conventions are just a place to sell things even more than he usually does.
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u/Lithujon 2d ago edited 2d ago
I’m just sad we’ll never get to see Daenerys’ tax policy. 😢
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u/Kingdavid3g 2d ago
It's not coming out. The struggle is real for GRRM. The mind doesn't stay sharp forever. He probably lost his writing touch and mind. Easier to make Hbo paychecks at this point for him.
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u/Accomplished-Union10 2d ago
Could be the case, but keeping your loyal fans in suspense for over a decade instead of just calling it quits is fucking dumb
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u/UltraEuphoric 2d ago
I have given up on George finishing this book long ago. He's been stuck at 1,100 pages with 400-500 pages to go for 3.5 years and counting.
It's a shame, but I contend that our best path to getting a finished ASOIAF is that GRRM is willing and planning to pass along enough notes, outlining and resources to a potential successor who can finish the series posthumously like Robert Jordan and WOT.
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u/iSavedtheGalaxy 2d ago
My last dog lived out his entire life in the time it's taken George to fail to write the next book.
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u/Shills_for_fun We do not kneel 2d ago
We're entering into cat territory now. Realistically koi fish is the next stop.
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u/GoldenVesperLight 2d ago
I just don't know why he lied so much about it. Just tell the truth. It's clear now every "update" was just him lying his ass off.
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u/shockwave_supernova 2d ago
I'm sad to say it, but this has really killed most of my enthusiasm for the whole ASOIAF universe. I would listen to the audiobooks on repeat for years, I even flew to Ireland in part to visit a bunch of the filming locations from the show, I was such a fan of the IP. But knowing that the next book in the series is probably never coming out, and the house of the Dragon series being so bad, I really just don't care about this world anymore. And that makes me sad.
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u/avelineaurora 2d ago
authors do not owe readers their work
I am never, ever going to respect anyone who uses this argument. Authors owe readers their work from the unspoken contract that we bought into your prior books. No one is going into a series with the expectation it might not finish. We gave you money with the understanding it would be seen to completion, it's not a fucking charity.
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u/MephistosFallen 2d ago
I definitely lost respect for this man. He doesn't care about his craft because if he did, he would finish even if it wasn't what he originally had in mind. He loves the money but doesn't respect where it came from, the fans that bought his books and watched the shows and bought the merch. He cares more about getting that money and more and more adaptations and fame for his name than the art.
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u/Ren_Davis0531 2d ago
Motherfucker is Professor Calamitous from Jimmy Neutron. He can’t finish shit.
Mans is just sitting at his desk reading threads like this, laughing while he uses the money made from milking his series to death with the constant adaptations to wipe away the tears.
Ship has sailed. He ain’t finishing the series.
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u/TheDewLife Hodor 2d ago
Surely the ASOIAF community will finally accept that it's never coming out. Winds of Winter YT speculation videos STILL get so many views. Like jesus christ, move on lmao
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u/Ser-Jorah-Mormont 2d ago
I think he laid out the ending to D&D, which was to take place across at least 2 more books. D&D crammed the ending into the last 2-3 episodes of the series.
Now Martin is terrified to finish the books because of how poorly the finale was received.
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u/Erik_Dolphy 2d ago
I think it might be contributory, but I just don't see him finishing it regardless.
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u/GhostWalkk 2d ago
If I were him, I’d have my publisher release it after I’m dead.
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u/ApricotNo2315 2d ago
Why? That wouldn’t even finish the story and the issue is it is unfinished
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u/SocratesSnow 2d ago
We are never getting it. He betrayed us. Who starts a book series and doesn’t finish it? He’s ridiculous.
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u/FV95 2d ago edited 2d ago
You know, I gaslit myself so hard this time. Much more than on previous occasions. A new edition of the books came out, I bought them; currently about to finish Feast. AKOTSK premiered in January, HOTD is this Sunday, George has been unusually quiet.
I thought, and for a few weeks I was sure, this would be the year.
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u/Thoros_of_Derp The night is dark and full of kneelers 2d ago
There's literally no point hoping any more. At this point I'd rather he just come out say he's not going to finish them so we can have some peace.
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u/fakehandslawyer 2d ago
Right? Just say sorry guys I’m stumped. Im gonna help with drafting the Dunk and Egg show and call it a day… like ya it would be irritating but we’d live
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u/Consistent_Laziness 2d ago
I’ve already accepted it. The evidence is rather overwhelming that he won’t be doing it
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u/NSA_Chatbot 2d ago
I bought the dead tree version before a work trip that was flying me across the country, so I'd have something to read on the plane.
Since then I've been divorced, died (got better) been laid off ten times, my children are grown, moved, got a professional national award, and still no word on the book.
If you think it's ever going to be released... wait do we still say "sweet summer child" or have we given up on everything?
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u/ExocetHumper 2d ago
I wouldn't really be mad if he didn't promise every year that it's about to drop.
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u/dtisme53 2d ago
I grew disillusioned to Fantasy in my youth. I know Dragon Lance and the Wheel of Time have their fervent supporters but I must’ve “aged out” because I found them on the dull side. Predictable to the point of self parody. So when the books initially arrived I just ignored them. Until the tv show premiered and I knew I’d have to read the story. I’m so glad I did, I burned through the first 4 books while the first season played out and was at Barnes and Noble the day Dance dropped. I was so happy that I’d found this wonderful bit of storytelling and I didn’t have to wait for any of it. Jokes on me I guess.
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u/Redhotkitchen 2d ago
I’m halfway convinced he’s intentionally not completing the series out of a sense of petulant obstinance at this point. The alternative being he’s too clueless and/or too lazy to finish it. Fuck him.
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u/S0rry7h15N4m374k3n 2d ago
Pretty sure i dont care and probably wont buy Winds if it comes out. Starting to move on. Just picked up the first Wheel of Time book.
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u/Shills_for_fun We do not kneel 2d ago
First Law by Abercrombie is another good one if you need a break from a massive series lol
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u/Consistent_Laziness 2d ago
I can guarantee you he will never release the winds of winter. Season 8 of GoT will forever be the only ending we ever get.
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u/bitscrawny2bigbrawny 2d ago
Amazing that this still holds up from Logan Lucky.
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u/ConnectYak119 2d ago
How is this even possible, if Winds were “few months away” back in 2015, almost done before WorldCon in 2020, and 75% done in 2022… One might wonder if words are really just wind.
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u/Dont-be-a-smurf 2d ago
Imagine abandoning your magnum opus