I dunno. That was certainly a prevalent viewpoint, but from the time of his illness, I've seen less and less of this. Maybe its just out of respect for his illness and later, death, but there also seems to be respect for the fact that he worked to ensure the series would be complete. Bandon's own honesty and multiple posts explaining the situation also helped majorly.
Even the splitting of the last book into three (three!) did not set off nearly the storm it would have had RJ been alive and healthy.
Even the splitting of the last book into three (three!) did not set off nearly the storm it would have had RJ been alive and healthy.
I think there is truth to that, although it doesn't prevent some people (in this very thread) suggesting that GRRM won't live to see the end of his series either, which seems to still be in fairly bad taste.
But as you say perceptions brought about by some dubious PR decisions are a key problem here. I know that Shawk Speakman from Suvudu wants to do a warts 'n' all interview with GRRM after ADWD is finished where he gets into the whole situation and where the problems came from, which might clarify the situation somewhat, but he won't talk about it before the book's finished and out so people have a common frame of reference.
As I have indicated before, it would be fascinating to get into a discussion about the situation from the writing POV about the numerous problems going into both AFFC and ADWD (the multiple variants of both books in existence, the five-year gap, the timeline issues and so on) but people seem to find that less interesting than talking about his miniature knight hobby and blaming that instead. Oh well.
But with aDwD, GRRM is, essentially, struggling with a problem that began in 2001 when he decided to scrap the five year gap. We know he's taken multiple shots at getting this done, and has repeatedly failed. To me that says that he's going to have fewer chances of doing it right the later it gets.
The problem at the moment, the much-discussed knot, does seem to be the (hopefully) trailing end of the gap issue. If he can overcome that, the rest of Book 5 and into Book 6 should takes us beyond that point to where the series was supposed to be anyway. Hopefully at that point, with the narrative threads collapsing down towards the finale, the rest of the story can be resolved faster, but we will see.
I sometimes wonder if it would have been better to keep trying to make the gap work. Then I came to the conclusion that most of the problems in the new BATTLESTAR GALACTICA are attributable to the one-year gap in Season 3, after which the show never recovered the form it had earlier. The abruptness of the narrative and characterisation disconnect and then coming back to characters who have evolved into very different people without seeing the transition in the meantime just feels very weird, and it feels like the writer is cheating by skipping large chunks of material. So I still think abandoning the gap was the way to go, but hell, it's caused some problems along the way.
I was 21 when A Feast for Crows came out
- 10/12/2009 04:04:55 AM
1134 Views
And The Eye of the World was published before I was born. Quit complaining. 
*NM*
- 10/12/2009 04:18:20 AM
397 Views
*NM*
- 10/12/2009 04:18:20 AM
397 Views
If he decides today that he doesn't want to write another book in his life, then he has every right
- 10/12/2009 05:35:43 AM
984 Views
We've all heard Neil "You think he's God" Gaiman's stupid thoughts. Many of us disagree. *NM*
- 10/12/2009 03:55:17 PM
331 Views
Also, most of the fans complain more because we hear more about stupid knight figurines
- 11/12/2009 07:52:57 PM
845 Views
I agree completely.
- 11/12/2009 10:53:48 PM
790 Views
What was he making his money from before 2007?
- 15/12/2009 06:51:28 PM
841 Views
I wish Martin was still 21. Maybe he'd live to finish the series.
- 16/12/2009 04:44:27 AM
742 Views
Re: I wish Martin was still 21. Maybe he'd live to finish the series.
- 16/12/2009 04:45:09 AM
765 Views
Indeed, and you have a right to do so. But not everyone has seen them, and I still agree with him. *NM*
- 12/12/2009 06:58:14 PM
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*NM*
And I will be 100000000004 years old when ADWD makes it to the printing press. *NM*
- 10/12/2009 11:05:44 AM
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I was 21 when ASoS came out.
- 11/12/2009 08:24:52 PM
800 Views
Of course, two books followed that one in the Wheel of Time.
- 13/12/2009 04:53:17 AM
772 Views
That's not what I meant.
- 13/12/2009 05:37:07 AM
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It just seems a particularly bizarre comparison as several books have been published since then.
- 13/12/2009 06:55:16 AM
718 Views
- 13/12/2009 06:55:16 AM
718 Views
But only one of them was any good. This leads into a core argument over writing speeds.
- 13/12/2009 06:55:59 PM
670 Views
It also hinges on the fact that his upcoming book will be fantastic.
- 13/12/2009 07:50:57 PM
788 Views
No, it doesn't. That will either justify or further condemn the wait.
- 13/12/2009 08:52:35 PM
772 Views
Poor choice of comparison...
- 13/12/2009 08:20:14 AM
830 Views
That's a very coloured view.
- 13/12/2009 06:47:16 PM
851 Views
Of course it is! That was the point...
- 16/12/2009 10:42:55 PM
881 Views
Re: Of course it is! That was the point...
- 17/12/2009 01:34:36 AM
740 Views
I was 13 when Gene Wolfe's Soldier of the Mist came out
- 14/12/2009 02:32:45 AM
821 Views
You'd kill for some Latro action figures though, would't you? 
*NM*
- 14/12/2009 05:30:46 PM
286 Views
*NM*
- 14/12/2009 05:30:46 PM
286 Views
*NM*
If Martin was 21, maybe he'd have enough time to finish the series. *NM*
- 16/12/2009 04:46:32 AM
310 Views