Gratitude on an Epic Level.

The Winds of Winter
The Winds of Winter

The fantasy world’s 2016 started with G R R Martin telling the world, “I’m not done yet.”I can’t imagine the amount of stress the post must have caused him. He must have felt the weight of every word he typed, knowing the internet meltdown it would bring.

Question: Does Winds of Winter ever need to happen?

A1: Commercially, of course it does.

A2: For Closure. Not necessarily, the show will give us that.

A3: Creatively.

Not for me.

As expected (sadly) a rage of “how dare you be a living breathing person” happened. Haters gonna hate, right?

Why? Fans have developed friendships because of Game of Thrones, based on discussions and debates about what will come. If all story lines are finalised, all books are completed and all texts analysed …what then?

Those who read and watch get to enjoy two differing story arcs, both set in the same world featuring the same characters. Both ‘universes’ are official, it’s not a case of rebooting the most popular narrative. And both spawn a wealth of creativity in their wake, including a library load of books and comics you can be reading, savouring and interacting with. Quite possibly reducing the pressure on the author. Writing is fun, but not when surrounded by stress, demands and deadlines.

In true epic fantasy style, hate was met by the white knight (dire wolf?) of the loyal and understanding followers, all happy to wait and simply grateful for the update. Perhaps there should be an award for “Best Unfinished Epic” ?

What seems like a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...
What seems like a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away…

Me. I’m still a Sansa fan. I was when I picked up the first book back in the 1990s and will continue to be.

I enjoy discovering books/films/shows that wouldn’t have happened if Game of Thrones had not seen the light of day. I can talk about dragons with people who have never lifted a doorstep from Orbit, Gollancz, Tor, and haven’t a clue who Harper Voyager are and don’t get “Fantasy” in general.

Finished or unfinished, there’s a lot to be said for the awesome that started in Winterfell.

So. Your turn now, what other authors will you discover in the meantime?

 

 

2 thoughts on “Gratitude on an Epic Level.”

  1. I do hope it gets finalised but I understand what you’re saying; I just want closure of some sort, I guess. I want to see who ends up on the Irnon Throne, LOL. 🙂 Can’t wait for the next season / book BUT I do think George .R.R Martin should take all the time he needs to finish it. It’s HIS book after all.

    1. True!
      Wouldn’t surprise me if the Iron Throne ended up a puddle of molten metal. 😉

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