When is 'The World Of Ice and Fire' coming out?

[J. Stargaryen]

Yes, it won't be out this year... but that's because it's becoming rather cooler. More pages, more new history and details, more art. Like the story of the fall of the Tarbecks and the Reynes, the surprising person from whom the Lannisters are descended, more history of the Vale and the arrival of the Andals, and a good deal more. We're working quick as we can, but there's also more art to commission and that means it'd be safest to aim for next year.

:idea:

How about a sample chapter to be released around Xmas time?

[The hairy bear]

It's a pitty that the book has been delayed, but probably is for the best. The later it comes out, the more background details from The Winds of Winter it will be able to include, I guess. As somebody said upthread, those kind of books woul ideally come after the whole series are finished.

I've been compilling all the new information that's been confirmed (by GRRM or Ran) to appear in the book:

• Some "legends" of Westeros (including tales of giants and the CotF seen in the sample pages)
  
• Ancient history of the Vale and the arrival of the Andals.
  
• The reasons behind the exile of the Manderlys, and the name of their former seat.
  
• Information about the "many interesting kings and lords running around in the North, back in the day", including material about the ancient Bolton kings.
  
• The full tale of the conquest (that GRRM read in the worldcon)
  
• Details of who the first kingsguard were, and why they were selected. Perhaps, the pages of the White Book corresponding to some distinguished members will appear.
  
• The tale of the Faith Militant uprising (included in the sample pages)
  
• A lengthy account of the Dance With Dragons. Part of the story evolved in the novella "The Princess and the Queen" that will be included into the Dangerous Women anthology.
  
• A good deal of the story of "The Vulture King"
  
• An amazing amount of detail of the future lives of Dunk and Egg, but written in a devious way as to avoid spoilers for future novellas.
  
• A description of the events in Summerhall covered with ink blots to prevent spoilers, but that'll show tantalizing hints.
  
• The story of the fall of the Tarbecks and the Reynes.
  
• A number of complete family trees spanning the last 300 years, including at least Targaryen and Stark.
  
• The revelation of who was Ned's mother, who belonged to a house that has appeared in the novels.
  
• The revelation of a surprising ancestor of the current generation of Lannisters (that should be the identity of Tytos's wife, or Joanna's mother, I guess).
  
• Information (but not a lot) of some significant historical Daynes.
  
• Brief information about some of the new Essos locations that appeared in LoIaF.
  
• A map depicting Valyria before the Doom.
  
• Some new houses, some new heraldry, some new Valyrian steel swords. No new mottos.
  
• The debunkal, with "a few words", of a theory that Ran didn't particularly like. (#Glee)
  

Sounds great! I also support the idea of you giving us some more samples to make the additional waiting year more bearable!

Edit To Update (17 May 2013)

[lojzelote]

I will cry. :frown5:

It may be just my personal preference, but while I really want to learn more about Stark and Targaryen history, the Andals, the vanilla majority of Westeros, don't really spark any interest within me. I suppose it has to do with the fact that I don't overly care about Andal families in the actual series. (The Martells are great, but they're half Rhoynar anyway, so ...)

Damn, I hope GRRM will at least spoil the name of Ned's mother at some point.

[Calibandar]

Massively, massively disappointing decision from every angle.

This book just keeps getting pushed back and back and back......just like a regular ASOIAF book.

A whole year is an especially big blow. Heck just a few months I was reasurring someone in this very thread that yes, November 2013 was indeed far away, but at least we finally had a date.

I very much wish they'd have just gone for what they had now, from all we know that seemed extremely worthwhile already, and much anticipated. For myself I really wouldn't have wanted any more material if it means another year's delay. I was really hoping this and the Dangerous Women anthology would give us some fresh ASOIAF material in one more year year without a new book. It just seems this series is cursed with delays in a uniquely bad way. Just set a date and work towards it already, stop adding and delaying.

[HouseLark]

Yes and no. Obviously it could coallate a lot more information, including stuff that right now GRRM's witholding because it might be spoilery. However, the problems with that are 1) having to wait years for it, and 2) right now interest in ASoIaF/GoT is very high, possibly even close to peaking, and this volume will sell more now (well, within the next few years). Once a series is finished, completed and done, long-term interest in it will gradually decline. It's been interesting watching furiously active WoT forums starting to wind down down the series is done.

I agree. I saw much the same with Star Wars watching the fall off in activity after the prequels were completed. ASoIaF/GoT seem so massive right now that it's hard to imagine they ever won't have huge interest but the end will come. WoT is a good example; many still have hopes that it will have a life after Rand's story but there's no real fervour for Mat's further adventures or whatever. I also had the same experience after finishing His Dark Materials, once I was done I was hungry for more of Pullman's world but now I've lost interest in the long-delayed Book of Dust.

So yeah, get these "appendix" books out now while the interest is still there. I guarantee I'll be buying World of Ice and Fire but I can't say I would after the series is over.

I should say that the publishers have done the right thing in making this an aesthetically pleasing book. Without wishing to seem superficial, I want these types of books to look good on the shelf or on the table. The HBO Inside GoT book was a great example of how to present a book of this sort.

[Lordwalker28]

This is some sad news. It feels like I have been waiting for this book for years......

Is there anything ASOIAF related coming out this year? New Dunk and Egg?

[Mr.Blonde]

• The debunkal, with "a few words", of a theory that Ran didn't particularly like. (#Glee)
  

Guess Syrio is not a Faceless Man after all. :closedeyes:

[Werthead]

Is there anything ASOIAF related coming out this year? New Dunk and Egg?

The only thing coming out now is The Wit and Wisdom of Tyrion, which I suspect is aimed much more at the casual, TV-watching crowd. Nothing of interest to the hardcore fans, I think.

Just set a date and work towards it already, stop adding and delaying.

I do recall that earlier publication dates were missed partially because of late delivery of artwork. It is possible that something similar has happened again and they decided to do a delay to 100% ensure they have everything done way ahead of publication, and can also expand the book somewhat with new material (from the writers and more reliable artists) in the meantime to make up for the delay.

[Cubicz]

Yes and no. Obviously it could coallate a lot more information, including stuff that right now GRRM's witholding because it might be spoilery. However, the problems with that are 1) having to wait years for it, and 2) right now interest in ASoIaF/GoT is very high, possibly even close to peaking, and this volume will sell more now (well, within the next few years). Once a series is finished, completed and done, long-term interest in it will gradually decline. It's been interesting watching furiously active WoT forums starting to wind down down the series is done.

1) The inner kid in me wants it NOW NOW NOW!! But I've waited this long, I don't mind waiting a little longer if I have to.

2) Although it's a (very) tired argument, I'd take Winds of Winter coming out sooner and ADoS first before this. And yes, perhaps it will sell more now than afterwards, but if this book is taking months out of GRRM's time, I'd prefer the HBO show NOT pass the books with David and Dan spoiling the series. If lower sales is a concern, once everyone knows who sits the iron throne from the TV series, you can imagine book 6 and 7 would ultimately be the ones that have the lower sales. What's more important? Will 6 months make a difference? No. But every bit counts.

Hopefully, we can have a volume 2 or an appendix to fill in some of the knowledge gaps. :)

[Cubicz]

Guess Syrio is not a Faceless Man after all. :closedeyes:

Must be something further back in the history.

Perhaps Rickard Stark's wife being a Skagosi? Summerhall conspiracy? Doom of Valyria cause by faceless men?

[Bushido]

In the words of the show Lady Olenna, we are delay swallowers through and through!

I guess I am a proper asoiaf fan now. Sigh. This is a blow... (by gods if they push back ADwD paperback, I will not answer for my actions)

Is there any positive news surrounding the anthology? Would it fall under the same Christmas-bound sales notions? 2014 as well?

Ran, would this affect TWoW release? (As in would it mean 2015 + for its release)

[Don Roberto]

And yes, perhaps it will sell more now than afterwards, but if this book is taking months out of GRRM's time, I'd prefer the HBO show NOT pass the books with David and Dan spoiling the series.

I think this is something we all have to make our peace with. Even without the World of Ice and Fire, and considering there would be no more story knots and books growing out of proportion and the like, George has said he can deliver about 500 pages of manuscript in a good year, which would mean a 2015 release of Winds, at the earliest. Then another 3-4 years for Dream, making it a 2019 release, optimistically-speaking.

Unless the HBO show deliberately slow down its pace, which is very unlikely, they should cover the remaining two-and-a-half books in the span of 3 seasons, airing the end of Dance in 2016. If by then Winter has already been released, and let's say it's a massive book that needs to be cut in two seasons, that'd be 2017 and 2018. With Dream coming out 2019 at the earliest (most likely later), by then either the show stops until the books catch up, start shooting fillers until the books catch up (though there's only so much Dunk and Egg stories), or, most likely, spoil us the ending. It's going to happen, wether World gets pushed back a year or not.

[Lordwalker28]

Wert,

What about that "Dangerous Women" anthology? Wasn't that coming out this year with a new historical ASOIAF novella?

[Winterz]

It's a pitty that the book has been delayed, but probably is for the best. The later it comes out, the more background details from The Winds of Winter it will be able to include, I guess. As somebody said upthread, those kind of books woul ideally come after the whole series are finished.

I've been compilling all the new information that's been confirmed (by GRRM or Ran) to appear in the book:

• Some "legends" of Westeros (including tales of giants and the CotF seen in the sample pages)
  
• Ancient history of the Vale and the arrival of the Andals.
  
• The reasons behind the exile of the Manderlys, and the name of their former seat.
  
• The full tale of the conquest (that GRRM read in the worldcon)
  
• Details of who the first kingsguard were, and why they were selected. Perhaps, the pages of the White Book corresponding to some distinguished members will appear.
  
• The tale of the Faith Militant uprising (included in the sample pages)
  
• A lengthy account of the Dance With Dragons. Part of the story evolved in the novella "The Princess and the Queen" that will be included into the Dangerous Women anthology.
  
• A good deal of the story of "The Vulture King"
  
• An amazing amount of detail of the future lives of Dunk and Egg, but written in a devious way as to avoid spoilers for future novellas.
  
• A description of the events in Summerhall covered with ink blots to prevent spoilers, but that'll show tantalizing hints.
  
• The story of the fall of the Tarbecks and the Reynes.
  
• A number of complete family trees spanning the last 300 years, including at least Targaryen and Stark.
  
• The revelation of who was Ned's mother, who belonged to a house that has appeared in the novels.
  
• The revelation of a surprising ancestor of the current generation of Lannisters (that should be the identity of Tytos's wife, or Joanna's mother, I guess).
  
• Information (but not a lot) of some significant historical Daynes.
  
• Brief information about some of the new Essos locations that appeared in LoIaF.
  
• A map depicting Valyria before the Doom.
  
• The debunkal, with "a few words", of a theory that Ran didn't particularly like. (#Glee)
  

Sounds great! I also support the idea of you giving us some more samples to make the additional waiting year more bearable!

Oh the contents look great. Also, great work with the compilation of it, hairy bear!

[Ser Creighton]

If it turns out that Cersei and Jaime are both actually half-Targaryen, I will be mightily disappointed.

Ran said who the Lannisters were descendant from, unless that's the current edition of the Lannisters I would assume it is before the Targs. Lannisters been around a long time before the Targs showed up. But that's just a guess and I know he is not going to answer the question.

I would like to know what theory it was that Ran disliked? Anyone got a clue. I know he is a Dawn as Lightbringer fan. At least I hope I didn't imagine that. Could it be the Nights watch is Lightbringer? Cause that theory just bugs me.

[Werthead]

What about that "Dangerous Women" anthology? Wasn't that coming out this year with a new historical ASOIAF novella?

I must admit I thought it was going to be an early 2014 release, but it's currently scheduled for December, so yes, we will get at least a bit of new ASoIaF material this year.

[Lord Godric]

Ugh, that fact that this got pushed back again is frustrating. As is the fact that we're not getting the expected D&E story, and TWoW is god knows how far away. I don't want to sound like one of *those* fans, but it does get tiring after a while to be expecting things and not getting them.

[Ran]

The book has never previously had a publication date, so I'm not sure how it has been pushed back "again", exactly. I think there was an erroneous listing of a publication date in 2012, but that wasn't a real target date. This year was, and yes it's been pushed, but this is really the first time it has been pushed.

[sifth]

Ugh, that fact that this got pushed back again is frustrating. As is the fact that we're not getting the expected D&E story, and TWoW is god knows how far away. I don't want to sound like one of *those* fans, but it does get tiring after a while to be expecting things and not getting them.

I'm more pissed that we don't even have soft cover copy of DwD yet. I mean it's been nearly two years and I've heard all of the excuses for why it keeps getting pushed back, but franky at this point it's rather ridiculous. I think it was pushed back a total of 4 times now

[Ran]

There's no excuse really, and both the editor and GRRM have been up front when asked: the hardcover of ADwD is still selling very well for Bantam and the retailers (it's still on the NYT bestseller list, 71 weeks in total), and they won't release a mass market paperback until that's no longer the case.