timetable/length of the series?

[rai]

now that ADWD is going to be relaeasd, I was curious about the rest of the series.

Has Mr. Martin been working on the rest of the books or is he just done with this one book?

How many future books are there going to be? (is this ADWD the 5th of 7 total books? or will there more than 7?).

Do we expect 6 years to wait for the next one?

thanks

 

[hadd]

I think no-one has the answers for these questions...or at least answers that would satisfy you.
The info we have right now though indicates that there will be 7 books (meaning 2 more after ADWD).
Some of the chapters from the 6th book should be somewhat finished already (as some got moved from ADWD to the 6th). However, as most of us remember ADWD was supposed to come out "soon" after AFFC also, which it obviously didn't.

I think writing books is something you can't really put a deadline on. Sometimes the author gets them finished faster, sometimes he gets stuck. You never know.

One thing is for sure at least, you'll have to wait for the last 2 books. They won't appear overnight.

 

[The Imp]

now that ADWD is going to be released, I was curious about the rest of the series.

Has Mr. Martin been working on the rest of the books or is he just done with this one book?

How many future books are there going to be? (is this ADWD the 5th of 7 total books? or will there more than 7?).

Do we expect 6 years to wait for the next one?

thanks

You seem to have an idea already, but need it confirmed?

ADWD is the fifth book in what is projected to be a 7 book series. The tentative names for the 6th and 7th books are, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring. The series was originally supposed to be 3 books long, but GRRM loves to write, and things got a little out of control early on.

TWoW already has material written for it, as GRRM has move chapters that he originally planned for ADWD to the next book. He said in at least one podcast that he hopes the new timeline will be 2 years between books. There are many who are skeptical of this, given the length of time between earlier books, but given the number of characters that have been and may/will be killed off in ADWD, and also the convergence and eventual merging of various plotlines, he should have an easier time with the last 2 books. I hope.I think we'll all have a better idea of what he's up against when we finally get to read ADWD and see what he's done to consolidate things.

 

[Boaz]

rai, from what I can gather, here are the publishing dates...

A Game of Thrones - August 1996

A Clash of Kings - October 1998 (UK) & March 1999 (US)

A Storm of Swords - August 2000 (UK) & November 2000 (US)

A Feast for Crows - October 2005 (UK) & November 2005 (US)

A Dance with Dragons - July 2011

You might also see these novellas around...

Blood of the Dragon - This is a compilation (or maybe selected passages) from the Daenerys chapters of AGOT.

Path of the Dragon - This is a compilation (or maybe selected passages) from the Daenerys chapters of ASOS.

Arms of the Kraken - This is a compilation (or maybe selected passages) from the Greyjoy family chapters of AFFC.

Other original material appears in the form of three prequel novellas...

The Hedge Knight - This story appeared in the 1998 anthology Legends, edited by Robert Silverberg.

The Sworn Sword - This story appeared in the 2003 UK (2004 US) anthology, Legends II, edited by Robert Silverberg.

The Mystery Knight - This story appeared in the 2010 anthology, Warriors, edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardener Dozois.

I seem to recall that Martin spent at least three years writing AGOT before it's publication. The brief time between the first three books seems incredible compared to the the fourth and fifth. But I think Martin had a very solid grasp of where the story was going and I think that his characters were still showing who they were, i.e. not painted into corners back then. Now Martin must wrestle with believably moving his characters through deadly twists and turns... and this is time consuming.

Let me also say that I fully believe that Martin knows how all this will end and thus the time between the final two books (The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring) will be less than the eleven years for the last two books.

It seems that Martin has been working very long years on A Song of Ice and Fire. He feels the constant weight of the expectations of his fans. He's been working on this story for nineteen years on this epic. I think that's proof that the man is continually highly motivated.

 

[soulsinging]

Ever hear of the WoT? Was supposed to be a trilogy at first. Martin's books too. Then Jordan needed more... he said 7 or so. Martin currently says 7 books for the saga. Then Jordan wrote 12 and died with it unfinished. Martin... you can guess what my cynical self expects of this series...

I admit, the first three are excellent (as were Jordan's first three), but I won't read another of his books until the series is done.

 

[The Imp]

Ever hear of the WoT? Was supposed to be a trilogy at first. Martin's books too. Then Jordan needed more... he said 7 or so. Martin currently says 7 books for the saga. Then Jordan wrote 12 and died with it unfinished. Martin... you can guess what my cynical self expects of this series...

I admit, the first three are excellent (as were Jordan's first three), but I won't read another of his books until the series is done.

For someone who doesn't want anything to do with this series until it's done you're investing a lot of energy in it. The horse was beaten to death by you in this thread

http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/529206-i-no-longer-feel-obligated-to-purchase-adwd-3.html

we all get that you don't trust GRRM not to pop a "Wheelie" but I'll stand by what i've maintained before and reiterate that plotlines will converge and merge, characters will die off, and GRRM has a very clear idea of where he's going. Each book from here on out will be easier for him.

 

[rai]

here's hoping Mr. Martin can write another dozen books in this world.

I would like a whole series about the back story (Aerys Targaryen, young Jamie etc..).

 

[soulsinging]

For someone who doesn't want anything to do with this series until it's done you're investing a lot of energy in it. The horse was beaten to death by you in this thread

http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/529206-i-no-longer-feel-obligated-to-purchase-adwd-3.html

we all get that you don't trust GRRM not to pop a "Wheelie" but I'll stand by what i've maintained before and reiterate that plotlines will converge and merge, characters will die off, and GRRM has a very clear idea of where he's going. Each book from here on out will be easier for him.

This is a different thread on a different topic and I felt the poster might benefit from hearing a contrasting opinion. I'm quite certain the gist of the posts by you and Boaz in this thread has also appeared on this board before in other threads, so why do you single me out for being repetitive? Because I am the only one that's critical as well?

I invest my energy because I'm angry that I got hoodwinked again by another juggernaut fantasy writer and want to warn others leery of the same folly. I hope you're right and he pulls it together, but I've little faith in this series being finished in his lifetime. That's a perfectly legitimate opinion and could be a perfectly legitimate concern for someone trying to get a feel for where it stands and whether they should invest their time.

I'm sorry if my criticism of ASOIF bothers you, but I feel I have been rather fair with respect to my concerns about the series. I avoid cheap shots and the usual ranting about his personal life and harbor no ill will towards GRRM. But if people ask for thoughts on his work and this series, I will continue to offer them in whatever thread the request is made, just as you do. You don't have to read my posts if they annoy you, but I think my take is worth hearing, especially since it's often the only critical one here (other than general impatience with the delay). It provides a bit of balance. Every post asking about GRRM receives 10 posts saying he's a genius, this is the best series ever, and it's worth any delays (opinions that I'm sure they have posted elsewhere before, though I doubt you link to their posts and accuse them of beating a dead horse when they repeat their praise)... surely my one post saying he faltered in the 4th book and I suspect he won't ever finish it is not hurting anyone?

 

[The Imp]

This is a different thread on a different topic and I felt the poster might benefit from hearing a contrasting opinion. I'm quite certain the gist of the posts by you and Boaz in this thread has also appeared on this board before in other threads, so why do you single me out for being repetitive? Because I am the only one that's critical as well?

I invest my energy because I'm angry that I got hoodwinked again by another juggernaut fantasy writer and want to warn others leery of the same folly. I hope you're right and he pulls it together, but I've little faith in this series being finished in his lifetime. That's a perfectly legitimate opinion and could be a perfectly legitimate concern for someone trying to get a feel for where it stands and whether they should invest their time.

I'm sorry if my criticism of ASOIF bothers you, but I feel I have been rather fair with respect to my concerns about the series. I avoid cheap shots and the usual ranting about his personal life and harbor no ill will towards GRRM. But if people ask for thoughts on his work and this series, I will continue to offer them in whatever thread the request is made, just as you do. You don't have to read my posts if they annoy you, but I think my take is worth hearing, especially since it's often the only critical one here (other than general impatience with the delay). It provides a bit of balance. Every post asking about GRRM receives 10 posts saying he's a genius, this is the best series ever, and it's worth any delays (opinions that I'm sure they have posted elsewhere before, though I doubt you link to their posts and accuse them of beating a dead horse when they repeat their praise)... surely my one post saying he faltered in the 4th book and I suspect he won't ever finish it is not hurting anyone?

Your posts don't bother or annoy me, and you're correct in saying that your post was directed at someone who had not seen the previous thread that I had linked. I think that the OP of this thread has a right to know that you seem to have an axe to grind, and will take every opportunity to sharpen it. My evidence for saying that is this

I'm angry that I got hoodwinked again by another juggernaut fantasy writer and want to warn others leery of the same folly

Quite frankly, people whose opinions I trust a lot don't feel duped or hoodwinked or conned or whatever by GRRM. these would be people who have read IT and are avid fans of ASOIAF. I haven't read NoT, so I can't compare GRRM's process to Jordan's, but I'm 100% convinced that GRRM has been honest and above-board at every point in the process. The one place where i suspect a touch of "manipulation" is in regard to the completion announcement of ADWD. I think it's being timed to coincide with the HBO series. Since to actual publication date isn't being affected, i don't really care though.

I also don't understand why you wouldn't want to read ADWD, given that you say you enjoyed the first 3 books (or was it 4 as you mentioned in the other thread?). Would you rather hold onto your anger than read what will probably be a great book?

In any event, you're entitled to your opinion and entitled to voice them, just as I and others have a right to respond. The short version of my response is, your opinion isn't based on fact, and is only the minority opinion of very disgruntled former fans of ASOIAF. The OP has a right to know that.

 

[Bazza]

Let me also say that I fully believe that Martin knows how all this will end and thus the time between the final two books (The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring) will be less than the eleven years for the last two books.

I agree, he kept referring to his Mereenese knot for a year or two that he was trying to cut through in his not a blog posts. Now I'm a novice to writing but I'm guessing he had a strategy of plotting a timeline of planned events that occur in the book and he's trying to bridge those events together believably, but he couldn't quite bridge Dany out of Mereen. Keep in mind he also completely rewrote this book after nixing the original first half draft completely (I think?)

Now that it's done I think he can finally get to his planned endgame, which I'm sure is much more crystallized in his head than the middle. If you've got a planned 7 book series I gotta think the middle is the toughest part to write. But honestly with the HBO show and his other projects I don't see him writing another in under 3 years.

 

[The Imp]

I agree, he kept referring to his Mereenese knot for a year or two that he was trying to cut through in his not a blog posts. Now I'm a novice to writing but I'm guessing he had a strategy of plotting a timeline of planned events that occur in the book and he's trying to bridge those events together believably, but he couldn't quite bridge Dany out of Mereen. Keep in mind he also completely rewrote this book after nixing the original first half draft completely (I think?)

Now that it's done I think he can finally get to his planned endgame, which I'm sure is much more crystallized in his head than the middle. If you've got a planned 7 book series I gotta think the middle is the toughest part to write. But honestly with the HBO show and his other projects I don't see him writing another in under 3 years.

You make a great point which hasn't been talked about much before. We always think of "The Knot" as being one sided, in that the problem was getting everyone to Mereen in a way that made sen in relation to other timeliens/plotlines. There very well may have been issues in getting Dany out of Mereen that won't even be apparent until we see the 6th book.

 

[TK-421]

here's hoping Mr. Martin can write another dozen books in this world.

I would like a whole series about the back story (Aerys Targaryen, young Jamie etc..).

Glad to hear you're still optimistic about the series as I am.

They are working on a encyclopedia of sorts for ASOIAF. Should give some of that backstory.

BTW, GRRM very recently in an interview said that he knows exactly how it all ends and is figuring out the path to take there.

 

[DarkWings]

Im currently reading thorugh a storm of swords so ive got a little bit left, but im still worried that the last books may take too long to write and i will run out of patience. ive just read through the first 2 books in about 3 weeks each so i will be done with everything thats been writen so far including A Dance With Dragons by August.

my biggest fear about this series is that GRRM dies without being able to complete the final book.
it would bother me if someone else ended up writing it like ive heard about the wheel of time series.
it kind of makes me not want to read that series just because of that.
im a little too much of a purist about some things....


Ive got to totally agree with rai, id really like to read a prequel type series.
I would even like to read this same series over again (in less detail) but from other points of view.
give us points of veiw from common people instead of lords and ladys.
Bronns point of view, Shae, Pod, Grendy, Maester Eamon...
i dont think it would warrent 7 books, but it would be a cool seperate approach to the story that is already there.

 

[soulsinging]

Your posts don't bother or annoy me, and you're correct in saying that your post was directed at someone who had not seen the previous thread that I had linked. I think that the OP of this thread has a right to know that you seem to have an axe to grind, and will take every opportunity to sharpen it. My evidence for saying that is this

Quite frankly, people whose opinions I trust a lot don't feel duped or hoodwinked or conned or whatever by GRRM. these would be people who have read IT and are avid fans of ASOIAF. I haven't read NoT, so I can't compare GRRM's process to Jordan's, but I'm 100% convinced that GRRM has been honest and above-board at every point in the process. The one place where i suspect a touch of "manipulation" is in regard to the completion announcement of ADWD. I think it's being timed to coincide with the HBO series. Since to actual publication date isn't being affected, i don't really care though.

I also don't understand why you wouldn't want to read ADWD, given that you say you enjoyed the first 3 books (or was it 4 as you mentioned in the other thread?). Would you rather hold onto your anger than read what will probably be a great book?

In any event, you're entitled to your opinion and entitled to voice them, just as I and others have a right to respond. The short version of my response is, your opinion isn't based on fact, and is only the minority opinion of very disgruntled former fans of ASOIAF. The OP has a right to know that.

I will read ADWD... if and when the series is finished. If you never read WoT you cannot possibly understand my skepticism. Suffice to say there are enough parallels between the two that my skepticism is warranted.

Also, I say again I have no grudge against GRRM and am not a "former fan." My anger is with myself, not GRRM and I never once claimed to have been hoodwinked by him. I simply swore I'd never start another unfinished series, but I let the praise and hype surrounding him get to me... thus my sense that it is good to have a critical voice in here to counteract that hype.

As to my opinion not being fact, everything in here that is not a list of publication dates is opinion, not fact. Your claim that he's going to pull it all together is opinion, not fact. I don't recall claiming anywhere that my thoughts on the series were an inarguable truth... please point it out to me if I have. I have an opinion based on conclusions I drew from facts.

But this IS a fact... more viewpoints were introduced in book 4 than the previous two combined. You can draw whatever conclusion you want from that, but anyone who has read WoT will understand why I find that FACT to be a very alarming one. Maybe he'll right the ship, maybe he won't. Maybe he'll die before finishing, maybe he won't. Neither of us has any idea. But I think it's worth letting people know that this series is currently nowhere near done and there's a distinct possibility that it will never be finished at the current rate. I'm not an embittered ex-fan that hates the series or GRRM... I'm just a regular fantasy reader that's kicking himself for letting the hype persuade him to begin another possibly never-ending series.

For the record, I refuse to read Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss for the same reason... not going any further in that series until he actually finishes it.

 

[The Imp]

I will read ADWD... if and when the series is finished. If you never read WoT you cannot possibly understand my skepticism. Suffice to say there are enough parallels between the two that my skepticism is warranted.

Also, I say again I have no grudge against GRRM and am not a "former fan." My anger is with myself, not GRRM and I never once claimed to have been hoodwinked by him. I simply swore I'd never start another unfinished series, but I let the praise and hype surrounding him get to me... thus my sense that it is good to have a critical voice in here to counteract that hype.

As to my opinion not being fact, everything in here that is not a list of publication dates is opinion, not fact. Your claim that he's going to pull it all together is opinion, not fact. I don't recall claiming anywhere that my thoughts on the series were an inarguable truth... please point it out to me if I have. I have an opinion based on conclusions I drew from facts.

But this IS a fact... more viewpoints were introduced in book 4 than the previous two combined. You can draw whatever conclusion you want from that, but anyone who has read WoT will understand why I find that FACT to be a very alarming one. Maybe he'll right the ship, maybe he won't. Maybe he'll die before finishing, maybe he won't. Neither of us has any idea. But I think it's worth letting people know that this series is currently nowhere near done and there's a distinct possibility that it will never be finished at the current rate. I'm not an embittered ex-fan that hates the series or GRRM... I'm just a regular fantasy reader that's kicking himself for letting the hype persuade him to begin another possibly never-ending series.

For the record, I refuse to read Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss for the same reason... not going any further in that series until he actually finishes it.

I empathize and sympathize because I too swore I'd never start another unfinished series. While waiting for the books is terrible, i'm not sorry I was convinced to start the series.

You say you never said you were "hoodwinked by GRRM, I'll once again quote you

I invest my energy because I'm angry that I got hoodwinked again by another juggernaut fantasy writer and want to warn others leery of the same folly

To me, being hoodwinked is the same as being defrauded or at best, misled. I suspect we'll have to agree to disagree on this, I'll continue to say that GRRM never intended to defraud or in any way mislead his readers, but it really doesn't matter. I love his books and I think he's the best writer that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I'll re-read all of ASOIAF again while i wait for book 6, and the same for 7.

 

[soulsinging]

I empathize and sympathize because I too swore I'd never start another unfinished series. While waiting for the books is terrible, i'm not sorry I was convinced to start the series.

You say you never said you were "hoodwinked by GRRM, I'll once again quote you

To me, being hoodwinked is the same as being defrauded or at best, misled. I suspect we'll have to agree to disagree on this, I'll continue to say that GRRM never intended to defraud or in any way mislead his readers, but it really doesn't matter. I love his books and I think he's the best writer that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I'll re-read all of ASOIAF again while i wait for book 6, and the same for 7.

No need to agree to disagree, because I don't think GRRM defrauded anyone. I used hoodwinked as a figure of speech, not a guess at his motives. It may have been a poor choice of words. I have never and will never suggest that GRRM is trying to defraud or bilk people. I think the AFFC afterwords is misleading, but only because he had the best of intentions and was far too optimistic about how long it would take to finish. I have never felt or claimed (other than the above poorly worded quote) that GRRM duped readers or is intentionally trying to deceive people... I don't know why you keep insisting that I must have some personal beef with him or believe he's trying to stick it to me. I simply think he's lost control of his work and is never going to be able to finish the series. I'm sure it's as frustrating for him as it is for readers and he'd love nothing more than to have the whole series wrapped up and on shelves tomorrow. He has my utmost sympathy and well wishes. I hope he pulls it off. I just don't think it seems likely at this point is all and people wondering if they should start reading ought to know that it never being finished is as likely a possibility as his "hopes" of turning out the last two in 2-year increments.

I couldn't care less how long he takes to write the series. I'm not bothered by his blogging or hunting or footballing or predicting or the amount of time he spends writing. I'm bothered by the sense that he backed himself into a corner and doesn't know how to get the series where it's supposed to be going, and will spend the rest of his life and countless pages in a vain attempt to do so. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but it's not an unreasonable concern, especially for anyone that read WoT.

 

[The Imp]

No need to agree to disagree, because I don't think GRRM defrauded anyone. I used hoodwinked as a figure of speech, not a guess at his motives. It may have been a poor choice of words. I have never and will never suggest that GRRM is trying to defraud or bilk people. I think the AFFC afterwords is misleading, but only because he had the best of intentions and was far too optimistic about how long it would take to finish. I have never felt or claimed (other than the above poorly worded quote) that GRRM duped readers or is intentionally trying to deceive people... I don't know why you keep insisting that I must have some personal beef with him or believe he's trying to stick it to me. I simply think he's lost control of his work and is never going to be able to finish the series. I'm sure it's as frustrating for him as it is for readers and he'd love nothing more than to have the whole series wrapped up and on shelves tomorrow. He has my utmost sympathy and well wishes. I hope he pulls it off. I just don't think it seems likely at this point is all and people wondering if they should start reading ought to know that it never being finished is as likely a possibility as his "hopes" of turning out the last two in 2-year increments.

I couldn't care less how long he takes to write the series. I'm not bothered by his blogging or hunting or footballing or predicting or the amount of time he spends writing. I'm bothered by the sense that he backed himself into a corner and doesn't know how to get the series where it's supposed to be going, and will spend the rest of his life and countless pages in a vain attempt to do so. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but it's not an unreasonable concern, especially for anyone that read WoT.

We're mostly in agreement then

I've heard GRRM say on at least two occassions that he knows exactly where the story is going, and the basic stops along the way. He's compared writing a series such as ASOIAF to a cross country car trip where you have the route mapped out, but there will be details along the way that you don't know- places to eat, side trips, where you might be staying, etc.

Rowling supposedly had index card with every major plot point in the entire HP series outlined. WHile i don't think GRRM could give that level of detail, I think he knows where the story is going. Maybe i'm wrong, maybe he's deluding himself, maybe, maybe, maybe. Everyone will have a much better idea of all of this after we read ADWD.

 

[viZion]

I simply think he's lost control of his work and is never going to be able to finish the series. I'm sure it's as frustrating for him as it is for readers and he'd love nothing more than to have the whole series wrapped up and on shelves tomorrow. He has my utmost sympathy and well wishes. I hope he pulls it off. I just don't think it seems likely at this point is all and people wondering if they should start reading ought to know that it never being finished is as likely a possibility as his "hopes" of turning out the last two in 2-year increments.

You're not the only one that feels this way and I probably said as much in that other thread Imp linked. I usually do. I know I've said before that I think ADWD will be the last book we ever see of the series. I haven't changed my mind about that. I mean, it is what it is, and I'll read ADWD on the day it comes out anyway. I guess I'll just hope there aren't too many cliffhangers... .

 

[Bazza]

You make a great point which hasn't been talked about much before. We always think of "The Knot" as being one sided, in that the problem was getting everyone to Mereen in a way that made sen in relation to other timeliens/plotlines. There very well may have been issues in getting Dany out of Mereen that won't even be apparent until we see the 6th book.

Yeah it's probably a mixture of the two, I always thought her destiny was to come to Westeros with dragons breathing fire onto the Others. But with her deciding to stay in Mereen to learn how to be a queen, how would she feel about abandoning her newfound people? Will she be queen of both continents?

@Soulsinging
We all understand your frustrations, we all share them. Some of us defend GRRM because if his books told us to jump off a bridge, we would to further the story. He's a literary genius and we forgive him for a lot because of that. 5-6 years is way too long between books and we hope he is able to finish the rest of the series, but none of that is in our control.

The wait isn't all bad though, the years in between books gave us plenty of time to re-examine his words, draw conclusions from countless clues, fish through red herrings, postulate theories, and ultimately debate on where it goes from here. I have to say, just because the series isn't finished shouldn't be a determent to picking up the series, I've never had so much fun sifting through his works picking up things I would have otherwise missed if I just plowed through the series as if it were all done.

 

[Werthead]

The full timeline is:

1991: GRRM starts writing A Game of Thrones. After writing roughly 10-15% of the book one of his pilot scripts, Doorways, is picked up. He heads off to Hollywood to work on this project.

1993: GRRM returns home and resumes work on the series, at this time estimated to be a trilogy consisting of A Game of Thrones, A Dance with Dragons and The Winds of Winter.

1994: GRRM sells the series to Bantam and HarperCollins in the US and UK.

1996: A Game of Thrones passes 1,200 pages in manuscript and is still nowhere near finished. GRRM and his publishers realise the book cannot be published in one volume, so they find a reasonable splitting point around 1,088 MS pages and decide this will be A Game of Thrones. GRRM decides there will be four books in the series. A Game of Thrones is published, though there is confusion over the split. Some reviews continue to claim it's a trilogy.

1998: The next part of the book also gets monstrously long, so GRRM pauses and writes an outline for the full series. He reluctantly realises that he will need two more novels to reach the end of what he originally had conceived for the first book by itself and two books for the final volume in the series, bringing the total to six. A Clash of Kings is published but GRRM has hundreds of pages already in hand for the next book.

2000: A Storm of Swords is published. GRRM starts writing the next book, A Dance with Dragons, on the basis that it will start five years after the events of ASoS.

2001: In September GRRM gives up on trying to make the post-five-year-gap ADWD work, citing an overreliance on flashbacks. He torches all of his work and starts a new book called A Feast for Crows.

2005: AFFC passes 1,600 pages. GRRM splits the book by location, publishing 1,100 pages as A Feast for Crows. He has roughly 500 MS pages left over for ADWD.

2007: Somewhere around this time - it's hard as GRRM was keeping quiet about the project around this time - it appears that there was a large structural shift in ADWD, with the book both planned to come in longer and also address more decisively many of the storylines left hanging from AFFC.

2011: ADWD reaches 1,600 pages, with GRRM already having moved 100-150 MS pages to Book 6, The Winds of Winter. In theory the book will come out in July 2011 as the longest, by far, book in the series.