Well, I know that some people around here are reading this series, as I am. I guess there might be minor spoilers in here, maybe some big ones. Just mark your spoilers.
It’s supposed to be a six book series, the first three(which are out) telling the intro and the final three(not out yet) telling the heart of the story.
Guess what? There’s going to be seven now because Martin has announced that the next book is going to bridge the gap between Storm of Swords and the next book. About five or six years is supposed to pass between these books and he was going to just skip over it and reference the important parts in book four, but he’s not.
The fourth book, called Feast For Crows is going to tell the story of the five years inbetween the third and now fifth book. It comes out November 4, 2002.
What do you think about this decision? I think it’s a good idea, since it will smooth out the story a bit. Cramming the whole five or six years into one book might be tough, but I’d rather hear about that way instead of reading it in flashbacks(the way he was going to do it). Whadaboutyouguys?
I’m okay with whatever he does, as long as he stays healthy and keeps writing. Unlike Stephen King with his Dark Tower series, I think Martin might actually have some idea where he’s going, and however he wants to get us there is just fine.
Martin is one writer whose flashbacks don’t hurt the story, and he’s done a great job bringing us up to date as the story progresses, don’t you think? I know I wouldn’t be able to recall all the characters and their histories and motives, and I’m not anal enough to take notes. But with just a word or two, he reminds me of what I need to know so I don’t get lost.
I do love the title. Can there be even more bodies mouldering in the Seven Kingdoms when this one’s done?
Where’s the emoticon that shows somebody gleefully rubbing their hands together? We need one of those.
I desperately want to see what happens next. I really want to see you-know-who get what’s coming to her. Given what he just did to “I wanna see him FLY!” and “I wanna see him FLY”'s mom, I suspect that you-know-who’s in for a nasty time of it. Which is fine. I can’t stand her and she’s the cause of all the bad things that happened.
I also want to get more info on what the fck* is up with erm…the mother of the groom. Given what happened at the wedding, what the hell is up at the end of the book?!
On the other hand…given that the title of the last book shoulda been “A Bath of Blood” and given that every character I cared about (almost) came to a nasty fate (dead or not), I’m almost afraid to read it.
In keeping with Fenris’ naming style, I’m interested the most in the short guy, and with the young guy and his adventures beyond the wall. With the last book being ‘bad things happen to nearly everyone’, some of the main characters are due for a little good luck.
I’ve got some ideas about the sister of “I wanna see him FLY”'s mom and her current physical state.
I’m really not that interested in Stannis (um, Lord of the Craggy Isle) and his thread of the story, but it increasingly looks like he’s a major player.
I wanna see the ‘Dog’ take out Littlefinger.
And then there’s Dany and the Dragons, and the Others…
I love this series! I have to echo AuntiePam and say that I don’t care how he gets there as long as he keeps going. George R. R. can spin a fine tale.
I can speculate until the cows come home about this book but I don’t think I can do it without major spoilers.
Now I get it. Pucette, I pitched you the rumor about Dance of Dragons not coming out till 2004. That is still probably true. But this is an insertion.
I don’t get this title. The last book was a feast for crows. Is Martin trying to tell us, “non, monsieur, those were only the hors d’oevures of crow, the real feast comes later?” I can’t imagine it being much more bloody.
And yeah, we all want to see what happens to the mother of the cripple. As for the other one’s mother, we all think we know who she is.
And I think the young squire is either lying or misinformed.
I know I am not the only one who is glad that the “you know nothing, Young Man in Black” woman took an arrow to the gut. She was really getting on my nerves.
Not nearly as much as Fink-Girl is getting on mine.
“Fear not, fair maiden! I shall save you from durance VILE and hie thee hither, far from your evil captors!”
“Um…no. You’re not cute enough. GUARDS!!!”
“But…m’lady! I…urk”
And nothing bad (scary, yes. Bad, no) has actually happened to her as a result of her ongoing “betray her allies” campaign. I had marginal hopes that she would be able to see past her sociopathic pert little nose when she and the hunchback got hooked up, but no…(the hunchback was/is one of the few I’m rooting for, rather than against.)
I would never wish this on a real human being of course, and I’m probably horrible for wishing this about even a fictional character, but y’know Fink-Girl’s current captor…the one who dealt with “I wanna see him FLY”? The one who has a fixation on Fink-Girl’s mom? I hope he rapes the sh*t out of her and leaves her dying slowly in a ditch.
Then I hope the Dog comes along with a small army of tired, lonley mercenaries…
I really hate Fink-Girl. Can you tell?
The only characters I like about are: Wolf-Ears(deceased), The Mother of the Groom (deceased…?), Fink-Girl’s sister, The Dragon Lady, Hunchback, and the half-brother and his tubby friend.
The only books I can think of that have a similar feel are the Deryni books by Kurtz and the Exiles stuff by May.
I can’t wait for the next book. If only because it holds out the hope that something horrible will happen to some of the bad-guys.
I don’t like her, either. I wasn’t all that sad when Sir Drunkard rolled over on her and bought it. She is kindasorta improving, but it seems her learning curve is rather long. I mean, you would think that with all she has suffered she would be a shred more, I dunno, humble.
I’m not such a big fan of Dragon Suckling Girl, which I know makes me quite unpopular among GRRM fans. Other than occasionally sleeping with her handmaidens, I just don’t see the appeal.
I’ll take Ugly Swordswoman or Kickass Younger Sister any day.
Some of the bad guys have already gotten theirs in a major way, too. Lord Even My Shit Is Gold bought it pretty hard, as did King What The Hell Am I Choking On. Both in sudden, rather surprising ways.
But I am still stuck on that escape scene in the end of SOS. Did the Deformed Brainy Guy kill his playmate? I think he did, but GRRM is being elliptical. Most disagree. What say the teeming millions?
Laughing my ass off here. I was gonna send this thread over to the ASOIAF freaks, er, fans, in the Yahoo group, see if anyone wanted to comment, or answer Maeglin’s question.
But I don’t think ya’ll are showing enough respect here. Lord Even My Shit Is Gold, indeed! Heh heh. Cool.
Another year. Crap. I need something to read over Christmas.
You know what I like about this series? No? Do you care? No? Well, I’m going to tell you anyway. It’s the fact that by now, he has someone on every side of the conflict that we like. We’re rooting for everyone, just about. And logically, there’s no way that all the sides can win. I can’t even begin to imagine how he’s going to manage to end this series satisfyingly. But I’m looking forward to finding out.
I got the reverse: the with a few exeptions, most characters I liked are either dead, insane or other (the mother of the groom).
I’m in it for revenge. I wanna see the characters I don’t like getting their just desserts (the last part of the last book scratched a nice portion of that itch.
That and the fact that Martin, after I’ve been reading F/SF for…um…30 years is still able to surprise the shit out of me. Dad’s fate, the wedding(!!!), the hunchback’s fate, the mother of the groom’s current situation: I was shocked each time.
IIRC, Martin said in an interview that the 4th book would begin 20 years after the end of the 3rd. I was distressed. Five or six years would be less bad. I’m glad to hear it’s now to be seven books, due to his decision to fill in the (however long it was to have been) gap.
I, too, dislike Fink Girl, while Kickass Younger Sister is a particular fave of mine. I’ve been hoping that she and Suckler of Dragons might someday become friends. I have mixed feelings re Kickass’ situation at the end of book three: seems good, but will preclude or postpone a hoped-for reunion…
I went out last night and bought the first book in each of these series. I was out of reading material and figured I’d take your above statement as a good endorsement.
Just in case, though: the “first” books aren’t the ones you necessarily want to read first in either case…
The first book to read in Julian May’s series is The Many Colored Land (despite the fact that there are several prequels), and the first book to read in Kurtz’s Deryni series is Deryni Rising (which also has severeal later-written prequels). In both cases, the books benefit from being read in the publication order, not the internal chronology, though reading them based on internal chronology won’t hurt.
Be patient with Deryni Rising: it starts out (in the first book or two) as a young adult story, far more lighthearted than the Martin stuff. Once you get past the first book or two, things get dark and Martin-esque fast.
Hey, I kind of like (ok that’s an understatement) the Hound-Fink vibe.
I must confess I’m very upset at what happened to the Russet Poison character, and I’m most writhey to find out what his ultimate effect on the Mountainous Glob was.
Hell yeah. He had potential to be one of the biggest players and coolest new characters in the series. It was most unrighteous to have killed him off. And now that Lord Even My Shit Is Gold is dead, there’s no one around to sign the Glob’s execution order.
