George has updated!!

[Boaz]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

 

[gollum666]

all seems rather strange its released in nov

go to Amazon either the uk or american version and type in the book name you can even pre-order


He's teasing everone did the same with the last damn book told everone he'd finished writing and it was published the next week. Or does everone forget that.

 

[Lubbock]

Yup i decided that this year <like every year> ill be super positive and expect a release about Christmas time......... Think it my be why my Christmasses always dissapoint

 

[Clansman]

Last I checked, Amazon has a release date of Sept. 30/08.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[TK-421]

Judging by his last blog post, he is under intense pressure from his publishers to finish the book before he goes on holidays in June/July. That would mean a release in the Fall to be very likely. I don't think he wants to postpone it more than that himself.

 

[Werthead]

According to the Bantam rep at Comicon (I wasn't there - wrong side of the Atlantic - but know someone who was), George's editors were 'cracking the whip' for him to get the book done by the end of June. That's because if he doesn't finish it then, then it'll stay unfinished until after Worldcon in early August (since he's going to Europe in the first week of July, IIRC). Even if he finished it by the end of August, the chances of it making it out even in the UK before the end of 2008 become somewhere close to zero.

The question is whether he still has new material to write, or if he has actually finished the book in draft form and is now revising the last few chapters to bring them up to speed. If so, it's possible that the publishers will just say to hell with it and publish with what they've got by the end of June. I get the impression Bantam know that there will be a dearth of big fantasy and particularly big epic fantasy books coming out at the end of 2008 (Pratchett's Nation in the only other one that comes immediately to mind, perhaps Gaiman's new book as well) and if they get it out by then, the book could do much better than if it's running headlong into the new Lynch and particularly the new Rothfuss and Jordan next year.

 

[The Curious Orange]

The question is whether he still has new material to write, or if he has actually finished the book in draft form and is now revising the last few chapters to bring them up to speed.

This is one thing I'd also love to know about how GRRM works. Most other authors will freely admit that they write the entire thing, then re-draft and edit over and over. For GRRM to say he hopes to finish it this summer, he surely must have finished it already and is already in the later stages of editing.

But then he drops these little hints like how he's just re-written an entire sub-plot from another character's POV. Surely those decisions would have been made years ago? Perhaps he does finish and polish each chapter then put it aside and move on to the next.

An analogy is building a house. If the builder told you that the house was going to be finished in June, and that he's just finished putting on the roofing slates, you'd be happy. If he told you that he'd just dug up the foundations to the kitchen and re-laid them in a different lay-out, you'd start to worry.

I understand that some writers are reluctant to talk about the writing process (GRRM being one) while others won't stop talking about it (Holly Lisle. for example, whose website is one huge "how to write" tutorial), but as an aspiring writer myself, I love to get these little insights. ASOIAF was the single biggest influence on my decision to stop messing about with silly SF stories and try writing an epic fantasy, so GRRM is probably the one writer where I would value those insights most.

I have infinite patience. I'd rather he took another 5 years and delivered another ASOS than have it this year and be another AFFC.

 

[the smiling weirwood]

I am absolutely sick of people talking as if AFFC was somehow less than the other books. Point out to me one valid reason why it isn't as good. Your opinion on what makes a cool story isn't valid. AFFC is about political intrigue and character development. Surely it doesn't have as many exciting hack and slash scenes, but since when has that been the criteria of a good book? I could say that Picasso wasn't as good as Rembrandt, but that would be comparing apples and oranges. In my opinion Picasso sucked anyway.

 

[TK-421]

Well, although this horse has been slaughtered long ago, I will chime in and agree that AFFC was an outstanding book and as good as the previous three in the series. I think where some readers had "issues" is the fact that some of their favourite characters were not included and we only got half of the story unlike in the other books.

 

[Ghost of Harrenhal]

Well, although this horse has been slaughtered long ago, I will chime in and agree that AFFC was an outstanding book and as good as the previous three in the series. I think where some readers had "issues" is the fact that some of their favourite characters were not included and we only got half of the story unlike in the other books.

Yeah that was my beef with it. No Jon, no Dany, no Tyrion, no Bran. All the characters that have great and exciting things going for them were absent. Instead we got Sam, Brienne, Jaime and Cersei

I know that isn't all the characters that will be followed in each book still.

 

[Culhwch]

I lked aFfC, but I think it s valid that some folk were dissappointed. I think, as TK points out, some of that is down to the missing characters, but I think the long wait and building expectation after aSoS contributed. So I think it'll be interesting to see the reaction to aDwD after another long wait, but with the 'favourite' characters.

I wonder when it's all written and published, what folks coming to it fresh and reading it straight through will think of aFfC...

 

[JDP]

Yep, I thought AFFC was good. I, too, was a little disappointed to have to wait to hear about certain characters, but that was the caveat under which the book was released. It was still a great read in my opinion.

 

[viZion]

The first time I read AFFC I was less than impressed. I didn't hate it but I think I was just a bit bored. However, it had been a few years since I last picked up the series. During my reread of the entire series this past winter I absolutely loved AFFC. It's such a deep and complex book. There are so many things happening and we learn a ton about some very interesting characters. I really think that to fully enjoy AFFC you have to read the entire series all at once rather than wait a few years like I did with the first time I read it.

 

[lauren20062001]

First time I read AFFC I went too quickly, wanting to know what happened, that I missed a lot. During the reread it was much more enjoyable, simply because I wasn't in such a rush.

 

[Aegon the Unworthy]

I am absolutely sick of people talking as if AFFC was somehow less than the other books. Point out to me one valid reason why it isn't as good. Your opinion on what makes a cool story isn't valid. AFFC is about political intrigue and character development. Surely it doesn't have as many exciting hack and slash scenes, but since when has that been the criteria of a good book? I could say that Picasso wasn't as good as Rembrandt, but that would be comparing apples and oranges. In my opinion Picasso sucked anyway.

TSW....I enjoyed Feast, I like slower developing plots and enjoy trying to discern where things are going before they get there...so I would never consider slamming AFFC even with the truncated character list.

That being said, telling people that their opinion isnt valid is asinine. I dont know how someone can say they did or did not like it without it being opinion....unless for some reason the page count offended em. Everyone is entitled to think what they want, because you disagree doesnt make thier opinion less valid, just makes it different.

Less caffeine...more MiracleGro

 

[TK-421]

I see where this is going...I'm off to buy plant food now.

 

[the smiling weirwood]

I meant their opinion is not a valid literary criticism.

 

[C Of K]

There is nothing wrong with The Curious Orange hoping that ADWD is a better book. I hope it is the best book I ever read until the next volume in the series comes out of course.

Valid literary criticism or not, AFFC didn't appeal to everyone the way some of GRRM's other books have. That is every reader's own personal decision to make. I certainly have my favorites.

 

[Werthead]

Bad news from the latest update: GRRM is pessimistic about hitting the end-of-June date.

Good news: GRRM confirmed the presence of one of the AFFC POVs in ADWD, which some people are very pleased about.

 

[Boaz]

People are pleased about Arya or Sansa?