Is the end of ASOIAF a little too obvious?

[TeamWhiteWalkerz]

Sorry, it may look like that in hindsight, but each of these characters would have done more if they lived. Ned would have joined Jon at the wall and fought the others. Robb would have retaken winterfell then marched south to kill Joffrey. Oberyn would have set his sights on Tywin.

If Stannis died at storms end and Renley marched on kl, would you say that Stan had to die in order for ren to fulfill his arc?

Each character is the hero of their own story, just like real life, and people die with things unsaid, promises unkept and goals not accomplished.

Give it another read and you'll see all kinds of meaningless deaths -- from their perspectives, not your own.

My perspective as a reader is more important than the character's perspective. To Catelyn, Robb's death was something horrible, evil, unneeded. To me, Robb's death was important to further her story. In the grand scheme of things, very few characters are truly important for their own stories. Most characters just serve to further those few's stories and are expendable. 

[Dolorous22]

I don't think the end is obvious at all. 

[Lord Wraith]

Was that original plan the same one with Jon fighting Tyrion for Arya's love?

Also Jaime killing everyone to be king also we still have very little idea of how much the lack of the 5 year skip changed the "original plans."

[John Suburbs]

My perspective as a reader is more important than the character's perspective. To Catelyn, Robb's death was something horrible, evil, unneeded. To me, Robb's death was important to further her story. In the grand scheme of things, very few characters are truly important for their own stories. Most characters just serve to further those few's stories and are expendable. 

To the characters on the page you do not exist, so your reasons for killing someone or not killing them have no bearing on their decision-making processes.

But you're not alone in thinking like that. Most people still apply these old rules to Martin, even though he's made it clear that he doesn't follow them. Watch this interview and you'll see what I'm talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulUBDu_97z8

So it doesn't matter who the character is or what they've done so far, if their time is up, they die. But by the same token, Martin doesn't kill characters just to surprise or confound readers. It has to happen naturally, with the killer and the victim arriving at the same place at the same time and with the killer having a clear motivation and control over the victim.

I think this is part of the reason many people get upset with the story and post comments like "why did we bother reading about them all this time if they are just going to die" and then give up because "the story doesn't make sense anymore."

I'm not trying to change your mindset or anything. Just that you may be setting yourself up for disappointment when, not if but when, a key character bites the dust and they still have important things to do.