A Song of Ice and Fire (Possible Spoilers, tread carefully)

[BillCable]

While totally believable it still totally sucks.  If your job was to write this book, wouldn't you lock yourself in your writing space and do only that. 

That's not his process.  That's never been his process.  And writing at his level isn't something you can force yourself to accomplish.

I feel kinda bad for the guy.  He spends his entire life doddering along, writing his books as he wants to write them.  Totally content.  Then all of a sudden HBO decides to adapt a story and now the job he loved causes him nothing but stress.  I'm sure the fortune and glory take away some of that sting, but it's not hard to wonder if, given the choice, he might not go back to obscurity.

My only worry is that he doesn't finish the books before he meets the same fate as the Starks.  He's no spring chicken.  I'm sure he has enough of the last two books written that an apprentice author could complete them as happened with the Wheel of Time series, but those last books weren't near the quality of the rest of them.

[Nicklab]

I feel bad for him, too.  The HBO show has been both a blessing and a curse for George R.R. Martin.  His work has been discovered by millions of people thanks to the show.  But no doubt, this has now altered his process. 

I was definitely surprised to see how the HBO show made it's way through the books.  The first season was pretty true to the first book.  But then the way the show stretched things out for some books and compressed others was a little puzzling.

The thing that bothers me the most are the dickish fans who have been putting every single thing GRRM does under the microscope, and railing against him because they can't just wait for him to finish writing the book that he needs to write.  The worst thing I can imagine about the books is GRRM writing it in order to make some deadline, and not to just finish the book in accordance with his grand vision for the series.  I don't want an inferior book just so I can get it that much sooner.

[Scott]

So, I saw GRRM posted something to the effect that someone on the show who is dead is still alive in the books and will have a major role...that has to be Mance Rayder doesn't it?  Jon's plot of bringing Sansa out of Winterfell through Mance/Abel who is the hidden singer isn't resolved

[BillCable]

Stannis?

[McMetal]

So, I saw GRRM posted something to the effect that someone on the show who is dead is still alive in the books and will have a major role...that has to be Mance Rayder doesn't it?  Jon's plot of bringing Sansa out of Winterfell through Mance/Abel who is the hidden singer isn't resolved

I was just reading last night about a scene they filmed involving Sansa, John, Ramsay Bolton and Littlefinger at Winterfell. Oh, and a giant. 

So maybe Baelish plays the role of the facilitator?

Dead person could be the Hound or Lady Stark?

[Scott]

So...Roose and Stannis are both about to bite the dust (probably)...think this is into book 7 already?

[Nicklab]

I think it's probably going to happen in book 6.  As for the dead person on the show who still has a major role to play in the books?  I say GRRM is talking about Lady Stoneheart.

[Nicklab]

A new excerpt from The Winds of Winter has been posted on George RR Martin's website.  Read it here.

[Diddly]

Still not finished

[BillCable]

Shocker!

[Nicklab]

We'll see. 

[evenflow]

At this point i don't care and can't wait for the show to start. If and when it comes out i will read it, if not whatever.

[Nicklab]

GRRM made one of his blog entries recently, and of course people are speculating.  One writer put forth this theory that The Winds Of Winter may be published as soon as October of this year.  That would certainly be nice to see.  And it leaves me wondering if I would get an actual hardcopy, or perhaps download the book to my iPad.

[Scott]

While I read WoW when if it comes out...I am so happy they went ahead with the show and can tie everything well before probably it comes out...let alone the last book

[Nicklab]

I saw a blog post from GRRM that he was recently in New York meeting with his publisher.  That gives me some hope regarding the WoW release date.

Aside from that?  Now I'm curious to see where the stories are going to diverge.  Because there seems to have been some significant cases where the HBO show has made composites of some characters (ie how Jon Connington's book story became that of Jorah Mormont on the series), the presence of Lady Stoneheart in the books but not the show, the status of Loras Tyrell, the whole lost Targaryen storyline, etc. 

But all things considered?  I feel like I can enjoy the TV series as well as the novels as things that are independent of one another.