Fed Up Yet???

[Knight of the Day]

I started reading this series about 6 years ago. I absolutely fell in love with it. I have now re-read 4 times ( including AFFC twice.). I patiently wait for anything new, chapters, readings, press/ publisher news and lap them all up.
Recently though I've found my hunger dwindling. I've started reading other Authors and genres. Although I'm still desperate for the next installments, I find myself losing interest in the characters and plots.
I remember the lead-up to AFFC and I couldn't wait to see how the likes of Jamie , Brienne and Cersei etc got on and I was not disappointed like others. I loved it. I would rather GRRM took time building the story and world of the song. I dont want any rushed and disappointing books,as of course GRRM doesn't, but how do I maintain that hunger during the long time in between songs.
ADWD seems still to be a long way down this road, and with 2 further books what will the time period be?
How long will the road to the conclusion of the song be?
I remember reading this forum everyday after work and there was always new posts/topics. Now days can go by with nothing and when someone does post it's usually a topic we covered years ago ( R+L=J??.....Three heads?.....etc etc.) no offense to new readers I welcome them like family as we all are, but nothing new is stagnating my passion for this series.
The news of the TV series blew my tiny little mind but its the books i crave.


HOW DO I GET BACK THAT LOVE FOR THE SONG?????????

P.S What ever happened to ARYAUNDERFOOT???

 

[Boaz]

KotD, I know it's frustrating. In our world we almost always instant or near instant gratification. I wish I had a recipe for you to follow to get back the love.

I became acquainted with a guy, who is now one of my best friends, just after ASOS was released. He loved ASOIAF and he laid down money for a pre-order of AFFC in 2002 with MediaPlay. MediaPlay went out of business around the time AFFC was released and my friend lost his money. He decided in early 2005 to stop reading ASOIAF... he says he'll try and pick it up after it is completely published. His concerns mirror yours, KotD.

I understand the impetus can be lost. I understand the frustration of having to spend three months reading just to catch up. I understand that certain themes and characters can be easily identified with at certain times in life and yet fail to connect with the same person years later. I wish I had a solution for you.

My friend chose to put ASOIAF away until it's finished and then bring back his beloved story. I have chosen to keep plugging away and keeping it semi-fresh by re-reading and by posting here.

And where is AryaUnderfoot? I dunno. She's probably busy with the rest of her life... I almost always contract people's names, KotD. I always called AryaUnderfoot AU... 'cause her posts were golden.

 

[Aniri]

Nope, not fed up yet. I just hate the waiting. I definitely should re-read it myself before the next installment comes out.

 

[Aegon the Unworthy]

And where is AryaUnderfoot? I dunno. She's probably busy with the rest of her life... I almost always contract people's names, KotD. I always called AryaUnderfoot AU... 'cause her posts were golden.

With a similar contraction could I be pyrite? I would love to be pyrite.

In answer to the original question I make it a point now to skip a couple of days coming to the boards, unless theres a interesting discussion taking place then its about every 20 minutes or so. I also have found myself reluctant to tell new people "We've already discussed that ad infinitum etc....here are seven links"....Im thinking I would rather rediscuss old issues with new people as opposed to having them force their opinions into old discussions. It seems more relevant. Whats worse? rehashing the same point or responding to a poster that hasnt been here for 6 months?

Anyhow, to make a long post longer....go do something else for a couple weeks, then come back and read in one sitting. I recommend some sort of freshly brewed coffee as your drink of choice for the extended reading.....

 

[TK-421]

Surely, don't call me Shirley!

I've managed to crack Erikson and tell Goodkind fans off while waiting.

March/April (which I think is the current forecast release time) will be here before we can say WTFASOIFIFHAGRRMHRODHTT.

 

[Boaz]

Aniri, timing the re-reading so that you're absolutely current when ADWD is released is important. You don't want to do it too early. And yes, Raven does rock.

Pyrite, uh, you want me to call you Pyrite? Sounds like a discount pastry shop... Anyway, good point on having relevant discussions with the current posters. It also means I can freely switch positions in the new discussion without any repurcussions.

before we can say WTFASOIFIFHAGRRMHRODHTT.

I don't think I'll ever be able to say that. I understand some of it, but some of it escapes me.

 

[Culhwch]

Not fed up, no. I find my enthusiasm waxes and wanes, though. I find it best just to go on with my life rather than obsessively wait for the next book. If an interesting topic pops up here, I'll give it a once over, but usually I just busy myself in other parts of the Network. It's a big place, do some exploring, KotD. I'm sure you'll find some good leads on other authors that might sate you, even if only temporarily. GRRM is not the be-all and end-all. Actually, have you tried any of his other non-aSoIaF books? I'd highly recommend Fevre Dream, in particular.

 

[YOSSARIAN]

I'm not fed up in the least! For better or worse I'm still completely obsessed with ASOIAF (and the Dunk and Egg stories.) It may be because I didn't buy the books until 2003, so I was able to read the first 3 volumes with literally no waiting. Right before a vacation to Key West I bought AGOT for no other reason than it was a long book which I believed would keep me occupied during the plane trips and the painful hangovers I knew I would have every morning for the 9 days I'd be there. Never did I think I'd be so enthralled by the story that I would have to pick up the next 2 volumes on the 3rd day of the trip. While my dad and brother were sleeping off their hangovers, I was lounging next to the pool with a cooler full of Bud, a Cuban sandwich, and A Clash of Kings. Somehow my vacation began to be all about ASOIAF. The days belonged to GRRM's epic tale, while sunset marked the commencement of my epic quest to guzzle all the alcohol in the Florida Keys while valiantly attempting to (but tragically failing to) get laid. By the time Arya was haunting Harrenhal I'd even chosen to take a night off from partying. A day-trip to the swampy Everglades with its' dense population of alligators had me thinking of Greywater Watch and lizard-lions (and Dany as well; the flying cockroaches there were as big as dragon hatchlings, the mosquitoes more numerous than blades of glass in the Dothraki Sea.) I was miles above the earth when Roose Bolton stuck a blade into his king. When I returned home my suitcase didn't get unpacked until Joffrey, Oberyn, Ser Dontos, Tywin, and Lysa were dead, Tyrion was alive, and Catelyn was some of both. The moment after Merrett Frey's body was swinging dead on a rope and I closed ASOS I desired nothing more strongly than the continuation and completion of the Song of Ice and Fire. If the number of times I've gone back through the entire series (and I just finished again last week) is any indication, then not much has changed since then.

 

[Aegon the Unworthy]

Nice post Yoss.

Pyrite, uh, you want me to call you Pyrite? Sounds like a discount pastry shop... Anyway, good point on having relevant discussions with the current posters. It also means I can freely switch positions in the new discussion without any repurcussions.

Pyrite...aka fools gold. I thought it was fitting.

I dont look at it as an opportunity to switch sides because as you know Im always correct regardless of the proof presented to me....but as an opportunity to impress newcomers with my finely-honed and cogent argument that Ive thieved from the smarter types what posted previous. If I cant plagiarize from the internet where can I plagiarize from?

 

[Boaz]

GRRM is not the be-all and end-all.

Cully, Thou was ever an obstinate heretic in the despite of beauty.

Nice post Yoss.

Agreed.

Pyrite...aka fools gold. I thought it was fitting.

Got it... Au=Gold. FeS2=Fool's Gold. I just thought the pastry shop comment was funny... ah, well.

I dont look at it as an opportunity to switch sides

But I do... sometimes I like to get in touch with my inner Democratic Presidential Candidate.

Im always correct

I knew it. The whole reason to call you Pyrite was only to call you right.

Im always correct regardless of the proof presented to me....but as an opportunity to impress newcomers with my finely-honed and cogent argument that Ive thieved from the smarter types what posted previous. If I cant plagiarize from the internet where can I plagiarize from?

Looks like you are plagiarizing me... or at the very least presenting my own arguments in a clearer way.

In closing, I'd like to quote the Big Bad Wolf. "I'm gettin' fed up with not gettin' fed up!"

 

[Shoegaze99]

Not fed up yet, but I can see myself coming close. Much as I love this series, I'm fully prepared to drop it and stop caring just as I did Robert Jordan's.

Jordan, of course, suffered from the 1-2 punch of slow progress and a decline in the quality of the writing. Martin has the slow progress down, but so far the writing is good.

Haven't read Feast for Crows yet because I'm waiting for the companion book. If those two don't stack up to a good read, I'll be dropping this otherwise remarkable series.

 

[TK-421]

Haven't read Feast for Crows yet because I'm waiting for the companion book. If those two don't stack up to a good read, I'll be dropping this otherwise remarkable series.

The logic here escapes me. AFFC has been out for 2 years and you have yet to pick it up because you are waiting for ADWD? Your patience is remarkable for a fan of the series.

Oh, and so far, GRRM surpasses Jordan by a million miles when it comes to writting and AFFC is a brilliant read.

 

[Shoegaze99]

I picked it up right away, i.e. bought it, I just haven't read it. It's not that difficult to be patient when there are dozens and dozens of other quality novels to read, both new and old. It's not like there is a lack of things to read. Once Martin made it clear that AFFC was really only half of the fourth book, I determined before I even purchased it that I'd not read it until the other "half" was complete. At the time it was going to be under a year because much of it was already written, so it didn't seem like a big wait to endure. It has since become much longer, of course, but in seeing the disappointment some felt at half the character arcs being snipped from AFFC and held for book five, I feel like I made the right choice for my overall reading enjoyment. I'll be reading them as one extended book.

 

[TK-421]

Well, I don't think you need for me to say that by hanging out here on the forum, you risk getting the enjoyment of reading AFFC spoiled BIG TIME!

I was NOT disappointed with AFFC and delighted in further development of characters like Cersei, Jaime, Sam, Brienne, the Dorne crowd, the Ironmen, Arya and Sansa. All key players in the game. And I do not think there was an "overall disppointment" it's just I think there are many who really like certain characters that are coming up in ADWD. I for one, am Vice-President of the Tyrion Whoring Fan Club.

 

[Shoegaze99]

Well, I don't think you need for me to say that by hanging out here on the forum, you risk getting the enjoyment of reading AFFC spoiled BIG TIME!

'Tis not really a danger, as I don't read the story-related threads (and rarely come around anymore, anyway).

And I do not think there was an "overall disppointment"

Didn't say there was. I think you're splicing two of my statements into one. I said some were disappointed for the reasons you state, and for me, my overall enjoyment will be greater by reading the story as a whole rather than in two pieces.

In other words, only some people were disappointed, and I expect to enjoy the books when I read them.

 

[the_faery_queen]

my hunger has gone. i've had the last book he weote for two years i guess, still not bothered to read it. read other things instead. i still think he's great, but i just cna't be bothered with it. dunno whether that's me, or maybe my tastes have changed, or what, but i just can't be arsed to read it, to wait, to get caught up in all of that hype and excitement. it's just not what i want from books i read anymore.

 

[Sparks the Knave]

I think it's great, and though I wish it was all finished right now so I could just read it and find out what happens/how it happens/and why it happens, It's also cool to have something to look forward to. not fed up in the least!

 

[YOSSARIAN]

GRRM has delivered with every volume of the series. At first I thought the reasoning behind splitting AFFC/ADWD was suspect; now I believe he made the right decision. If he decided the tale grew in the telling, therefore requiring more time and an extra book or three, I'll trust his judgement. He's earned the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Boaz]

GRRM has delivered with every volume of the series... I'll trust his judgement. He's earned the benefit of the doubt.

Good observation.

When I was young sports were a major part of my life. Now that I'm older, I use a lot of sports ananlogies, though I rarely do so here. Indulge me, please...

In 1975, the Men's Basketball team from the University of California at Los Angeles won the national championship. They had also won the title in 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1973. They had just won ten of the last twelve championships while competing against more than 150 other universities. It was complete and utter domination. Seconds after winning the title in 1975, a fan raced onto the court to congratulate the UCLA coach, John Wooden. The man said, "You let us down last year coach, but you came through this year." The previous year, UCLA did not win the championship... they finished third out of more than 150 teams. Never before or since has a school won more than two championships in a row or won more than three titles in twelve years... John Wooden coached UCLA to seven in a row and ten over twelve years... at one point UCLA won 88 straight games, going undefeated in two consecutive seasons! Truly amazing! Yet some yahoo had the nerve to say that Wooden underachieved in 1974 by only winning third place?!?!?

The coach, the author, or any of us who try our best during preparation, during creation, and during presentation can be satisfied with our efforts and the results. If others honor us with awards, so be it. But the creators know success is independent of the critics.

Theodore Roosevelt before serving in political office said, "Criticism is necessary and useful; it is often indispensable; but it can never take the place of action, or be even a poor substitute for it. The function of the mere critic is of very subordinate usefulness. It is the doer of deeds who actually counts in the battle for life, and not the man who looks on and says how the fight ought to be fought, without himself sharing the stress and the danger." (1894)

After retiring from office, Roosevelt said, "It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." ("Citizenship in a Republic," Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910)

We are not to follow anyone blindly, ever. But at this point (as Yoss points out), GRRM's more than earned the benefit of the doubt.

I'm not saying that you must absolutely love ASOIAF. If you don't, then you don't. I'm just not going to question his decision on how to proceed from this point on.

 

[TK-421]

I guess there are those who need instant gratification and there are those who follow the motto: "Good things come to those who wait." I admit to being a bit of both and am willing to wait for GRRM to finish at his own pace. That doesn't mean that I am a masochist and actually enjoy every minute of it...

Ditto on Yoss' and Boaz's comments.