Author Topic: A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)  (Read 54910 times)

Offline Scott

  • Staff Member
  • Jedi Guardian
  • *
  • Posts: 18701
  • Get Some
    • View Profile
    • JediDefender
Re: A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)
« Reply #30 on: February 25, 2009, 12:06 PM »
From GRRM

Quote
No, it's not done.

Yes, I am aware that more than a year has passed since my last update. A lot of you have been emailing me to point that out. Thanks, but really, I did know. Unlike many of you out there, I got my copies of the Song of Ice & Fire calendar, so I knew what date it was.

No, I'm not planning to update the update, for reasons stated in the update itself. Until such time as I can write, "It's done," it will remain the last update... aside from what I may say here from time to time, on my Not-A-Blog.

I made a lot of progress on the book in the first half of 2008. So much so that I was optimistic that I would be done by the end of the year. Unfortunately, I did not make much progress on the book in the second half of 2008. Indeed, I made some regress. (That Sansa chapter I talked about finishing, for instance. It's still finished, but my editor and I decided it belongs in THE WINDS OF WINTER, not A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, so it's been moved into the next book. Sansa will not appear in DANCE.)

Some of the reasons were literary, arising from problems in the narrative itself. I'm not going to discuss them here, because I really do not like talking about questions I am still wrestling with on a work in progress. It never helps. Art is not a democracy, and these are problems I need to solve myself. Having a few hundred readers weigh in with their thoughts and opinions -- which seems to be what happens whenever I post here about DWD -- does not advance the process. I'm sorry, but that's true. I know that many of you would like to help me, but you can't. I have editors and I have two capable assistants, and that's sufficient. I'm the only one who can dance this dance.

Some of other reasons for the delay have nothing to do with the book itself. They're extra-literary, arising from other things in my life. I could sketch out some of them here, sure, but what good would it do? Those who are inclined to understand would send me messages of sympathy and support. Those are not so inclined would dismiss them as "excuses," or even "feeble excuses." A few will even go so far as to accuse me of lying.

That's the part that really bothers me. For the record, I have never lied about anything having to do with A DANCE WITH DRAGONS or the series as a whole. I have been wrong, yes. I have been wrong lots of time, especially when I've tried to predict how long it will take me to complete the book, or when it will be published. Being wrong is not the same as lying. Since the very beginning of this series, I have been guilty of being over-optimistic about how long it would take me to finish the next book, the next chapter, or the series as a whole. I cannot deny that. I have always been bad with deadlines... one reason why I did my best to avoid them for the first fifteen years of my career. That's an option I no longer have, however. Or at least will not have until A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE is complete.

That's the main reason why I no longer want to give any completion dates. I am sick and tired of people jumping down my throat when I miss them.

This latest flood of emails has worn down my resolve, however. So in hopes of quieting it, once more I will step into the breach --



I am trying to finish the book by June. I think I can do that. If I do, A DANCE WITH DRAGONS will likely be published in September or October.

(Yes, I am aware that I have previously said that I hoped to finish by the end of 2008. And before that, I said that I hoped to finish by June 2008, before I went to Spain and Portugal. And before that, I said I hoped to finish by the end of 2007. I know, I know, I know. No, I was not lying. I was wrong. And wrong again. And wrong before that. This time I hope that I am right. But you know, I can't swear that in blood. I write one chapter at a time. One page at a time. One word at a time. And then the next.)

That's all I have. But it's more than Amazon has, or anyone else.

The INSTANT that I finish the novel and put it in the mail to Bantam, I will post that fact here, just as I did for SUICIDE KINGS a few days ago. Until and unless you read that announcement here, believe nothing you hear from any other source.

I have made a lot of progress on the book since August 2007, but this part hasn't changed

I almost positive this series will never be completed...and that makes me a little sad, because it is phenomenal

Offline Jeff

  • Administrator
  • Jedi Elder
  • *
  • Posts: 26285
  • Leave me where I lie
    • View Profile
    • www.JediDefender.com
Re: A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)
« Reply #31 on: May 6, 2009, 12:28 PM »
Editor-in-Chief  - www.JediDefender.com
On Twitter?  Follow JediDefender -> @jedidefender

Offline Jeff

  • Administrator
  • Jedi Elder
  • *
  • Posts: 26285
  • Leave me where I lie
    • View Profile
    • www.JediDefender.com
Re: A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)
« Reply #32 on: August 24, 2009, 03:24 PM »
More HBO casting news:

Quote
The HBO pilot for George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones adaptation has added more cast members to its line-up. Joining the production are Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Virtuality) as Jaime Lannister, loyal to the ruler who staged a coup and grabbed the kingdom of Westeros; Tamzin Merchant (The Tudors) as Daenerys, an exiled young princess; Richard Madden (Hope Springs) as Ned Stark's eldest son, Robb; Iain Glen (Into the Storm) as Ser Jorah Mormont, a disgraced knight; Alfie Allen (The Other Boleyn Girl) as Theon, Stark's young ward; Sophie Turner as Stark's eldest daughter, Sansa; and Maisie Williams as Stark's youngest daughter, Arya.


These latest additions join the previously announced Game of Thrones cast members Sean Bean (playing Ned Stark), Mark Addy (King Robert), Kit Harrington (Jon Snow), Jennifer Ehle (Catelyn Stark), Jack Gleeson (Joffrey Baratheon), Peter Dinklage (Tyrion) and Harry Lloyd (Viserys Targarye). Filming starts in October. »

Filming is supposed to start in October...  I'm really looking forward to what they can do with this story and may have to break down and get HBO to see it.  Hopefully GRRM will be able to get the next book so he can stay ahead of the TV show...   :P
Editor-in-Chief  - www.JediDefender.com
On Twitter?  Follow JediDefender -> @jedidefender

Offline BillCable

  • Jedi General
  • *
  • Posts: 9883
  • CreatureCantina.com SUCKS!!
    • View Profile
    • CreatureCantina.com
Re: A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)
« Reply #33 on: August 24, 2009, 08:17 PM »
Interesting... a Google search on Sophie Turner turns up quite a few pics of a woman who looks like a stripper.  No idea if it's the same person.

The girl playing Daenerys already has a nude scenes to her credit based on the photos I accidentally came across... since Daenerys spends most of her time in the books sans clothing that's probably a good thing.
Bill Cable - Steeler Fan & Star Wars Collector
  http://CreatureCantina.com       
"Cable is incapable of contributing anything positive to this world" - cstoj

Offline Jeff

  • Administrator
  • Jedi Elder
  • *
  • Posts: 26285
  • Leave me where I lie
    • View Profile
    • www.JediDefender.com
Re: A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)
« Reply #34 on: August 24, 2009, 10:26 PM »
Interesting... a Google search on Sophie Turner turns up quite a few pics of a woman who looks like a stripper.  No idea if it's the same person.

Not the same person.  According to George Martin's blog, the Sophie Turner they cast is a new actress:

http://pics.livejournal.com/grrm/pic/00068zys/s320x240


The girl playing Daenerys already has a nude scenes to her credit based on the photos I accidentally came across... since Daenerys spends most of her time in the books sans clothing that's probably a good thing.

Yeah, she's had a few scenes in The Tudors for HBO, so they know what they're getting there.  That was one of the things I've read about the show, that they are aging Daenerys a bit to keep the sexy stuff in the show...  again from GRRM's blog:

It's no secret that HBO's Dany will start out older than Dany does in the book; that was a change that had to be made, if we wanted to keep the sex scenes, and David and Dan and I were all agreed that the sex scenes were essential.
Editor-in-Chief  - www.JediDefender.com
On Twitter?  Follow JediDefender -> @jedidefender

Offline Scott

  • Staff Member
  • Jedi Guardian
  • *
  • Posts: 18701
  • Get Some
    • View Profile
    • JediDefender
Re: A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)
« Reply #35 on: August 26, 2009, 01:53 AM »
I think I am now in the camp that the whole saga will never be completed and with that I am extremely dissapointed.  However, I am really looking forward to all of this HBO mumbo jumbo and hope it gets picked up.  I really think people are missing out on not reading these books.  Maybe a HBO series will get people to bite

Offline BillCable

  • Jedi General
  • *
  • Posts: 9883
  • CreatureCantina.com SUCKS!!
    • View Profile
    • CreatureCantina.com
Re: A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)
« Reply #36 on: August 26, 2009, 09:27 AM »
I think the TV series might prompt GRRM to get moving on the rest of the series.  Now he has deadlines!  A Dance with Dragons is almost done.  So that's 5 years into the TV series.  He has effectively 6 years to complete the last two books to have them done in time for the TV show.  So as long as he doesn't keel over (he looks pretty old in his photos) I figure we'll see the series wrap up about 4 years after the 2012 apocalypse.
Bill Cable - Steeler Fan & Star Wars Collector
  http://CreatureCantina.com       
"Cable is incapable of contributing anything positive to this world" - cstoj

Offline Hemish

  • Jedi Apprentice
  • *
  • Posts: 1182
  • Blah
    • View Profile
Re: A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)
« Reply #37 on: August 30, 2009, 07:44 AM »
I just started on this series, the first book took me a while to get into, he seemed to introduce so many characters so fast I started to loose track of who was who.
Second half of it was really good, and I certainly didnt expect it to end like that.
Just started the second one today.
I think my only real gripe is the use of profanity in the books, to me it just seems really out of place and the sex, i dunno if i wanted to read a smutty book i'd grab one of my wife's crappy romance things, it just seemed out of place to me.
The problem with America is stupidity I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself

Offline Jeff

  • Administrator
  • Jedi Elder
  • *
  • Posts: 26285
  • Leave me where I lie
    • View Profile
    • www.JediDefender.com
Re: A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)
« Reply #38 on: October 16, 2009, 06:37 PM »
A friend pointed out to me today that TV's Sarah Connor (Lena Headley) has been cast as Cersei Lannister in the HBO pilot.  Interesting choice.  I'm sure she'll do fine, she is just not what I pictured at all from reading the books... 
Editor-in-Chief  - www.JediDefender.com
On Twitter?  Follow JediDefender -> @jedidefender

Offline Scott

  • Staff Member
  • Jedi Guardian
  • *
  • Posts: 18701
  • Get Some
    • View Profile
    • JediDefender
Re: A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)
« Reply #39 on: February 23, 2010, 06:21 PM »
GRRM is coming to MN

Maybe I can go up and punch him in the gut...that may make him finish the damn book ::)

Offline Jeff

  • Administrator
  • Jedi Elder
  • *
  • Posts: 26285
  • Leave me where I lie
    • View Profile
    • www.JediDefender.com
Re: A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)
« Reply #40 on: February 23, 2010, 10:10 PM »
GRRM looks like he could be pretty wily, I'll show up and help hold him so you can sock him good...
Editor-in-Chief  - www.JediDefender.com
On Twitter?  Follow JediDefender -> @jedidefender

Offline Symposium

  • Jedi Initiate
  • *
  • Posts: 425
  • I have Kubrickulosis™
    • View Profile
"Pixelated beings are we, not this crude matter!"

Offline Scott

  • Staff Member
  • Jedi Guardian
  • *
  • Posts: 18701
  • Get Some
    • View Profile
    • JediDefender
Re: A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)
« Reply #42 on: March 3, 2011, 04:47 PM »
Holy ****...this is like Chinese Democracy

Offline BillCable

  • Jedi General
  • *
  • Posts: 9883
  • CreatureCantina.com SUCKS!!
    • View Profile
    • CreatureCantina.com
Re: A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)
« Reply #43 on: March 3, 2011, 06:33 PM »
Awesome!  I was saying dude's gotta start cranking out books now that his TV series is happening.  He's got about 4 years to put out the next book or the TV series is in trouble.   Then only ONE YEAR after that!!  ;D
Bill Cable - Steeler Fan & Star Wars Collector
  http://CreatureCantina.com       
"Cable is incapable of contributing anything positive to this world" - cstoj

Offline Nathan

  • Jedi Knight
  • *
  • Posts: 4063
  • Destroying the hobby one EU figure at a time.
    • View Profile
    • The Clone Wars Unofficial Site (in carbonite)
Re: A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)
« Reply #44 on: April 2, 2011, 01:20 AM »
So I finally broke down and started Game of Thrones last night. Mostly because I want to read at least the first one before the series comes on.
Twitter: @OKeefeNathan
Blog: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Fanboy (in carbonite since '09, back someday)