80 replies to this topic

[leafs43]

Just the pacing and all the plots that be needed to merged together and not to mention the growing threat of the others that has been so candidly avoided will need at least 1 more book than what is scheduled.


Think about it in this way.

Daenarys not only needs to solve the big debacle she is in, but she needs to hitch a ride to westeros (which I think will be the role of the fleet from the iron islands).  This will probably take a book by itself to resolve

Then she has to try and claim the throne.  Whether or not she dies is circumstantial.  But this will probably require a whole book itself again.  It will probably be called something like the war of dragons.


Then finally the threat of the others has to come to its conclusion, which will most likely be a book of its own as well.

Edited by leafs43, 06 May 2012 - 04:07 PM.

[Night Gathers]

I've had the feeling he'll need three books. I'm not that bothered actually, we'll get more material to work with and all the plots will most likely be solved within three books.
The only thing that is quite disappointing is the fact that it could take up to 10 years to write three books.

[LuisDantas]

Hard to tell.  Harder yet to tell whether it would be a good or a bad thing.

There are those who feel that Daenerys will never return to Westeros.  It is certainly not unconceivable that she decided to remain in Essos.

[Pellaeon]

Night gathers, on 06 May 2012 - 04:10 PM, said:

I've had the feeling he'll need three books. I'm not that bothered actually, we'll get more material to work with and all the plots will most likely be solved within three books.
The only thing that is quite disappointing is the fact that it could take up to 10 years to write three books.

With the TV series on air he has a deadline so it will probablyy take only 7 years to finish the books or he could get in trouble with the tv series

[NomadicDirewolf]

he's said he will write as many books as he needs, and two seems to be the number he thinks he needs, although i'm sure he did say something like two will be the definite number until it isnt or something like that, so it is still possible

[protar]

I to think we'll need three more books:

TWOW: Dany's journey to Westeros and War of the Remaining Kings.
ATFW (A time for wolves ofc!): Aegon Vs. Dany and Stark resurgence.
ADOS: The War for the Dawn.

If Martin keeps up a steady pace and releases a book every 2-3 years and hopefully keep pace with the TV show.

[leafs43]

protar, on 06 May 2012 - 04:21 PM, said:

I to think we'll need three more books:

TWOW: Dany's journey to Westeros and War of the Remaining Kings.
ATFW (A time for wolves ofc!): Aegon Vs. Dany and Stark resurgence.
ADOS: The War for the Dawn.

If Martin keeps up a steady pace and releases a book every 2-3 years and hopefully keep pace with the TV show.

Honestly I think GRRM doing the tv show is the best thing for the series.

Because now he can visualize how he sees the characters and he can have a vision on how he wants the story to progress.


One of the reasons why GRRM took so long for the 5th book was apparently he just didn't feel up to writing it.  But with the show, hopefully it will renew his interest and he will crank out the remaining books in a timely fashion.

[Sxxman]

I'm torn on this because on the one hand I do want him to complete the series with as little loose ends and plot holes as possible but at the same time I don't want the whole "I'll just add another book" to become his crutch and lessen the need to quicken the pace of future novels.  IMO the last two were excruciatingly slow for me.

Edited by Sxxman, 06 May 2012 - 04:58 PM.

[Prince of Dragonstone]

I'd rather wait it out and have three books and have a good, well developed ending to this wonderful series than to rush the man to condense everything into two books.

[Silver Spearwife]

I'm actually fairly impartial. If he finishes it in two books, so be it. If he finishes it in three books, so be it. Whatever he needs to get the story done properly, I'll support it.

[David C. Hunter]

Considering that GRRM I think said that the 6th book is twice as long as ADWD, I think it's safe to assume that GRRM is trying his damnest to finish this in two books, even if he has to make one 3,000 pages long

[Gaius Martell]

I have no problem with it taking three books, as long as he lives to get them all out.  I want to see the story finished.

[Ser Ragnar]

Pellaeon, on 06 May 2012 - 04:13 PM, said:

With the TV series on air he has a deadline so it will probablyy take only 7 years to finish the books or he could get in trouble with the tv series

Or the screen writers will simply create their own story after ADWD.

[Fearsome Fred]

As I see it, even an optimistic assessment of the hopes that GRRM will complete the series will have him finishing in AT LEAST eight books, if not more.

A satisfactory finish in 7 books is not theoretically impossible, but that would require a radical switch in GRRM's writing style and storytelling efficiency.  Such a radical change is about as unlikely, given GRRM's history, as the odds that he will suddently start cranking out one 1000-page volume every six months.

I consider GRRM finishing the series in 15 years to be "optimistic".  Any optimistic assessment requires him to do some combination of the following:  (a) start churning them out faster; and/or ( b ) provide more story per volume.

If GRRM finishes in 2 more volumes, that gives him a perfectly doable 7.5 years for each 1000 page volume.  But, given his history, I just cannot see GRRM providing enough plot-progress per volume to finish in 2 more books.  Perhaps another writer could do it, but not GRRM.

If GRRM finishes in 3 more volumes, that also requires him to radically (but less implausibly) improve his storytelling efficiency; and gives him 5 years to write each 1000 page volume.

If GRRM finishes in 4 more volumes, then I suspect he must still improve his storytelling efficiency.   But he must also churn out the volumes faster than he has been doing, giving him 3.75 years for each 1000 page volume.

Etc. etc. etc.

Of course, we can also redefine the above definition of "optimistic" by giving him 20, 25, 30 years, or more to complete the series.

Edited by Fearsome Fred, 06 May 2012 - 05:21 PM.

[Per128]

leafs43, on 06 May 2012 - 04:29 PM, said:

Honestly I think GRRM doing the tv show is the best thing for the series.

Because now he can visualize how he sees the characters and he can have a vision on how he wants the story to progress.

Ouch...

David C. Simmons, on 06 May 2012 - 05:09 PM, said:

Considering that GRRM I think said that the 6th book is twice as long as ADWD, I think it's safe to assume that GRRM is trying his damnest to finish this in two books, even if he has to make one 3,000 pages long

Could you please provide a source for that information, because I feel it's in violation of most kinds of common sense.

Anyway, there's been quite a lot of talk about this previously and I believe the common consensus is that he'll need 3 books to finish the tale. That said, since when did GRRM Martin's stories play out the way we expect them to? Knowing his twists, and if he paces it as densely as aSoS, he could very well wrap it up in one book.

I'll gladly wait however long it takes him if the writing is as good as in any of the first three books (the WoW preview texts are promising to the extreme in this regard)

[Fearsome Fred]

Per128, on 06 May 2012 - 05:37 PM, said:

Could you please provide a source for that information, because I feel it's in violation of most kinds of common sense.

I believe he is mistaken.  I believe he is referring to occasions where GRRM referred to his ambition to finish in 2 volumes, and also referred to 3000 (manuscript) pages.  1500 manuscript pages is about the length of a DANCE-sized volume; and is also about the maximum size that a publisher will publish.  So 3000 pages is the length of 2 more volumes, if both are the same length as DANCE.

It it interesting that his hopes for completion in 2 more volumes are based on the assumption that the last 2 volumes will be of maximum length (1500 pages).

[Jayaris]

Fearsome Fred, on 06 May 2012 - 05:21 PM, said:

Of course, we can also redefine the above definition of "optimistic" by giving him 20, 25, 30 years, or more to complete the series.

In 10 years George is going to be in his 70's, I don't think he has the greatest aerobic fitness either. I think you should be more concerned about the potential for health problems rather than how long you have to wait..

I hope he finishes it up in under 15 years..

[Fearsome Fred]

Jayaris, on 06 May 2012 - 06:07 PM, said:

I think you should be more concerned about the potential for health problems rather than how long you have to wait..

Why?  What do you expect me to do about his health?

Quote

I hope he finishes it up in under 15 years..

That's what I said.  I also hope he continues to live a long and healthy life thereafter.

[sagaz]

I don't see the need for three more. Really.
If he take a pace like in aGoT, but with a book twice it's size I can't see why he can't finish in two more books.

[The Third Reed]

Within 300/400 pages of TWOW, the plot should have catapulted us much further forward. Two will be enough.