What Would Cause You To Stop Reading The Series?

[Tyshrek_Lannister]

Nothing. But a few things I really don't want to see are: the Hound loses Cleganebowl, and screw you, it's happening, get hype, and another sellsword company from Essos. And something that's pretty much ruined it for me is, since the discovery of the tunnels under the Red Keep, now every time I think about an important conversation in there, all I see is Varys curled up below them eating some bread. And oh God, how his little birds must enjoy all that sex.

[Blazfemur]

Nothing. But a few things I really don't want to see are: the Hound loses Cleganebowl, and screw you, it's happening, get hype, and another sellsword company from Essos. And something that's pretty much ruined it for me is, since the discovery of the tunnels under the Red Keep, now every time I think about an important conversation in there, all I see is Varys curled up below them eating some bread. And oh God, how his little birds must enjoy all that sex.

that good dornish bread thats slightly harder but seasoned with olive oil that he loves. lying on his back, directly beneath your feet, staring up at you. chomping away in that condescending tone he loves to use

[Blazfemur]

Don't worry.

He would ride Viserion, not Rhaegal.

oh, well as long as thats cleared up. Rhaegal doesnt DESERVE to be ridden. he knows why

[Avlonnic]

I would be tempted to walk away if GRRM kills Ghost. It is possible that the Ides of Marsh conspirators have dispatched assassins to take out Ghost in chorus with the attack on Jon. When Jon reaches out for Ghost, the pain washes over him and all he feels is cold. (Ghost's pain?) Killing Ghost would be a shocking turn of events and painful beyond words for Jon. It could initiate "killing the boy" because Ghost is a part of Jon. I could see Jon rising in a red rage despite his wounds. Woe to the NW in that case. And it may free up Jon for a dragon. But I would HATE it. I prefer Jon retain his Stark/Ghost parts. (Of course, I think the cold Jon feels is likely to be Others but I would be less invested in a Ghost-less Jon story.)

[The Mother of The Others]

1. major league sports playoffs

a new relationship, or when an older acquaintance specifically tells me to put the book down.

lacking that ^, a new source of porn

chess, oddly enough. a seasonal love of chess

The Mentalist is back on CBS. His cheeky ways compete with Tyrion's. Also, Person of Interest.

making lists and checking them twice. (the opera of work drowns out the song of ice, until you're fired.)

decorating for the holidays

playing with my cat. sometimes he roosters loudly to let me know it's time to get my play on. this can make me put the book down.

cooking and/or eating puts a dent in how much attention I pay to the series. There's a Claim Jumper $5 pie sale this week, por ejemplo.

Commuting is a bad time to ASOIAF. So far books on tape aren't something I consider to be "sensual" because it's just the same bastard's voice droning on and on. (Not meant to specifically impune the ASOIAF audio books person, as I haven't even heard their work).

the need for sleep

These are the things that would and have stopped me from reading.

[Blazfemur]

1. major league sports playoffs

a new relationship, or when an older acquaintance specifically tells me to put the book down.

lacking that ^, a new source of porn

chess, oddly enough. a seasonal love of chess

The Mentalist is back on CBS. His cheeky ways compete with Tyrion's. Also, Person of Interest.

making lists and checking them twice. (the opera of work drowns out the song of ice, until you're fired.)

decorating for the holidays

playing with my cat. sometimes he roosters loudly to let me know it's time to get my play on. this can make me put the book down.

cooking and/or eating puts a dent in how much attention I pay to the series. There's a Claim Jumper $5 pie sale this week, por ejemplo.

Commuting is a bad time to ASOIAF. So far books on tape aren't something I consider to be "sensual" because it's just the same bastard's voice droning on and on. (Not meant to specifically impune the ASOIAF audio books person, as I haven't even heard their work).

the need for sleep

These are the things that would and have stopped me from reading.

porn definitely trumps asoiaf every time. grab yourself a nice bowl of porn and enjoy.

[MissMatchedEyes]

I honestly don't think anything would cause me to stop reading. I've made it this far, I'm going to see it through to the end. (Honestly, if the Ramsay/Jeyne/Reek scene didn't make me stop reading, nothing will.)

Amen.

[Griffin's Roost]

I will stop reading if Daario is Benjen

[OmnomnomPomelo]

Nothing.

[K-26dp]

Other than some catastrophe, I can't think of anything.

[Forever May]

the first is an incredibly vague phrase that may not even end up being a prophecy (it could just be poetic way of saying never) and even if it is could be fulfilled hundreds of other ways.

The entire prophecy has been fullfilled already, I believe. The seas going dry is the Dothraki sea, the grass dying. Done. The sun rising in the west and setting in the east, Quentyn dying. Done. The mountains blowing in the wind like leaves, the fall of the pyramids in Meereen to the dragons. Done. Her womb quickens, she has already miscarried. The child was alive before she miscarried, a living child. Done. And then as the last part of the prophecy was done, Drogon returns to her. Done.

TAnd IIRC there's absolutely no evidence that Aegon is alive or that Varys supported a secret Targaryen anywhere until Aegon shows up.

See my thread in the link below. Although it is shaky, it does seem to show that Varys was acting to fulfill a goal in which Dany and Viserys were not really very important.

http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/120570-theory-regarding-who-varys-serves-blackfyres/#entry6458627

He's taken almost 20 years to write everything he has up to this point, and it was originally planned as a trilogy. Neither of which seems to show him having a clear game plan from the beginning.

No. It was planned as a trilogy before he had completed Game of Thrones. By the time he got to the end of that book, he was thinking six book total for the series. He knew what he was doing before Game of Thrones got published. And the length of time has nothing to do with it. He will have notes on his com that detail what the plot line is. For the last 20 years, many of those notes will have remained the same.

He seems like a man good at improv shoved out onto a stage with a vague outline of a story to tell. But somebody slowed down all the clocks in the room as a prank and now the man is just rambling on trying to remember/tie up everything he's already said. Everyone is just too polite to mention that the show should have ended 3 weeks ago.

I don't think you fully appreciate how difficult writing a book like he is writing really is...

[ChillyPolly]

No. It was planned as a trilogy before he had completed Game of Thrones. By the time he got to the end of that book, he was thinking six book total for the series. He knew what he was doing before Game of Thrones got published

Well, aGoT was published as the first volume of a "trilogy". So either GRRM decided not to tell his publisher the truth, or his publisher decided not to tell the public the truth. But yes, GRRM has said that by the time he finished aGoT, he knew it was longer than a "trilogy".

After the publication of GoT GRRM began telling readers that it would be a 4-volume series. IIRC, he did not jump his estimation to six volumes until after the publication of Book 2.

[SnowHeart]

Any number of things : Brienne dying, any more secret targs, depressing rape/murder scenes, really cringy prophecy fulfilment moments, Jamie dying, Theon dying, chapters told from ghost-Jon's point of view...

Oh you meant permanently? Nothing.

[Avlonnic]

Any number of things : <snip>

Oh you meant permanently? Nothing.

Pretty much sums it up.

[Drth Fel]

Re. OP:

Battle of the Five Armies. Deployments. Stanley Cup playoffs. SPECTRE. Star Wars Episode VII. The Death Star. Ebola. ISIS. The Russian bear. The Chinese dragon. Red Dawn (not the remake!). A supernova...

[Ramsays Fleyed Lips]

Read all 8 pages. Read the books twice--no, listened to the books twice, reading with eyes for the 1st time--watched the show to date-daily check the web to sate whatever burning ASOIAF topic has me in thrall. Truth is all this whining, complaining, arguing, supposing and general weariness had me laughing out loud. He's got us. This is an amazing story with intriguing characters--who actually even cares about laws of succession--I was surprised. Everyone wants to know the end. This is fantastic story telling and even if I have to suffer the agony of 2 more books split like Feast and Dance I suppose I will, though I'm not looking forward to another decade of waiting wondering and worrying. I look forward to the rush of excitement when TWOW finally hits and the interesting unexpected and completely mind blowing end game theories that will emerge. It's a community not just a run of the mill story. Hats off to all of you.

[Ser Charles of Rosehaven]

porn definitely trumps asoiaf every time. grab yourself a nice bowl of porn and enjoy.

... Porn is discipline, Asoiaf is numbers

[ThunderG]

December 18, 2015, will cause a great many people to lose interest in ASoIaF. The Force definitely won't be with GRRM then...

The force is strong in this one ;-)

[Petyr's Little Finger]

Aerys + Joanna = Jaime and Cersei. Urgh just no.

[Liaraeyne]

Nothing would stop me, I suppose. The books are great, GRRM is a terrific writer and I'm too curious about how the story will continue.

...I say that now, but if the wait gets too long (like 2 years) I might just lose interest and move on to other things. Hard to imagine, I'm so obsessed now.