I tried reading these. I think I made it through two, and part of the third? Can’t recall. Tried watching the show. Just could not do it. I mean, I spent nearly twenty frickin’ YEARS reading Wheel of Time, and never was able to finish the last few Sanderson-penned books. I burned out, hard. With this series, the unrelenting (and to me, too in your face and somewhat pandering) grimness and self-conscious “adultness” of the story just wore on me rather than intriguing me.
Well, depending how far you got in the third book you might have missed the best plot point on the series and what I think makes the first three books a worthwhile read.
Can’t recall, but overall, Martin’s writing did not click with me, overall. Different strokes, etc.
2nd act, mid-trilogy stuff. Book 4 has pacing issues, but there are some truly fantastic scenes throughout it, some of the best in the entire series. Both 4 and 5 reward rereads. GRRM is often too subtle for his own good. But, yeah, book 3 will be nigh impossible to ever top.
I do think the first three books are excellent, but that excellence was followed by, in my opinion, two pretty crappy books. GRRM created a world so large with everything co convoluted that he has no idea how to finish it.
The TV show was faced with the same problem. I don’t think there is any reason to expect an ending that will please everybody. I do think though that the show runners should have seen this coming and been prepared for it. I imagine they thought they would have book 6 to work from at least.
The good news is that the fire that’s perhaps been flickering these past several years is now burning brightly, as Martin says he’s making the book a priority. “ The Winds of Winter is next,” he said, “then I’ll decide what comes after that – whether it’s to go on to A Dream of Spring , the last one, or whether I switch back into Fire and Blood II , do another Dunk and Egg story or two. But I’ll worry about that one thing at a time – that’s too far ahead.”
At this point I’ve given in to the pessimism of the rest of the internet of him ever finishing the series, but I really do hope he gets to finish Winds of Winter. I really enjoyed Book 4 and 5 a lot, so getting his vision of the series for at least one book that’s written after the TV series already jumped ahead is going to be very interesting if it ever happens.
LOL, ok George, now go back to your football game. Sure, sure, it’s a priority now, ok buddy. Have some soup, ease back in that recliner. There you go.
Sure, switch over to other projects, you’re only 70, lots of time left to waste.
Look, if I’m brutally honest, I’m surprised he is still alive. I saw him years ago in a sign event, and he looked damn old, and all that weight can’t be healthy.
This is fine actually, I use this excuse at work all of the time. Since my team plays 1 night a week, I need to miss work the entire week.
So John, any interest in Fire and Blood?
Since it’s not a novel, my own curiousity level is really low.
Got it pre-ordered. Would vastly prefer it was WoW but it’s lore, can’t resist.
I don’t know if anyone caught the GRRM interview on Colbert the other night. Colbert didn’t chew him a new one or anything, but he was none too gentle about pointing out that the new Fire and Blood clocks in at 700+ pages while it’s been MANY years since we’ve had a new Ice and Fire book.
His vibe is so much like David Huddleston (who played the ‘big’ Lebowski). Also a bit of Ethan Phillips (Neelix).
edit: Colbert can actually hang in a geek conversation. I’m rather impressed. Letterman or Conan wouldn’t wade in a tenth that deep.
I would yank his geek card for consistently mispronouncing Tolkien’s name.
What, ‘Tolken’ as opposed to ‘Tolkeen’? A stickler I see.
TOKEN
What all you hobbit-fantasizing hippies do anyway
Thy toes are so hairy. <drool!>
Are female dwarfs with beards a Pratchett thing or does it predate him?