A Song of Fire & Ice Book Discussion Thread (Up To Dance With Dragons)

[Werthead]

George RR Martin hospitalized with e.coli.

 

Fortunately, he's better now. However, comments he's made suggest (not 100% but I can't see it being anything else) that the next big announcement he was planning to make on Sunday was indeed the ADWD completion announcement. Due to the illness, that's going to be pushed back some weeks, maybe a month or so.

[hotpocket2006]

I know I was so excited when he said he had a big announcement. Stupid ecoli *shakes fist*

[Werthead]

Confirmed American airdate: GAME OF THRONES will debut on HBO in the USA on Sunday, 17 April 2011. Sky Atlantic will begin showing it in the UK before the end of April.

[JenniferL]

I think this calls for a viewing party at JordanCon that weekend.

[Elend]

Yeah I've been shaking from happiness at the probable Dance announcement. My optimism finally paid off... I'll be finishing my re-read in the next few weeks, likely soon enough to get another one done prior to the published Dance.

 

'Course, it could be something completely different. But optimism!

[Werthead]

At his booksigning in Pasadena yesterday, GRRM confirmed that the announcement would have been about ADWD if it hadn't been for his illness. He indicates he is just weeks away from delivering the final manuscript to the publishers.

 

So yeah, this year, assuming something calamitous doesn't happen.

[The Fisher King]

A bloody book is secondary to Life. Best wishes to the man's Health.

 

 

- Fish

[hotpocket2006]

Yay! ASoIaF is becoming a comic series and graphic novels!! I'm pretty excited about this, it'll help me get my ASoIaF fix, especially as I am deploying in June and need stuff to read overseas.

[alligator]

I started re-reading Game of Thrones yesterday (in prep for the HBO show :D), and man, I had forgotten how difficult this series was for me to get in to... I'm about 150 pages in to the paperback and I mostly just feel irritated. Arya and Bran are the only POVs so far that I've really enjoyed.

 

Everything about it is just so depressing. Really takes a while for me to get used to it... somehow the story is compelling enough to overcome the unrelenting drear. Especially knowing what is to come for some of these guys. I prefer a -little- bit of hope!

 

has anyone else had this problem?

[NetSlider]

Hi all (finally found time to post again on DM).

 

So, I've seen over and over again references by people who like WoT to Song of Ice and Fire. Being a lunatic for WoT I figured to give it a try as well and I have to say (or ask more like it) - What's so great about it? I'm on Game of Thrones and I'm almost done with it and I have to say it takes a huge effort to actually finish the damn thing. Now, I'm not trying to bust on people who like the series - maybe i'm not getting something or maybe it's just not in my style. I just don't see the "fantasy" part of it. Sound like normal historical politics of Middle Ages. Also, I might be dead wrong on the plot so far, but I feel like I can guess where the whole story is going - there is some unknown external threat and as time goes by the guys that are at each other's throats will join forces (or something like that). I might be wrong on this as well, but one thing i know - unless I'm getting some very serious recommendations I don't think I'm gonna struggle through the rest of the book. I've seen some stories that have a slow start, but this one is def not picking up and I have only 10 chapters to go.

 

P.S. One, I have to admit that "the winter's coming" is a pretty cool saying. Two, the whole sex overload...just not that interesting. I've never understood why a writer would get into details about sex - on a screen, OK, in books...weird. Not a good pick of medium. Just has the feeling of trying to simply stand out in "fantasy" genre (though I'm still kind of not seeing why this book in a "fantasy" department anyways, to me it comes out as good old fiction.)

 

Responses would be greatly appreciated.

[Hallow]

Reasons for it being fantasy? How about magic, dragons and zombies?

 

Also, I seriously doubt you can tell where the story will go, if any book has seriously surprising twists it's asoiaf.

[JenniferL]

I had the exact same argument with my husband a few weeks ago. He's only read half the first book. There is magic in the world, but not much of it. Something very explicitly magical happens at the end of the book. And there's more that happens in the following books. But yeah, it's not a traditionally magic heavy fantasy.

[NetSlider]

I'll give it a shot and finish the first book, but I really don't see so far what is the whole big fuzz about. I mean, it might be an OK series, but not even close to what people make it out to be. Even if things pick up after first book, the whole first book is still wasted IMO (though i might have to take these words back once i finish the book but i seriously doubt it).

 

As far as predictions just from the top of my head:

 

The baby will be born and one of the dragons will also be born from the two eggs

Blacksmith's apprentice will become king eventually (or something like that)

There is "winter coming" (aka "zombies") and everyone will eventually unite (with more backstabbing in between of course)

[Werthead]

I didn't really get the fuss at all either at first. AGoT really improves immensely on rereads but I think it can be tough going first time out. Books 2-3 are something else altogether, though.

[Suttree]

I'll give it a shot and finish the first book, but I really don't see so far what is the whole big fuzz about. I mean, it might be an OK series, but not even close to what people make it out to be. Even if things pick up after first book, the whole first book is still wasted IMO (though i might have to take these words back once i finish the book but i seriously doubt it).

 

As far as predictions just from the top of my head:

 

The baby will be born and one of the dragons will also be born from the two eggs

Blacksmith's apprentice will become king eventually (or something like that)

There is "winter coming" (aka "zombies") and everyone will eventually unite (with more backstabbing in between of course)

 

Keep with it mate...huge payoff after book 1. Even more so on subsequent rereads. The slow build up of magic to me is one of the strong points and sets the reader up for great things down the line.

[hotpocket2006]

Well the first time I picked up the book it took me awhile to get into it, but once I made myself get through it, I realized I was in love and hate. I have a huge love hate relationship with a lot of the characters. It wasn't that it was depressing for me, at first it was just kind of dullish and a lot different to what I'm used to in a fantasy series.

[The Fisher King]

Has anyone heard anything about the delayed announcement - almost a month ago now - that was speculated to be featuring remarks concerning the now almost mythical conclusion of ADWD?

 

Any update on this being rescheduled for any time soon?

 

If this passage of time has anything to do with concerns related to getting well (it was a health concern of author George R.R. Martin's that caused the delay originally) then I have no problems - health comes first, no matter how long it takes. A book is just a book. A man's life is something far more important.

 

However, if GRRM is well and recovered and its just nonsense or his own penchant to become distracted that is still delaying this book - this book that would be the first new ASOIAF novel (with the lamentable exception of AFFC) to be published in ALMOST 12 YEARS, then I will certainly feel quite chagrined.

 

 

- Fish

[Werthead]

Apparently Martin is on a severely restricted work schedule by his doctor following the e.coli infection. When that is due to come to an end, I don't know.

 

I do know that Bantam is poised to initiate a huge marketing drive for ADWD and the other books (which are being rejacketed in late March in the USA) with a lot of money involved, so it can't be too much longer.

[The Fisher King]

Apparently Martin is on a severely restricted work schedule by his doctor following the e.coli infection. When that is due to come to an end, I don't know.

 

I do know that Bantam is poised to initiate a huge marketing drive for ADWD and the other books (which are being rejacketed in late March in the USA) with a lot of money involved, so it can't be too much longer.

 

Thanks as always, Wert. Some interesting stuff.

 

As usual, however, my criticism is not so much directed towards the unfortunate health concerns of early 2012 but still moreso towards the fact that it has been twelve years (ASOIAF was published in 2000) and - with the exception of the lamentable, universally agreed to be subpar AFFC - ZERO full-length, new ASOIAF novel have been published!! In TWELVE years!

 

When ASOS was published twelve years ago we were told it could be a bit of a delay before the next book (which was to be AFFC) because a 5 year gap had to be designed to fit in with the story structure. Then when AFFC was published we were told that the next book (which will supposedly be ADWD one day) could be delayed because the original 5 year gap didn't work in FEAST and was pushed back for DANCE. Now we are being told that the book after ADWD *SHOULD* be quicker because ADWD was rewritten (twice) to make the next two boooks flow better...HUH?

 

Its all beyond me, lol.

 

 

- Fish

[Werthead]

As usual, however, my criticism is not so much directed towards the unfortunate health concerns of early 2012 but still moreso towards the fact that it has been twelve years (ASOIAF was published in 2000) and - with the exception of the lamentable, universally agreed to be subpar AFFC - ZERO full-length, new ASOIAF novel have been published!! In TWELVE years!

 

Are you living a year in the future and have come back to tell us ADWD still isn't out? ;)

[The Fisher King]

As usual, however, my criticism is not so much directed towards the unfortunate health concerns of early 2012 but still moreso towards the fact that it has been twelve years (ASOIAF was published in 2000) and - with the exception of the lamentable, universally agreed to be subpar AFFC - ZERO full-length, new ASOIAF novel have been published!! In TWELVE years!

 

Are you living a year in the future and have come back to tell us ADWD still isn't out? ;)

 

 

They need a *Highly Embarrased* smiley here on DM.

 

 

- Fish

 

 

P.S. I DO think, however, that if you replaced my startlingly inaccurate ''twelves'' with ''eleven'' my point would remain largely the same ;-)

[Red2111]

 

 

woudl that work for ya Fish

 

 

theres also this one which works well for embarassment

 

 

 

i'm totally siked by GoT's and that it's one like 2 months away! i can't wait. i also agree that since pengiun got hit hard in the recession, they're probably goign to wait to see if book sales darastically increase do to the HBO series before releasing the next book, so we are probably looking at a 2012 release.

 

and since aDWD is looking like it's just goign to be catching storylines up to the point that the last book ended, hopefully that means a quicker turn around (6 months - 1 year) for the next book to come out.

[The Fisher King]

Thanks, Red!

 

Those would seem to work great - especially for me, LOL!

 

I, too, am extermely excited about the HBO GOT...but I'd still rather read a new ASOIAF book than watch an episode of AGOT on HBO, no matter how excellently done.

 

I supremely hope also that we may well get A Dream of Spring and A Time For Wolves and The Winds of Winter without another decade going by, lol :)

 

 

- Fish

[Werthead]

I supremely hope also that we may well get A Dream of Spring and A Time For Wolves and The Winds of Winter without another decade going by, lol :)

 

The title A TIME FOR WOLVES has been dropped, replaced by A DREAM OF SPRING. So that's only two more (assuming there aren't any radical changes ahead).

[Red2111]

those titles are intersting.

 

 

the "Time for Woles" says to me that it will have to do alot with the remaining Starks gaining power and maybe solving some of the remaining problems around them. a 'Dream of Spring' sounds more like somethign to do with the Wits or whatever those creatures ar called (the frozen bad dudes that are only killed by Dragon Glass) and can encompass more of the characters rather than focusing on our favorite wolves.

 

'Winds of Winter' again to me brigns the Wits directly to mind, because of the whole Winter aspect and how the Wits are connected to it. Winter also speaks of hardship, and Winds suggests alot of changes.

 

the fact that it's called Winds of Winter, suggest to me that there will be alot of change and not for the better in terms of characters and were events are heading. maybe Danny commign back and it tuning into a 3 fold war with the Wits as an unseen enemy and breaching the Wall ...

 

i've always wondered if her Dragons woudl be able to destroy the Wits, seeing as Dragon Glass does.