GRRM: Readers 1, TV watchers 0

GMMichael · May 14, 2015

George RR Martin blogged (Tweeted?) that he's not going to write any Game of Thrones season 6 episodes - in favor of completing, amongst other things, the Winds of Winter.

Cha-ching!

It's a good year to be a reader. I wonder if he's actually saying, "look, the script is too messed up. There's no way I can fix it." Anyway, I'll be watching the bookshelves. Here's the article link:
http://www.cinemablend.com/televisi...m_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_466713

delericho · May 14, 2015

Funnily enough, this news comes shortly after I concluded that the TV series is actually the better way to enjoy the story - the tighter editing needed for a 10-episode series means they've had to trim a lot of fat, making it a much leaner beast.

Still, I am curious about WoW. But I'm not holding my breath. Wake me up once there's a release date.

Umbran · May 14, 2015

delericho said:
making it a much leaner beast.

You want lean? "Everyone dies." That's pretty lean.

There is a lot to be said for the breadth and depth of the books. The "tight editing" means that a goodly amount of good stuff winds up on the floor, never to be seen.

delericho · May 14, 2015

Umbran said:
You want lean? "Everyone dies." That's pretty lean.

Which would be why I said leaner. Any particular reason for the reductio ad absurdum?

There is a lot to be said for the breadth and depth of the books. The "tight editing" means that a goodly amount of good stuff winds up on the floor, never to be seen.

Unfortunately (and, yes, IMO), the books have started to really suffer from the same problem as "A Wheel of Time", in that after "A Storm of Swords" the plotlines really started to proliferate without the existing plotlines being resolved in the same numbers. The effect of that is that the progress of the whole really slows down - you get a whole lot less progression in 100 pages split four ways than in 100 pages split twelve ways. Consequently both Feast... and Dance... were very underwhelming - and moreso given the multi-year gap between volumes.

So, yeah, I prefer the TV series precisely because a lot of stuff winds up on the floor. A lot of it may indeed be good stuff, but it's not necessary stuff, and there's already so much that it's better off without it.

Zaukrie · May 14, 2015

Why can't we enjoy both?

Hand of Evil · May 14, 2015

Never could get into the books but enjoy the show. Personally, I just think he has writers block on Game of Thrones and is letting HBO finish it for him. He is then hoping that they pick up his new Winds of Winter, which he will let them finish for him too. It is all about the $$$.

some people cannot "finish", you see it all the time with writers, they just don't know when to let go.

delericho · May 14, 2015

Zaukrie said:
Why can't we enjoy both?

Welcome to the internet. The rule here is that if there are two things, we must hate one and love the other. Absolutely no nuance or balance is permitted - one must be loved and praised unconditionally, while the other must be castigated and denied any redeeming features whatsoever.

Also, don't ask anyone about Macs vs PCs, Coke vs Pepsi, Trek vs Wars, or D&D vs Pathfinder.

Homicidal_Squirrel · May 14, 2015

Zaukrie said:
Why can't we enjoy both?

Because I said so! Now pick only one and enjoy it. Hate the other one though.

GMMichael · May 14, 2015

Did someone say "you can't enjoy both"? I don't think I did.

That being said, I have enjoyed both but there's a certain amount of cognitive dissonance when two things have the same (similar) title yet are markedly different. Like anytime someone covers a Led Zeppelin song. Chaos in the brain.

Side note: [MENTION=22424]delericho[/MENTION] - I think you just set up a false dichotomy about false dichotomies.

Homicidal_Squirrel · May 14, 2015

DMMike said:
George RR Martin blogged (Tweeted?) that he's not going to write any Game of Thrones season 6 episodes - in favor of completing, amongst other things, the Winds of Winter.

Cha-ching!

Yeah, not seeing Winds of Winter being finished any time soon. Maybe in another four or five years, but by that point, the HBO series will be over, and since Martin has told the writers and producers how the story goes and ends, the series will spoil the books.

It's a good year to be a reader. I wonder if he's actually saying, "look, the script is too messed up. There's no way I can fix it." Anyway, I'll be watching the bookshelves. Here's the article link:
http://www.cinemablend.com/televisi...m_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_466713

I'm thinking it's more likely that the producers got tired of how long it took Martin to write one episode. They probably decided to throw more money at him just so he would get the hell out of the way.