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Will GRR Martin finish the books?

Go_Ly_Dow

Go_Ly_Dow

Member


I found this to be a fair criticism of his work.

Essentially that he's in a moral conundrum and can't bring himself to take a moral stance on good and evil or make someone a hero. As you may see in other fantasy, such Lord of the Rings
 
As evidenced by the show's final seasons, the endpoint of the story may exist, but a reasonable way of getting there hasn't been demonstrated yet. And GRRM has way more detail to work through than the show did.

Funny how he had time to contribute to Elden Ring and other projects this past decade, though.
 
Go_Ly_Dow said:


I found this to be a fair criticism of his work.

Essentially that he's in a moral conundrum and can't bring himself to take a moral stance on good and evil or make someone a hero. As you may see in other fantasy, such Lord of the Rings
Click to expand...


No.

Winds is no longer his top priority, that is if its even a priority at all.

In 2015 he told his publishers he was pretty much finished and would have the completed manuscript handed in by October that year.

11 years later and it's still not finished.

Even if a miracle happens and he finishes Winds, the last book (Dream of Spring) is 100% not happening. Not by his hand anyway.

George has given up. Lost interest. Probably quit the book years ago and is just stringing fans along.

It could have been contender for the greatest fantasy series of all time. Instead it'll forever be known as an unfinished masterpiece by the King of procrastination.
 
No. He doesn't want to. I think a lot of his fans don't really care anymore, either. I'm not even sure his flavor of cynicism is even popular anymore. I think the series will be judged quite harshly by history. It's a product of the era of deconstruction and subverting expectations, which (I hope at least) is finally coming to an end.
 
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It's literally impossible at this point. He's 77 years old and he's severely obese. I'm not knocking the man but those are the facts. Even finishing Winds of Winter will be a stretch.


And even if he was super fit and in perfect cognitive and physical shape, imagine starting the final novel of a sprawling, elaborate, layered, super complex book series in yours 80s.


It's just not happening. The series will never be finished.
 
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I bet if he finishes the book it all goes away. The fame the trips the celebrity will fall away. People will move on to the next thing. So release it on your death bed.
 
I just hope one of his little lackey people is secretly squirreling away all the drafts and fragments so after his death some Chris Tolkien type hero can sort through it and at least give us whats been done, even if there are multiple versions. GRRM has (had?) such a keen eye for dialogue and unexpected outcomes that even the scraps probably have entertainment value, though I think there are actually entire books worth of novel material written, he just can't wrap it all up in a way he's happy with or able to commit to.
 
At this point I think most people have come to the conclusion that he is never going to complete A Song of Ice and Fire.
We'll be lucky if he finishes the Winds of Winter. But he doesn't seem to keen on that, as he takes more and more side projects.
 
Jl4HmIi8HWealu49.png


Nope.
 
Then he should just hand it off to a ghost writer like he does the History books. Have a few weekends talking about plot and characters, let the ghost writer get the words out, then have another couple of weekends going through it to punch up the dialogue and keep the pace snappy.
 
Trapped in a prison of his own making. He would be free if he simply came out and said that he's no longer working on the series and he won't be handing it over to anyone else either. Yes, people will be annoyed, but it's not his concern.
 
Banjo64 said:
Trapped in a prison of his own making. He would be free if he simply came out and said that he's no longer working on the series and he won't be handing it over to anyone else either. Yes, people will be annoyed, but it's not his concern.
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I'd imagine the stress from all of that is taking a heavy toll.
 
jason10mm said:
Then he should just hand it off to a ghost writer like he does the History books. Have a few weekends talking about plot and characters, let the ghost writer get the words out, then have another couple of weekends going through it to punch up the dialogue and keep the pace snappy.
Click to expand...

That will never happen.

Article:
I ask Martin if he's ever considered simply giving up on the book. It's your life, George, I say. You don't have to spend it working on something if you find it torturous.

"I would hate that," Martin says. "It would feel like a total failure to me. I want to finish."

Handing the project to another writer — which some fans have lobbied for him to do — isn't going to happen, Martin says. There is also no secret contingency plan for somebody else to take over if Martin gets struck by lightning. "If that happens, my work won't be finished," he says. "It'll be like The Mystery of Edwin Drood" — referring to Charles Dickens' unfinished final novel.
 
kruis said:
That will never happen.

Article:
I ask Martin if he's ever considered simply giving up on the book. It's your life, George, I say. You don't have to spend it working on something if you find it torturous.

"I would hate that," Martin says. "It would feel like a total failure to me. I want to finish."

Handing the project to another writer — which some fans have lobbied for him to do — isn't going to happen, Martin says. There is also no secret contingency plan for somebody else to take over if Martin gets struck by lightning. "If that happens, my work won't be finished," he says. "It'll be like The Mystery of Edwin Drood" — referring to Charles Dickens' unfinished final novel.
Click to expand...
Well, like I say in every thread about this....once he is dead SOMEONE is gonna do it, the $$$ will simply be too much to ignore. He has no kids, his wife is as old as he is, so this is likely to be sorted in the next 5-10 years no matter what. Whomever he sets as his estate is gonna do it, folks are gonna use AI to make a dozen fakes anyway. That's why I hope his collaborators are secreting away the pages in case he does decide to burn them all.

I'm assuming he's gonna leave his estate to a charity type purpose, and dropping those last books are gonna be the main way to fund it, as I suspect the ASOIAF well will dry up otherwise. HBO can only do so much with the spin-offs and I strongly suspect any of them without a very close GRRM connection are gonna tank as few today really grok what he's writing to imitate it.
 
I don't think he will ever finish the books.

I became aware of his series through the show, and completely lost interest by the season finale.

He wasted a golden opportunity to complete the books during the peak of GoT's popularity.
 
No. And it's not only a motivation issue, it's a skill issue.

Also, Dickens is not remembered as the guy who didn't finish The Mystery of Edwin Drood; Martin will absolutely be remembered as the guy who didn't finish ASOIAF. The only thing he's done that anyone cares about he didn't finish. That will be his legacy.
 
calico said:
No. And it's not only a motivation issue, it's a skill issue.

Also, Dickens is not remembered as the guy who didn't finish The Mystery of Edwin Drood; Martin will absolutely be remembered as the guy who didn't finish ASOIAF. The only thing he's done that anyone cares about he didn't finish. That will be his legacy.
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This is a sad legacy because he HAS done a lot of other pretty great things. I'm still shocked on the daily that some are not adapted. Though I guess Nightflyers was a pretty mixed to negative bag so maybe it's harder than I think.
 
Lol no.
Best you can hope for is that the rights eventually go to someone who takes a "fuck it, just give me money" approach (sort of like LOTR these days) and they get someone else to finish the books.
 
I started the books a few years after A Storm of Swords in 2004. I got to read those first three back-to-back-to-back. What a whirlwind that was. Amazing.

Then I read book 4. Ophff. That was a bit of a let down. I pushed myself to finish it, but it felt like the series had passed me by. I never bothered reading Dance With Dragons. I also only watched the first season of the show.
 
Dunno if he's directly addressed this previously but he's confirmed in this interview that he's still writing Jon's chapters, so the resurrection we all knew was going to happen is definitely going to happen.

I know this was in the show.
 
There's nothing to finish. There is no main character and no main plot. It's a TV show in book form written by a TV writer. I loved it when I was an edgy teen, but now I realize it's kind of a pointless slog of a story and I don't care about anyone left alive.

When you kill off all the hopeful or righteous characters and only have miserable assholes left, don't be surprised that people lose interest.
 
EviLore said:
Jl4HmIi8HWealu49.png


Nope.
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That pretty much confirms he's lost interest in the main series.

He is still interested in ASOIAF to the extent of helping HBO build their cinematic universe, but doesn't have the drive to finish Winds.

kruis said:
That will never happen.

Article:
I ask Martin if he's ever considered simply giving up on the book. It's your life, George, I say. You don't have to spend it working on something if you find it torturous.

"I would hate that," Martin says. "It would feel like a total failure to me. I want to finish."

Handing the project to another writer — which some fans have lobbied for him to do — isn't going to happen, Martin says. There is also no secret contingency plan for somebody else to take over if Martin gets struck by lightning. "If that happens, my work won't be finished," he says. "It'll be like The Mystery of Edwin Drood" — referring to Charles Dickens' unfinished final novel.
Click to expand...

I've never bought into that. That was a while ago he made these comments, probably when he thought he'd finish Winds and Dream by now.

He's talked about his legacy in the past. How he's worried what legacy he'll leave behind. Going out and refusing anyone to finish his books would forever tarnish his legacy, but letting another author finish it would give him the legacy he craves.

Look at wheel of time. Brandon Sanderson finished it, but everyone credits it as Robert Jordan's masterpiece. Same here. If another author finished it then it'll always be Martin's magnum opus.

Would the publishers even agree to this? Surly he must have some contract in place? Clealry a loose one that gave him unlimited time to finish, but they must have put a contingency plan in place.

Also, the Dickens book he is referring to was a one off novel. Not part of an almost finished series. Not comparable.
 
calico said:
No. And it's not only a motivation issue, it's a skill issue.

Also, Dickens is not remembered as the guy who didn't finish The Mystery of Edwin Drood; Martin will absolutely be remembered as the guy who didn't finish ASOIAF. The only thing he's done that anyone cares about he didn't finish. That will be his legacy.
Click to expand...

....nah.

Miura never finished berserk.

He and it are still going to be well revered for generations.

Something isn't beautiful because it lasts, or ends. Its beautiful because it was made to happen. And for anyone who picked up those books and felt something or was inspired to write themselves, or create their own worlds or characters, that is enough.
 
Toons said:
Something isn't beautiful because it lasts, or ends. Its beautiful because it was made to happen. And for anyone who picked up those books and felt something or was inspired to write themselves, or create their own worlds or characters, that is enough.
Click to expand...
But half of ASOIAF wasn't made to happen. He told half a story then stopped. Its future relevance will be a tiny fraction of what it could have been if finished.
 
Go_Ly_Dow said:


I found this to be a fair criticism of his work.

Essentially that he's in a moral conundrum and can't bring himself to take a moral stance on good and evil or make someone a hero. As you may see in other fantasy, such Lord of the Rings
Click to expand...

He is an extreme procrastinator and overall a lazy guy. There is no need to make it more complicated. He got tangled in all sort of projects and cons when the saga took off and just doesn't want to finish it anymore. His right, but people have a right to judge him for that as well.
 
analog_future said:
It's literally impossible at this point. He's 77 years old and he's severely obese. I'm not knocking the man but those are the facts. Even finishing Winds of Winter will be a stretch.


And even if he was super fit and in perfect cognitive and physical shape, imagine starting the final novel of a sprawling, elaborate, layered, super complex book series in yours 80s.


It's just not happening. The series will never be finished.
Click to expand...
jason10mm said:
Then he should just hand it off to a ghost writer like he does the History books. Have a few weekends talking about plot and characters, let the ghost writer get the words out, then have another couple of weekends going through it to punch up the dialogue and keep the pace snappy.
Click to expand...

I am waiting for him to die so that hopefully a successor might finish these books. I don't give a fuck about the show and have/will never watch it, and as far as I'm concerned he owes it to the fans to give them a closure; be it him or someone else. Don't care about IP either.
 
IDKFA said:
I've never bought into that. That was a while ago he made these comments, probably when he thought he'd finish Winds and Dream by now.

He's talked about his legacy in the past. How he's worried what legacy he'll leave behind. Going out and refusing anyone to finish his books would forever tarnish his legacy, but letting another author finish it would give him the legacy he craves.
Click to expand...

That GRRM quote came from an interview published just a few days ago, so no, GRMM absolutely hasn't changed his mind about using a ghost writer to finish his magnum opus.
 
kruis said:
That GRRM quote came from an interview published just a few days ago, so no, GRMM absolutely hasn't changed his mind about using a ghost writer to finish his magnum opus.
Click to expand...

Wow.

I'll be honest. That is a selfish decision and a smack in the face to everyone who has invested time and money into the series.

If I were George at his age, I'd already have a plan in place for my masterpiece to be finished by another author in the event of my death. I wouldn't want to let down my fans who I've promised will get an ending to the books.
 
I think so Yes. But he won't ever cut corners and prefer to die than make something bad, but I have faith he will complete them.
I have an active bet with a redditor(lol) and the sum is our one months salary.
 
Sand Dan Glokta said:
I am waiting for him to die so that hopefully a successor might finish these books. I don't give a fuck about the show and have/will never watch it, and as far as I'm concerned he owes it to the fans to give them a closure; be it him or someone else. Don't care about IP either.
Click to expand...
Even if it isn't in novel form, and I'm not sure another writer can twist a phrase near so well as GRRM, AT LEAST put out a "History of the Last Targaryens" type book similar to the other ones that wraps up the events, includes such snippets as can be pulled out from whatever he has written, and give us some narrative closure. Then they can mine the world as much as they want around the books. As it stands, the TV show endings are not really compatible with the books, IMHO, to clearly draw the line to Bran becoming king.
 
Absolutely not. We've known this for years. Evillore's post including that quote has Martin all but say outright he won't.

Also, where is the poll? Who makes a topic like this and doesn't include a poll? (We need to see that overwhelming majority for 'no')
 
jason10mm said:
Even if it isn't in novel form, and I'm not sure another writer can twist a phrase near so well as GRRM, AT LEAST put out a "History of the Last Targaryens" type book similar to the other ones that wraps up the events, includes such snippets as can be pulled out from whatever he has written, and give us some narrative closure. Then they can mine the world as much as they want around the books. As it stands, the TV show endings are not really compatible with the books, IMHO, to clearly draw the line to Bran becoming king.
Click to expand...
About a decade ago I thought Patrick Rothfuss would be a good fit to finishh the series, but he's even a bigger cunt than GRRM with same issues.
 
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