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Definitely don't stop with books 1. Books 2 and 3 are even better. The quality falls off a bit (though still good) in 4 and 5. But 2 and 3 are some of the best fantasy writting every penned.
I actually found large sections of Book 2 to be a bit of a slog. Still worth reading. But of the first three books, Book 2 is definitely the weakest. It could have easily been 20% shorter.
I actually found large sections of Book 2 to be a bit of a slog. Still worth reading. But of the first three books, Book 2 is definitely the weakest. It could have easily been 20% shorter.
I don't agree personally, but each to their own. Storm of Swords (book 3) is certainly almost universally looked at as the best in the series. I looked up the Goodreads ratings and for what it's worth, all with hundreds of thousands of reviews the order of preference there is:
Storm of Swords (book 3) - 4.54 avg rating
Game of Thrones (book 1) - 4.44 avg rating
Clash of Kings (book 2) - 4.39 avg rating (pretty close to book 1 there)
Dance with Dragons (book 5) - 4.29 avg rating
A Feast for Crows (book 4) - 4.08 avg rating (which I would say is still too high for this one ... )
If you really think Martin is ever going to actually finish writing the series, I admire your optimism.
I have been saying this for some time now. I love GRRM's vision for this epic tale, but I just don't think that he has the discipline to finish it. HBO has provided him a vehicle to complete the story and provide some edits to the original story line along the way. Meanwhile, he's become relatively wealthy, moved to Santa Fe (a town that I'm familiar with), and started some side projects there like restoring an old theatre that have made him a local hero. Enjoy the series because I think that's all we're going to get...
I have been saying this for some time now. I love GRRM's vision for this epic tale, but I just don't think that he has the discipline to finish it. HBO has provided him a vehicle to complete the story and provide some edits to the original story line along the way. Meanwhile, he's become relatively wealthy, moved to Santa Fe (a town that I'm familiar with), and started some side projects there like restoring an old theatre that have made him a local hero. Enjoy the series because I think that's all we're going to get...
I don't think it's just discipline. His original outline was to write the first 3 books, then skip ahead 5-ish years and pick the story up. When he decided to write that intermediate period, starting with the 4th book, is where the problem started. Then that book became such a bear and a giant that he made the fateful decision to stupidly divide it, and it compounded the issue.
At that point he had written himself into tangles and knots that he just I think has struggled to find the heart to effectively write out of. It's like that killed his spirit, and then when you add it to the immense wealth he has now ammassed, and the alternate but similar story that will be completed by HBO and I think he just doesn't have the motivation to want to finish the mess that it became.
That having been said, I disagree with y'all's conclusion. I think we will get his next book by the end of the year, and the final book probably 4 to 5-ish years thereafter.
I don't agree personally, but each to their own. Storm of Swords (book 3) is certainly almost universally looked at as the best in the series. I looked up the Goodreads ratings and for what it's worth, all with hundreds of thousands of reviews the order of preference there is:
Storm of Swords (book 3) - 4.54 avg rating
Game of Thrones (book 1) - 4.44 avg rating
Clash of Kings (book 2) - 4.39 avg rating (pretty close to book 1 there)
Dance with Dragons (book 5) - 4.29 avg rating
A Feast for Crows (book 4) - 4.08 avg rating (which I would say is still too high for this one ... )
I love GRRM's vision for this epic tale, but I just don't think that he has the discipline to finish it.
Who knows? He's been writing this story since the early '90s. I'm afraid he's just lost interest and is ready for the whole thing to be over. I can't say I blame him. Writing the same story for over 20 years must be like having a turkey sandwich for lunch every day for 20 years. I love turkey sandwiches, but after about 3 weeks I think I'd be ready for a salad.
Who knows? He's been writing this story since the early '90s. I'm afraid he's just lost interest and is ready for the whole thing to be over. I can't say I blame him. Writing the same story for over 20 years must be like having a turkey sandwich for lunch every day for 20 years. I love turkey sandwiches, but after about 3 weeks I think I'd be ready for a salad.
Or soup as long as it isn't turkey rice soup..........
Who knows? He's been writing this story since the early '90s. I'm afraid he's just lost interest and is ready for the whole thing to be over. I can't say I blame him. Writing the same story for over 20 years must be like having a turkey sandwich for lunch every day for 20 years. I love turkey sandwiches, but after about 3 weeks I think I'd be ready for a salad.
he had the original three books somewhat planned out, which is why they came out in a relatively short time span - 1996, 1998 and 2000. However, when he was a good ways into book 4, he decided it wasn't working, so had to rework almost everything he wrote, and then he later broke it into two books that focused on mostly different characters. Then, when A Dance with Dragons came out, he said he took so much time out to publicize both his new book and the TV show that he lost writing momentum
That said, I do think he's making a good honest effort, but has also created such a huge monster of a world that everything needs to be checked, double checked and triple checked to ensure that he doesn't conflict with the 8,000 year history of Westeros.
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