In case you haven't read this already, or if you have and wish to weigh in, Neil Gaiman took the time to answer a fan's email regarding George R.R. Martin and the feeling that GRRM was procrastinating on producing the book.
Neil's thoughts? Well for his thoughts in his words (which I highly recommend), you can find them here: Neil's Journal on GRRM. If applauding a blogger did any amount of good, I would have done so for Neil after reading this. He's right, George isn't working for us, even though we might think that he is. Neil's explanation that purchasing a book or starting a series is not an implicit contract that the author owes the rest of the story on any particular deadline.
Anyway, read his article. It's fantastic. And once you do: what are your thoughts on Neil's take?
"Tyrion, Jon, Dany, Stannis and Melisandre, Davos Seaworth, and all the rest of the characters you love or love to hate will be along next year (I devoutly hope) in A Dance with Dragons, which will focus on events along the Wall and across the sea, just as the present book focused on King's Landing.
"-- George R. R. Martin
"June 2005"
At this date, devoutly and hope are each doing about a year and a half's worth of work.
Martin had been a pro for more than a quarter of a century when A Feast for Crows was published; presumably his editors and every one else involved with the book had a certain degree of publishing experience as well. Why did they put such a firm date into the book, especially when A Feast for Crows had taken considerably longer than expected?
Yep Neil is right. He doesn't owe us anything. But I remember when I started a Feast of Crows I was upset that none of my favorite story lines were included. But I figured I still had to read the book to keep up. I did end up getting into the book and read it all the way to the 2nd to last page. Then it hit me...all of the cliffhangers in this book are not going to be resolved till after the next book...many many many years down the road. I never read the last page of that book and I have no plans to buy anymore in the series. There are too many other good books out there to read.
In today's society, as well as it was in yesterday's, a man's word is worth just as much as we are willing to pay for it.
This applies both to his honesty as well as the quality of the content of his work. Unfortunately there is sometimes a direct trade-off between the two.
Even if GRRM does not or cannot finish the series, I am glad to have read all 4 books. It's fantasy with intelligent Historic inspiration.
No, he doesn't owe us anything. We have an HBO series (at least one season) to anticipate. If it's only 4 or 5 books then that's the way it is.
Started on AGOT for the 2nd time. It felt like returning to an old friend.
its the same as any PROFESSIONAL. you would expect them to get their work done in a timely manner. TIMELY. how DARE we ask him to be within a few YEARS of the time he himself claimed he would make.
you are right in that he doesnt work for us, its obvious he works for nobody, not even himself. I am a big fan of his novels and have read them more than once. they are very good and I eagerly await the next one, but have no problem filling the time with other interests. (if i didnt i would have died of boredom long ago)
what really bothers me is people getting UPSET when others try to mention how much george has slacked off. "he's not your bitch" "he doesnt work for you" "could YOU write any better?"
True, any professional isnt a slave to their fans/consumers/customers. But the next time your plumber is unclogging your drain, imagine if he just sat there eating cake saying "dont worry, i simply need a year to 'untie' this horrible clog. ill finish when i feel like it. if you dont WANT me to unclog it my own way then dont hire me" and if that somehow bothers you (because how could it, that plumber isnt your bitch), please punch yourself in the face; you brought it on yourself.
This is a situation with no easy resolution. I am as avid a fan of GRRM as any out there and have read and re-read the books he has completed many times while waiting for the next one. I think that Mr. Gaiman's statement that Mr. Martin is not responsible to us is only looking at it from the perspective of a fellow author, and not from a fan trying to contain their anticipation and excitement for a new entry into one of the greatest fantasies of all time.
My view on this issue is a little different and centers around the relatively new trend of authors maintaining blogs. Most of us readers understand that art is not a science and that writer's block can happen to anyone, but waiting becomes a more difficult pill to swallow when Mr. Martin has endless posts about football and replicas of swords.
That being said, I understand that the man has a private life and is certainly as entitled to his hobbies as the next guy. I just think that an author sharing his/her private life and hobbies with fans who are salivating over a long awaited book is going to garner this sort of negative attention from their readers. I would also like to say that I don't want a sacrifice of quality just so the book is released on time. Mr. Martin is one of the consistently great writers of our time, so he can take all the time he needs to finish it to his satisfaction. I just hope he learns the effect of keeping his fans updated too much.
i think my problem lies in the fact that none of us are getting any younger and i dont want to end up not having an ending to the story! look at what happened with robert jordan, what if gods forbid, martin is unable to finish?