[The Farmer]

Lets be honest, George R.R. Martin will be long dead before the final book/books.
What writer do you think will take over the series?

[polishgenius]

I'm going to leave it at that, because this argument brings me out in a rage every time.

[caladanbrood]

George's health is fine, despite any appearence to the contrary

[Abyss]

As we speak, Kevin Anderson, Chris Golden and RA Salvatore are engaged in a blood war over these rights, not knowing that Branden Sanderson's agent has already targetted their gathering places with remote-activated gravity mortars.


- Abyss, ... but hey, he might finish it... no really...

[Stalker]

I'd really hope GRRM will finish it out becaue I doubt anyone else could really do this series justice (ie. the people involved in Abyss' blood war over it)

[teholbeddict]

Well GRRM's only 60 so barring any major complications I would hope he will be the one to finish it. After Dance he only has two more to go, so even if we give him five years for each book that should take him to the ripe old age of seventy. Seventy in this day in age is not really at the foot of death's door. The question is will anyone still be interested enough in the series ten years from now to be bothered with the whole thing. I love the series but there are more fantastic authors and series coming out all the time. Let's just hope he stays in good health and speeds up his writing process alot!

This post has been edited by teholbeddict: 05 December 2008 - 08:14 PM

[Dr Trouble]

Gene Wolfe is 77 and he's still writing amazing books. GRRM Will finish it.

[Sparkimus]

One can only hope that in ten years time I'll still be able to sit down and re-read the series to finish it. As it is I hardly have any time for anything.

[globish rip]

i will outline what i think is the most likely scenario. after having become fabulously wealthy as a result of the success of a wild arms themed collectible card game martin can afford a new procedure that involves having his brain removed and inserted into the body of someone younger. in this case probably an obscure but gifted poet at a small midwestern college. as a result of the procedure there are certain incongruous touches in the later books like bran stealing a red wagon from the king of winter or a thirty page dream sequence in which littlefinger has parkinson's. even still, my great-grandchildren enjoy the book immensely.

other plausible scenarios: pierre menard finishes the book. or martin dies w/o finishing, menard dies w/o finishing but leaves behind most of book 5 scattered chapters from 6 and 7 and a metafiction called The Verb of Nouns that is turned into a wildly popular collectible card game beloved by our robot overlords.

another possibility and here all i need say is: 1000 monkeys, 1000 typewriters.

less likely but perhaps more rewardingly martin licenses out the franchise and the series never actually finishes (or Finnishes) but instead branches off into myriad subplots, mirror series, prequels and sequels until, following a merger, the property becomes combined with Gundam Wing S-Type and we get lannisters fighting robots in space. or an old manuscript, bound in twine, is found in some dumb, dusty corner of ardiss hall annotated in pencil by one V.V. long-time fans are puzzled by the melange of russified french and the exploits of some dude named eugene onegin but enjoy the increased emphasis on sex and battles. message board types hail it as a return to form and the collectible card featuring sansa playing scrabble sells for astronomical figures on eBay.

hope this helps the farmer!!!

[The Farmer]

Thanks for your replies,folks.

What gets me is at the announcement of the last book he said that the next book is "nearly finished" that was over two years ago.

[Stalker]

I know, I finished rereading Feast for Crows yesterday and his note at the end is talking about how he wrote about half the characters.

He says, "I did not forget to write about the other characters. Far from it. I wrote lots about them. Pages and Pages and Pages. Chapters and more chapters. I was still writing when it dawned on me that the book had become too big to publish in a single volume... and I wasn't close to finished yet... will be along next year (I hope) in A Dance for Dragons, which will focus on the events along the Wall and across the sea..."

So basically he should be finished as he had already written "Pages and Pages and Pages. Chapters and more chapters." I must admit to being a little disappointed in the 3 years later and no book heh.

[RodeoRanch]

Kevin J. Anderson.

[The Farmer]

Kevin J Anderson?
What is the story here?

[Darkwatch]

Since time is supposedly cyclical, then the books will be finished by Cicero.

[Dolorous Menhir]

You had me panicking when I saw that title. Not funny.

[Aptorian]

Dolorous Menhir, on Dec 6 2008, 08:14 PM, said:

You had me panicking when I saw that title. Not funny.

Well, with that reply you just made it funny, chuckles.

The Farmer, on Dec 6 2008, 07:24 PM, said:

Kevin J Anderson?
What is the story here?

Kevin J Anderson makes a living destroying great story ideas.

[frookenhauer]

I been saying this for ages, GRRM will die before he finishes the set, because he is old and really really slow and this will only get wore. If Kevin J Anderson gets the rights I might be forced to hire assassins. Grrrr!

[LadyMTL]

Hey, as much as I want the series to finish before I die of old age, I'm not gonna be all macabre and hint that good ol' GRRM will go down for the dirt nap anytime soon. Sixty isn't that old and barring some misfortune I think he'll have plenty of time to finish the series. Of course, it would help if Dance could get published first...oh, I hope Amazon is right and that it's coming out in October 2009!

Yeah right, who am I kidding?

[Traveller]

Yeah, back in March he said that if he hadn't finished by his June deadline his publishers would kill him. Amazon had it down for an autumn release back then, I think. Sigh....

[stone monkey]

Robert Jordan didn't even make it to sixty... Just saying.