A Song of Ice and Fire books

[KillerCarlson]

Personally i think its going to end up as 9 books and not 7.

 

[Sawyer]

That would be absolutely awful, since from what I've heard about 4 and 5 make me believe it should've been shorter than 7 books to begin with.

Plus, as many have pointed out, GRRM isn't exactly in his prime. Plus, that deal with HBO. If it got stretched to 9 books, the series would never get closure.

 

[Marvolo]

Personally i think its going to end up as 9 books and not 7.

First it was 3 books, then 4, then 5, then he jumped right over 6 to 7 books. Given this trend I am also expecting 9 books. He said in 2011 that character plots and conclusions that were supposed to be in ADWD got bumped to Winds Of Winter. He has already bumped things in WOW to book 7
(A Dream of Spring). This means book 7 is going to be gargantuan or things will need to be changed/reworked. This has been going on from the beginning. Game of Thrones was supposed to be 800 manuscript pages. It swelled to nearly double that and he decided he needed 4 books and he took the last third of GOT and put it in COK. So really GRRM hasn't developed an inability to control his story. It's been swelling since the beginning.

I just dont see this ending at book 7. He has also said "It is 7 books until I decide it isnt 7 books." So he is already entertaining the idea of more books.

This past week I went back and read AFFC, and the book is better than I remember. Even a book with some of the weakest stuff is still a good book, and I love this world he has created. So I'm not really sure where I stand on the number of books. My biggest concern is him not finishing it.

 

[KillerCarlson]

First it was 3 books, then 4, then 5, then he jumped right over 6 to 7 books. Given this trend I am also expecting 9 books. He said in 2011 that character plots and conclusions that were supposed to be in ADWD got bumped to Winds Of Winter. S he has already bumped things in WOW to book 7 ( A Dream of Spring). This means book 7 is going to be gargantuan or things will need to be changed reworked. I just dont see this ending at book 7. He has also said "It is 7 books until I decide it isnt 7 books." So he is already entertaining the idea of more books.

This past week I went back and read AFFC, and the book is better than I remember. Even a book with some of the weakest stuff is still a good book, and I love this world he has created. So I'm not really sure where I stand on the number of books. My biggest concern is him not finishing it.

Frankly, my reasoning is i think it's going to be at least another book for him to finish the story. So if your standing at 8 books. He might as well say screw it and make it 9 and have it be a group of 3 story arcs (1-3) (4-6) (7-9)

 

[CrypticOne]

Her storyline in book 5 is the reason it took him 6 years to write that book. That plus the other books is a lot of time to sink into a storyline to just have her not reach her goal. Not to mention the time I've spent reading her chapters. I'm gonna be pissed if she just gives up on her goal. And I want her to stick it to westeros in some way.

I agree, getting through her chapters was tough. I just wanted to go back to Westeros every time I was reading them.

But with everybody busy with each other and no one giving a care about the Others that are coming, I see some of Westeros just fleeing across the Narrow Sea than trying to fight. That place is about to be destroyed!

 

[Marvolo]

I agree, getting through her chapters was tough. I just wanted to go back to Westeros every time I was reading them.

But with everybody busy with each other and no one giving a care about the Others that are coming, I see some of Westeros just fleeing across the Narrow Sea than trying to fight. That place is about to be destroyed!

Everytime someone at King's Landing says" The North is protecting us from Grumpkins." and snidly laughs I want to punch them. Fools have no idea what is coming for them.

 

[jacobed]

Is A Feast of Crows worth it? I've heard so many terrible things about it.

 

[kedrell]

I agree, getting through her chapters was tough. I just wanted to go back to Westeros every time I was reading them.

But with everybody busy with each other and no one giving a care about the Others that are coming, I see some of Westeros just fleeing across the Narrow Sea than trying to fight. That place is about to be destroyed!

And who says the Narrow Sea will halt the Others? Last I checked, winters happened in Essos as well. Once the Others conquer Westeros it'd be only natural for them to continue over the whole world so long as winter lasts.

 

[kedrell]

Is A Feast of Crows worth it? I've heard so many terrible things about it.

I've read all the books released so far and as one who's interested in the series as a whole I don't regret reading any of them. I don't even really remember where one book ends and another begins. It just all sorta runs together in my mind(probably because I read them all back to back in a sort of marathon over the course of a month). So I can't really single out if one individual book was better than another. If you like the series then I'd say give it a read, especially since you don't have to wait for the very next book to continue on from where AFFC ends.

 

[CrypticOne]

I've read all the books released so far and as one who's interested in the series as a whole I don't regret reading any of them. I don't even really remember where one book ends and another begins. It just all sorta runs together in my mind(probably because I read them all back to back in a sort of marathon over the course of a month). So I can't really single out if one individual book was better than another. If you like the series then I'd say give it a read, especially since you don't have to wait for the very next book to continue on from where AFFC ends.

Yeah, I agree with this.

I think AFFC had to deal with the Lannisters/Greyjoys/Martells. I enjoyed the Greyjoy and Dorne chapters immensely. I don't know why people look down upon that book.

 

[ChickenScratch]

This argument about the number of books I find pretty interesting. I always thought it was a better ending to leave a lot of things on the cusp of happening and just end it. Think of how the first book ended with a lot in the air, or how it even started. It's didnt open clean, the first book didnt close clean. The ending will be either unsatisfactory, or leave us with an end point akin to when Robert took the throne, someone ends up in power, but the structure and the game for said claimed throne continues.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

I rather every POV character die than that happen. There needs to be some kind of resolution. The books didn't open "clean" but we learned about what happened before. It's not important anyway. The book started when it did because that's when the White Walkers returned.

 

[Marvolo]

Is A Feast of Crows worth it? I've heard so many terrible things about it.

Yes. Its a different type of book. Game of Thrones acts as a prologue and stage setter. Clash of Kings is the mechinations and strategy of war. Storm of Swords is the war and victory of sorts. A Feast for Crows is the fallout and aftermath of the war. Its the politics and starvation and unsteady ground that follows war. The realm is trying to stabilize and deal with probably the worst small council in the history of the realm. It starts out kind of slow but it gets going and starts showing hints of where Martin is ultimately taking things. And what happens to a particular character is very very satisfying. It also has a lot of character growth for

Spoiler

Jaime

There is quite a bit of history, and backstory in the book too. I felt like I knew the world better after reading AFFC. In many ways it feels like a prologue for the next stage of the story so it does need to be read.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

Also, a lot of hate is directed towards it because [blackout]there are no POV chapters for Tyrion, Jon, Dany, Bran, or Davos[/blackout]. So people got it, wanting to read those chapters, only to find they weren't there, and then had to wait another 7 years. Now that you can start ADWD immediately after AFFC, it's not a big deal.

 

[Marvolo]

Also, a lot of hate is directed towards it because [blackout]there are no POV chapters for Tyrion, Jon, Dany, Bran, or Davos[/blackout]. So people got it, wanting to read those chapters, only to find they weren't there, and then had to wait another 7 years. Now that you can start ADWD immediately after AFFC, it's not a big deal.

Yep. I would have had a much different outlook on the book if I had read it back when it was first published. Another thing that made it bad was in the back of the book in 05 GRRM said he devoutly hoped that ADWD would be out the following year and well that didnt exactly happen so people started to resent him for not delivering.

 

[Baramos]

A Feast for Crows is also comparatively light--it's about the same word count as Game of Thrones, 300,000, whereas A Storm of Swords or A Dance with Dragons are both around 420,000. The last time I read through the books Feast didn't take more than a few evenings.

 

[CrypticOne]

Does anyone know the identity....

Spoiler

....of the guy who killed Pate in the Prologue of AFFC?! And the masked girl who keeps showing up with Dany?

 

[Spidey-Bat]

Spoiler

The man who killed Pate is presumably Jaqen H'ghar since the description of the man he changed into matches that of the man who killed Pate.

The masked woman is Quaithe. Read more here (spoilers if you haven't finished ADWD).

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Quaithe

 

[CrypticOne]

Spoiler

The man who killed Pate is presumably Jaqen H'ghar since the description of the man he changed into matches that of the man who killed Pate.

The masked woman is Quaithe. Read more here (spoilers if you haven't finished ADWD).

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Quaithe

Spoiler

I always thought she was hiding her identity for some reason. Like she's a character we already know. I guess not. Probably reading too much into the book.

 

[Marvolo]

I thought this was interesting.

AGOT had 72 Chapters and a Prologue
ACOK had 69 Chapters and a Prologue
ASOS had 80 Chapters, a Prologue and an Epilogue
AFFC had 46 Chapters and a Prologue
ADWD had 71 Chapters, a Prologue and an Epilogue

I knew A Feast For Crows was shorter than the others, but it really shows in the chapter count.

 

[Baramos]

Spoiler

I always thought she was hiding her identity for some reason. Like she's a character we already know. I guess not. Probably reading too much into the book.

Spoiler

No, there are numerous theories that Quaithe might actually be someone from Westerosi history or the backstory of some of the characters. They are entirely conjecture, though, with basically no evidence. I have heard some people say she might be Shiera Seastar, for instance, but there's absolutely no evidence of that other than that we don't know what happened to Shiera Seastar and that both her and Quaithe have magical powers. It's entirely possible Quaithe is just Quaithe.

The "alchemist" who kills Pate and then takes on his identity is indeed Ja'qen H'Ghar, though, 100%.

 

[CrypticOne]

Spoiler

No, there are numerous theories that Quaithe might actually be someone from Westerosi history or the backstory of some of the characters. They are entirely conjecture, though, with basically no evidence. I have heard some people say she might be Shiera Seastar, for instance, but there's absolutely no evidence of that other than that we don't know what happened to Shiera Seastar and that both her and Quaithe have magical powers. It's entirely possible Quaithe is just Quaithe.

The "alchemist" who kills Pate and then takes on his identity is indeed Ja'qen H'Ghar, though, 100%.

Spoiler

So he takes Pate's identity, right?! I wonder what his endgame is? I hope nothing happens to Sam.

 

[ChickenScratch]

Get into the school with all the Maesters, learn all the old secrets that the Maesters themselves don't know how to use anymore.

 

[Buford The Sly]

He has already bumped things in WOW to book 7
(A Dream of Spring).

Where have you heard this? I've never heard that mentioned by him or anyone at Westeros.org.

 

[Buford The Sly]

Spoiler

So he takes Pate's identity, right?! I wonder what his endgame is? I hope nothing happens to Sam.

I'm pretty certain that [BLACKOUT]Pate-H'ghar[/BLACKOUT] is after the

Spoiler

Horn that Sam has. That's the only reason I've come up with why he was on his way to the wall and suddenly changed directions.