GET OFF YOUR ARSE! George R.R. Martin BLAMES "FASCISM" For Late on Books... BRUH?!!

[@AnEriksenWife]

6:43 Yay! "This guy" is my husband Devon Eriksen! Any Nerdroric fan looking for their next great read needs to pick up his book Theft of Fire: Orbital Space #1! PLUS the audiobook is funding on KS RIGHT NOW! Just look for "Theft of Fire" :)

[@user-tm8jt2py3d]

oh dang, 800 reviews on amazon is no joke. that was a very concise description of the asoiaf debacle, helps me put it to rest.

[@thuglifebear5256]

Yes, he really hit the nail on the head. George RR Martin's personal politics and inability to be genuine is stopping him from writing his book, since... Jesus, 2011? It's extremely selfish and extremely petty. "Boomer Leftie" nails it PERFECTLY.

[@josephbradshaw6985]

Very cool sister! I'll put it on my list!🙂

[@Nyet-Zdyes]

Your hubby wrote a most excellent roast. WELL done... (maybe even a bit past super-crispy) It's also well deserved.

[@kiyankurji67]

Just got Theft of Fire!

[@NathanCassidy721]

My favorite response to George whining about fascism preventing him from writing: J. R.R. Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings during WORLD WAR II.

[@rwberger6]

After having fought in WWI.

[@reinholdw1800]

During a real rise of fascism.

[@npbarnhill]

And they will call Tolkein a fascist

[@TheWarmachine375]

"I cut my teeth in the trenches of the Somme! You LARPed your Santa Claus butt through Vietnam!" - J.R.R. Tolkien to George R.R. Martin in Epic Rap Battles of History

[@Captain-Thievius]

That is precisely why Tolkien is one of the GOATs of fantasy. And Martin is nothing more than an out of touch black pilled Santa.

[@grimnar6725]

The books will never be finished. The show made him rich and removed the driving force behind why he was writing in the first place. Not much else to be said on that.

[@zardox78]

And releasing 2 more bestsellers wouldn't affect his bottom line as much a slight fluctuation in the stock market.

[@berserkasaurusrex4233]

It wasn't money that motivated him to write, it was his assistant pushing him to sit down and finish. That's the only reason the last two books got published. When his assistant left, Martin's output dropped to a crawl. He used to be reasonably active. Of course, now his assistant is rich, with his own finished novel and television series, so he's definitely not coming back to help George.

[@sambandah6170]

@@berserkasaurusrex4233who is his assistant?

[@ludara8697]

@@sambandah6170 Ty Franck

[@majorpwner241]

Which... I think this goes a long way in illustrating why I'm not at all invested in his world or writing. Neither was he. A shallow quest for money... Those shows are way overhyped and overrated as well, for the record. Trash tier wannabe Tolkien.

[@Kal_g]

Man, George makes your average college procrastinator look like a workaholic.

[@TCK-9]

The money on that book contract is pocket change compared to all the other projects he has now, particularly the tv shows. He will never finish them unless the contract changes.

[@justlivin2499]

Thank you, finally someone recognizes our hard work

[@jasonr5989]

@@justlivin2499 I reckon I was the best/worst procastinator...it took a night before due date and amphetimines to stir me to action. Blitzed every project done that way too....Fookn ADHD!

[@kjd-s5b]

Same with AO3 writers, and I'm one of them.

[@prismaticbeetle3194]

LMAO

[@dylaxiusmccoy]

Fun fact: JK Rowling released the first Harry Potter book a year after A Game of Thrones was released. She completed her series 17 years ago.

[@Tony4095]

@@dylaxiusmccoy Makes him look even more pathetic, by comparison. Truly

[@Object7533]

As if you could even compare the two works xD ... Martin might have become lazy or disinterested, but his story IS a tad more complex than a single setting, single protagonist school adventure with not so thrilling dilemmas like "who's going to win this years house trophy" or "who's gonna win this here quidditch game"? ...

[@dylaxiusmccoy]

@@Object7533 Not really an accurate assessment of those books, but you're not wrong that Martin's story is a little more complex. However, I sincerely doubt that anything he's writing in the sixth book is so complex that it justifies taking 13 years (Longer than the entirety of Harry Potter) to write.

[@Object7533]

@@dylaxiusmccoy Yeah, you are certainly right with both your statements. I don't wanna defend his excuses for lack of progress and I know there is more to the Harry Potter books ... but I do think comparing those two works is simply not fair to Martin.

[@RafitoOoO]

And she also knows what a woman is.

[@Falconlibrary]

"Fascism" is a funny way to describe getting up at noon, eating an entire box of Hostess cupcakes, checking his investment portfolio, then taking an afternoon nap before waking up to write a blog post about why his fans suck.

[@HelloRando]

He should know that it's OK to just say "I have writers block" and leave it at that lol. Trying to dress it up as anything else is just too embarrassing.

[@HannibalormaybejustRex1]

This is actually spot on

[@mykhailohohol8708]

even if ridiculous scenario you described is true, do you know his age, why shouldn't he spend it however he pleases? His true fans do not suck, unlike you.

[@blakan1478]

@@mykhailohohol8708 Whether fans suck or not, they invested in him and his stories. They invested so much that he could move to a new mansion every year and burn down the old one down without a second thought until he dies. If the story that made that possible is 80% completed, and remains so for decades until he dies... having a problem with that does not make you not a true fan.

[@Trollificusv2]

@@mykhailohohol8708 Excuse me. I've spent the last sixty years reading and I'm not clear on the basic concept of your post. What is the value of being a "true fan"?? Do you have to become entirely uncritical? Is there any worship involved? (hidden or otherwise) There are lots of authors whose work I admire and respect, but this "true fan" thing is a mystery to me.

[@vileluca]

George Martin complaining about 'the rise of fascism' being why he cant finish a book, when LotR was written *during WW2*, is the most salient example of why he's not fit to lick Tolkien's boots.

[@SoakerCity]

Tolkien would have fought for the other side if he could see Britain today, 100%!

[@vileluca]

@@SoakerCity I dunno about that. Communism managing to subvert the West doesn't mean that fascism was correct all along.

[@ABoyandHisDog-pd3lb]

​@@SoakerCityI don't know about that. However I do believe that he would be down with the Rise of grassroots Nationalist Populism that is spreading around the Western World. He would be on the side of Taking Back power from the Political Elites who are only Loyal to WEF and other Liberal Globalist regimes and returning back to traditional, cultural and National Identity and pride in Heritage, restoring faith, family, liberty and freedom... Anti censorship.. pro free speech, anti Woke, anti grooming, putting an end to creating Protected Classes of people, ending DEI Policies and Quotas based on immutable features or sexual preferences instead of hiring based on whomever is the most qualified for the job. I think he would definitely be into ending the continued movement towards Authoritarianism and , Police State tactics, Protecting Criminals while persecuting victims of crime. And definitely he would likely be thoroughly against the Propagandizing of Mainstream Media, two tier system of justice... Etc etc

[@DarranKern]

@@vilelucado you happen to know which race invented communism? And is still the sole force pushing it today? Oops! Oopsie!

[@nestororozco827]

Thanks to liberal democrats, 1984 is becoming a reality. Even the Soviet Union, despite its evils, was more socially conservative than modern America. This shows how far our civilization has fallen. Disclaimer: I am not a communist.

[@acedetective7280]

Virgin “Can’t write muh book because of muh fascisim” Martin VS Chad “The Blitz is going on outside, better finish up this chapter” Tolkien

[@TheWarmachine375]

Did you know that George R.R. Martin is a draft dodger during Vietnam War while J.R.R. Tolkien served in the British army during WW1?

[@thejoshandcharles1]

​@@TheWarmachine375how many poems came from ww1 Chad's only to be blown to bits mere hours later. But "fascism" stopped this milk toast mong.

[@hermitcard4494]

You mean virgin Martin vs Chad Tolkien.

[@MadsThorlund]

@@TheWarmachine375 To be fair, Vietnam War sucked, you should have dodged that war if you could

[@luchomscyfy]

​@@MadsThorlundEvery war sucked. But that's not the point. Tolkien was in the Battle of Somme, one of the bloodiest and most casualties.

[@DSPHistoricalSociety]

Fun fact it's been over 11 years since South Park mocked George RR Martin over delaying things Edit: changed the years

[@emilkari3719]

It's actually going on 11 years by now.

[@trillioncrowns]

Theres 8 billion in the planet and we are waiting on onee dudes imagination?... the world is brain dead with no imagination...

[@DSPHistoricalSociety]

@@emilkari3719 well, the "song of ass and fire" episode on South Park came out in 2017- please explain...

[@DSPHistoricalSociety]

@@trillioncrowns couldn't agree more- like the smoove pimp Too Short said, "get in where you fit in". If you are that creative mind the world is waiting on let's see something!

[@emilkari3719]

@@DSPHistoricalSociety Nope, season 17 episodes 7-9 were aired in November of 2013.

[@JustTooDamnHonest]

Tolkien has been dead for 51 years and yet he still lives rent free in Martin's mind.

[@randomcenturion7264]

Ulyssesus S. Grant wrote two books worth of his memoirs after living through poverty, the American-Mexico War, the Civil War, Reconstruction and by the time he wrote, was dying of cancer and was again in poverty.

[@mustavogaia2655]

Fascism ate my homework

[@TheMasonator777]

Best comment.

[@DSPHistoricalSociety]

@@mustavogaia2655 😂🤣😂🤣

[@pittland44]

I hate fascism, more than you or me, fascism took my goldfish and unplugged my TV. 🎵🎶🎸

[@Cowslippoetry]

PIN THIS COMMENT NOW!

[@jonnevels5766]

MINE TOO!!

[@reinholdw1800]

I'm surprised he didn't come right out and blame Trump like every other wokeling.

[@James_Bee]

Didn't he, though? They consider Trump to literally be Hitler. The face a fascism. For the far left, there is no difference.

[@catstac2542]

Wait for it.

[@fyrchmyrddin1937]

With absolutely no consciousness of just which Party is truly LARP'ing the NSDAP.

[@nonplayercharacter596]

He basically did!

[@MrPingn]

If Trump wins. That'll probably be his answer.

[@fakeplaystore7991]

Friendly reminder that Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings while REAL fascism was going on - as a matter of fact, while his son was fighting it in the RAF. Fatman can't write because of fascism, however - despite his favorite political party being in power in the US for the better part of the period since the release of his last book.

[@Abefroman-lq3md]

Well Drumph is a facsist and so are his moron minions. Fight me.

[@D2attemp]

This is why Rowling deserved that Hugo Award George, she finished her Main Series books BEFORE the world building part

[@alicianieto2822]

Most importantly, she overcame the block and the pressure that comes from such brutal success and from having half of the world with crazy high expectations ready to judge your work. Most authors break under that, I am dure that GRRM did and cannot finish

[@Object7533]

Sure Martin seems to have become a lazy and disinterested arse ... but his story might be a tad more complex than a single setting, single protagonist story about a school boy, where you gotta solve complex questions like "who's gonna win that house cup?" or "who's gonna win that quidditch game?" (again) ...

[@HinataUchiha_22]

@@Object7533who cares how complex it is if he can’t even or has no desire to finish it

[@hariman7727]

@@Object7533 How many years has it been? 10? 12? Even with all the issues and other work, that's enough time for other authors to finish entire epic fantasy series AND write books in other series. That's the real shame of what GRRM and Rothfus have done to the epic fantasy genre: You CAN'T just write a good book one anymore, because all of their burned fans won't buy book ones... they buy complete fantasy series. You can't afford to write book two through 5 (or however many books it is) if book one doesn't sell, so there's at least 5 to 10 years of new authors who just didn't get a start.

[@josephbrown9685]

@@Object7533Really? That’s the excuse you are going with after over a decade of time he has had to finish? And as far as you dunking on JK, you are oversimplifying her story. There is a lot more complex goings on in the story other than Quidditch and House Cup results.

[@joshhardison3106]

Martin: "I cant write cuz fascism"😭 Tolkien: (writing LotR while actual fascists drop bombs all around him) "Damn, thats crazy!" Stephen King: (while having one of his bi-weekly TDS REEEE rants) "FUCK TRUMP, FUCK ELON, TWITTER TWITTER TWITTER TWITTER TW....hey wait, its already march and I've only published one book so far this year, I gotta get back to work!" James Patterson: "I know I've already written 36 books this month but i just heard about this supposed condition called writers block. Not being able to write whatever and whenever you want just seems completely unfathomable to me so what if I write a book about a guy who hasn't been able to finish writing a book in over a decade? He says its because of fascism but that's really just a cover story to hide the fact that he's actually a serial killer!"

[@RanMouri82]

Patterson's plot idea sounds like a worrisome prediction of King's future.

[@JPayne95]

​@@RanMouri82I think he was talking about grrm.

[@nunyabizness6595]

I've already heard that other writers use the Patterson name so not all his stuff is coming from one guy. It's a company at this point.😂😂😂😮

[@grantorino2325]

Most big-name authors today (such as James Patterson, Tom Clancy, Robin Cooke, and Nora Roberts) just write a basic outline-and have a team of English majors who otherwise couldn't find work do the rest. Stephen King is the _real deal_ , though. Once, after his editors and publishers ordered him to take a vacation, he kept on authoring book regardless under the pen name "Richard Bachman." People who've personally known King say that, to him, "playing with words is like a 4-year-old boy playing with mud."

[@joshhardison3106]

@@grantorino2325 Yeah, there's no way Patterson can pump out books at the level he does and I've heard that same thing about some other authors as well. I actually used to live about 5 miles from Clancy in Calvert county, MD and got to meet him not long before he passed. A friend of mine owned the landscaping company that handled his property and had gotten to be friends with him over the years so he took me with him over there one day. That was late 2011 and he was still sharp as a tack but you could tell he wasn't physically well enough to keep up with the volume of books he was releasing and those last 2 years he was alive every book he released said "with Mark Greany" on the cover. As for King, while I cringe every time i see him post on twitter these days, I've been an obsessed fan for about 25 years now. I've read and re-read his stuff enough over the years to know his distinct style and am fairly confident that I can pick out the parts of a book he wrote vs his collaborators when it comes to The Talisman & Black House with Peter Straub and Sleeping Beauties with his son Owen. I used to have a book about him in the 90s that had a list of over 70 incomplete novel or story ideas he had shelved over the years and the only novels I know of that he's picked back up and finished since then were Under the Dome and Blaze. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a whole lot of trunk novels (most likely picked up and polished by his oldest son Joe) released for years after he's gone.

[@TheWarmachine375]

George R.R. Martin hates fanfiction of Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire yet he couldn't be bothered to finish his own books.

[@ZeelofTheMarty]

He hates it because the people who write fanfiction based on his work can actually manage to make an end to it.

[@mnk9073]

They make him look bad for actually being able to write anything past the second act.

[@dmac3183]

Anybody actually have any fan fiction to recommend? Preston Jacobs did some I found enjoyable to listen to but it's hard to find any others. Modern entertainment is better from fans.

[@RanMouri82]

I remember a fan artist on Tumblr with this complex. Put out some really cool stuff, so I wrote a fanfic based on it, and she/they/it harassed me for it, going all "How dare you?!" Neither of us owned the IP. 😅

[@HelloRando]

@@dmac3183 Maybe looks at somewhere like 'Archive of our own" and filter by highest rated/reviews or something…..weed out the weird stuff too 😆

[@bossross8270]

Trump BROKE these peoples' minds so bad, they can't even do what they love to do. Hilarious.

[@marissashantez6051]

Good.

[@ericv00]

*MSM propaganda.

[@ventzxX]

this is something but hilarious isn't. How can 1 man "be resposible" of so much destruction not only without any fault but without even trying, this HAS to go into the history books, this cannot go undocumented.

[@hermitcard4494]

They're so much focused of the "hateful right" than focusing on doing what they love. Truly a cult of hate.

[@davidryan7386]

It is pure TDS 😢

[@zonefreakman]

Fascism? Right. It nothing to do with the shows, other books, tours or any other project he spent his time on, i.e., capatalism. Got it got it. If he doesn't want to finish the books for focusing on other projects then fine, stop blaming politics.

[@Shoelessjoe78]

Perhaps I should try it this Tax season... I was gonna pay but Fascism am I right 🤔

[@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov]

But what with A.I and capitalism and all...

[@AlekseyMaksimovichPeshkov]

Also fascism is when governments and big, greedy corporations unite to create an authoritarian government.

[@gmbane384]

I knew homie would die before finishing GOT when he did the interview showing he bought a house across the street from his old writing house just to hold his trophies and awards. He likes to sit by the pool there most of his down time apparently.

[@MadsThorlund]

You're describing capitalism the same way the extreme left is 😆

[@Wildcat_Media]

Since “A Dance With Dragons” came out, the following has happened in my life - - I finished a masters degree. - I had TWO full-time jobs. - I started dating, got engaged, then married the man who is my husband (and has been for going-on nine years) - We’ve had two kids. - Our oldest is in second grade, our youngest is in preschool and is probably on track to finish her OWN fantasy series before George does. - My husband has written and published 10 books of his own - all of which have sold decently on Amazon (it was enough to get us approved for a house loan). - We bought a house. All while fascism is supposedly taking over the whole world. George is such a pansy.

[@nont18411]

But…but George is a gardener, which is why he’s always procrastinating (any gardener would know that his definition of a gardener is bs).

[@veronicab15]

Hey congrats on all that! God bless you all.

[@enigmaodell6806]

You’re allowed to name drop your husband’s books, if you like. And your daughter’s, lol. Also, I like the positivity, I’m not sure why but it brightened me a bit.

[@jonathansalgado6368]

What are the books? 😢

[@DeltaDanner]

Tolkien was in a country being actively bombed by fascists when he wrote Lord of the Rings. Apparently, Martin can’t finish a book unless he gets everything he wants politically. That or he’s just lazy and came up with the perfect excuse for his fanbase.

[@7slavok]

That is the greatest roast of GRR Martin I've ever heard. I've said it before, but Song of Ice and Fire is not a story that can end well. It's a deconstruction of courage and honor, of everything Lord of the Rings was built off of, and when your goal is deconstruction, what do you end up building? Nothing. A distinct, deliberate lack of something. Westeros is a land where good people die, honor is for fools, and the most vicious, conniving people get ahead. But winter is coming, there are monsters beyond the wall, and the world needs heroes. If heroes don't exist, then the monsters destroy everything. If they do exist, then the cynicism that the books were based off of is a lie. Every story is built off of a promise, and SoIaF's promise cannot be fulfilled in any way the readers will appreciate.

[@lightworker2956]

Yeah, well written. If you just write the story forward using the in-universe logic, then what should happen is that the humans keep fighting for the throne and then winter comes and everyone dies. Which wouldn't be satisfying, and I don't think George has the balls to write that. And if you try to suddenly turn it into a heroic story, then probably it'll feel very jarring that the protagonists suddenly have plot armor, as was the case in the shows. What George probably should have done is either: - just make it a very bleak deconstruction story, from beginning to end, but then you probably want to keep the story relatively short. - or use logic from the actual middle ages, in which feudal relations meant that backstabbers actually weren't successful, because feudal relations means dependency on other people and those people will turn against you if you backstab people. Therefore, being honorable to a reasonable degree was actually a good move in the real middle ages, because it meant that the people around you trusted you more and you could work with them.

[@johnthomas4868]

I think he meant fatism, which is when your carcass is so full of food and money that all hope of completing a given task is lost…

[@JacksonDiddles]

I just figured he's full of shit...

[@sirpepeofhousekek6741]

Agh you beat me to it!!!

[@johnthomas4868]

@@sirpepeofhousekek6741 great minds think alike 😀

[@BrandonDenny-we1rw]

Nah the guy just cant write for shit. Its just like Stephen King. Dude can write an intro hut has literally no idea how to resolve a single storyline because theyve never followed through on anything in the entire lives.

[@rumigraciea8216]

some call it pigotry

[@therion961]

Books will never get finished. Accept it and move on.

[@bugskees146]

His obesity will kill him before the books are finished

[@SoakerCity]

Im sure that the shit Martin has had inserted into his limousine liberal dome over the last decade would make any subsequent books suck.

[@hermitcard4494]

Plot twist: IT GETS FINISHED, but is leftists propaganda where the bad guys will be associated with the right. Even the final bad guy will be based on Trump.

[@OhHesCracked]

Yea I have already.

[@ibannykh]

the right attitude to have. appreciate what you have and have no expectations of the future. its the only way to stay chilling and not malding over media.

[@myrddrral]

Stopped caring long ago. If we actually writes it, won't care to read it.

[@Nick-zp8wk]

Same. I'll just read a synopsis online.

[@divemonkeys]

I never read any of Martin's books, I started thinking about it when the show (that I didn't watch) was on, but never got around to it. However I did read 11 or so of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, and there was a series of books incredibly bloated, and by the time the series was completed I just didn't care any longer. I have never gone back an re-read them, something that's unusual for me. By the time I had completed 11 or whichever I was so tired of the story pace and I started disliking about all of the characters.

[@thylabyrinth]

Excuse my French, but he and Rothfuss both can take a long walk off a short pier for all I care.

[@lightworker2956]

Indeed. Honestly, while books 1-3 were amazing, imo books 4 and 5 weren't that exceptional. Good, sure, but there are plenty of good authors out there. And now he's more than a decade older, which means that book 6 might very well be worse than 5. I'm also not convinced that George is actually able to weave all the plot threads together in a satisfying way.

[@rmartinson19]

The frustrating part is that Martin HAS been writing the whole time - just not anything to do with Winds of Winter. By wordcount, since A Dance With Dragons was released he's written and published more than the entire 5 books of the Song of Ice and Fire series. But it's all been short stories and side projects. I think there are 4 possible explanations at this point: 1) He's just lost interest in the story he was telling, and doesn't feel like continuing. 2) He's written himself into a corner and doesn't know how to finish the series now. 3) The show's ending was actually very close to what he had planned for the books, and the widespread hatred for that ending has made him panic and pull back, and now he doesn't know how he should actually end things. Or 4) some combination of the above. Regardless of what the real reason is, we're very unlikely to ever see book 6, and we're almost certainly never going to see book 7 while George is alive. At this point, I fully expect to see a similar situation to what happened with the Wheel of Time series after Robert Jordan died: Once he kicks the bucket, after a few years Martin's estate will hire another fantasy author to come in and use his notes to finish the series.

[@valyria-rd2tt]

No. 3 He has written the books, but has seen the massive backlash for season 8, so better releasing other stories and cashing in on other shows. He gives a f of fans.

[@andreaplavkova1037]

​@@valyria-rd2tt I don't think so, the problem was not so much what happened but how and why - which are really unanswered questions (the "how" stopped being relevant in season 7 that was at constant war with time, geography, physics and even magic that worked in the show itself, and the question "why" stopped making sense in season 8 in which almost every character was impacted by some strange brain virus that affected almost every decision made and almost every line uttered). But if the original plan was to make Bran the king, then I get why the idea of an omniscient being ruling without emotions to prevent ordinary humans from making mistakes did seem way more appealing back in the 90s than it does now.

[@radioslave5307]

possibility 5: after originally promising his publishers a trilogy, that then became 4 books, and then 5, and now his final 6th book needing to be split in two, his editors are putting their foot down and refusing to let him extend the series further, but now he needs three or more books to finish the story. he has said before he has written the equivalent of the last two books and that still doesn't wrap up the story, so there could be some element of his editors pushing him to trim the material he's given him down and it's impossible. main reason i think this is because if he enough written to fill at least one book, he would have no reason not to put that out, at least then people would stop saying "ITS BEEN DECADES SINCE THE LAST BOOK!".

[@rmartinson19]

@@radioslave5307 Interesting theory, except it was always intended to be a 7 book series. Personally, I take anything the man says with a HUGE grain of salt when it comes to his supposed progress on book 6. He's been claiming that he's written huge amounts for it, and that it's only months away from release literally since book 5 came out, and that was 13 years ago now. Whatever else he may be, G.R.R. Martin is a liar. If every claim he's made over the years about how much material he has written and ready for the next book was true, we would be on book 12 by now.

[@radioslave5307]

@@rmartinson19 darn you're right. i've heard that it was originally a trilogy over and over again i just assumed it was true. just had to look it up and found out it was a trilogy as a draft before grrm went to a publisher and they agreed to 6 book when the first came out.

[@carlrood4457]

House of the Dragon is actually based on The Anarchy, which was the civil war between Henry I's daughter Empress Mathilde and his nephew Stephen I. It actually ended with Stephen naming Mathilde's son Henry II as his heir. Henry II was one of the most important king's in English history.

[@SamElliottsStache]

So another historical inspiration. "Original"

[@hariman7727]

@@SamElliottsStache Not just historical, but if George Martin copied from Babylon 5 and other series then he's copying people who took inspiration from Tolkien and King Arthur.

[@mrniceguywinkyface1524]

"I didn't write the books because uhm..." *spins wheel*.. "Fascism". Not even his leftwing fanbase is gonna buy this bs from him.

[@waragainstmyself1159]

Left doesn't care about facts. It's what's approved that counts.

[@szeltovivarsydroxan9944]

Nah, they'll do.

[@ChadKakashi]

You’re correct. I don’t. And as many people so aptly put: TOLKIEN wrote Lord of the Rings during WORLD WAR II.

[@zub41r75]

I wouldn't say his fanbase is leftwing calm down

[@too1leasy]

Lol, yes they will.

[@TheDrexxus]

I remember not too long ago George was contemplating what kind of legacy he was leaving behind and wondering how he would be remembered. Again, being envious of Tolkien and talking about how people still visit his grave and leave him flowers and stuff. George, if he is remembered at all 50 years from now, will simply be remembered as just another author that couldn't finish his story. I guess it begs a philosophical question: Is it better to be remembered as a failure or not to be remembered at all?

[@JRRob3wn]

Good point. Robert Jordan’s legacy is tainted for me due to his refusal to wrap up the damn books. It became clear at a certain point that he was just killing time and insulting the audience, then he kicked it before finishing the damn thing.

[@nont18411]

But Miura’s legacy is still intact despite not finishing his story before he died. I think it depends on the effort. Everyone knows that Miura tried his best while George just keeps procrastinating.

[@clone3_7]

@@nont18411 Exactly, many could not finish for the lack of time, not because they procrastinated! Although I sometimes feel like I should not cast this rock at GRRM, since I am the biggest permanent procrastrinator!

[@sanchorim8014]

​@@JRRob3wnHe planned out the conclusion of the series and wrote extensive notes. RJ made sure we got the ending to Wheel of Time, whether he was around or not.

[@julianne_warren]

Right now, he is already considered a failure. It's just future generations who won't have any incentive to read anything from him that will make him obsolete and forgotten.

[@MarcoRodriguez-ci3pg]

People running and hiding from the German's were able to write books quicker than Martin

[@poppedweasel]

Running and hiding? Are we talking about Anne Frank or Tolkien?

[@frocat5163]

@@poppedweasel *"Are we talking about Anne Frank or Tolkien?"* Tolkien lived in England during the Blitz. Plenty of citizens were evacuated throughout that, though I have no idea if Tolkien was one of those. Pretty sure the point OP is making is that Tolkien was able to write _The Lord of the Rings_ during Germany's attacks on England while GRRM can't work through a world at peace.

[@nont18411]

@@poppedweasel both

[@poppedweasel]

@@nont18411 That implies Tolkien was a coward saying he was running and hiding from Germans.

[@poppedweasel]

@@frocat5163 Only children were evacuated, within England. But Tolkien actually fought the Germans in WW1. There was no mention of the Blitz. Just running and hiding. Couldn't let that stand.

[@dancolon47]

Years ago, before A Dance of Dragons was published ... GRRM posted on his "Not A Blog" where he took offense at people expressing fear that he would pull a "Robert Jordan" and croak before he finished the series. But over time, it became clear to me that the ONLY way his series will be finished if he just DIES Already ... so that a competent professional can come in and finish it for him.

[@e.c.winner7252]

He’s not going to allow that. Not sure what he can put in his will to make that happen, but he has said as much. No one else will finish his work, so it’s not getting done.

[@vahidoph]

That was unfair to Robert Jordan. He wrote 11 books and released a book almost every 1.5 year, and had the road map to finish the books. I hazard a guess and say Martin has no idea how to finish his book.

[@vahidoph]

That was unfair to Robert Jordan. He wrote 11 books and released a book almost every 1.5 year, and had the road map to finish the books. I hazard a guess and say Martin has no idea how to finish his book.

[@jacquelineking5783]

Yeah Jordan at least planned for his death.

[@hariman7727]

@@vahidoph Some of those books were written while he was dying too.

[@shadypelican]

BS. He told Dan & Dave how he saw things playing out in GoT, so in case he died, they could finish the series. So I think the show ending WAS the "book" ending and when GRRM saw the backlash, he turned a 180 and went "Whoa...No....that's not MY ending....MY ending will be uh....um....erm....I'll get back to you..."

[@CubanaWriter]

That is EXACTLY what happened! The only thing D&D did differently was they made a horrendously rushed and condensed version of GRRM’s original intended ending so they could go and do Star Wars ASAP (which they didn’t even end up doing).

[@bryandean8585]

I have to give Drinker credit and say he is so right about what heroes in stories should do. The essay Chrsterton On Fairy Tales and Evil has always stuck with me. Particularly this part.... "Fairy tales, then, are not responsible for producing in children fear, or any of the shapes of fear; fairy tales do not give the child the idea of the evil or the ugly; that is in the child already, because it is in the world already. Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon."

[@James_Bee]

It makes sense. Especially if you are Christian and believe we are in a sin fallen world. We are born into it and our hearts desire it and without a savior, we succumb to it. Unfortunately, "heroes" are merely just a shadow or pale imitation of the one, true savior Jesus Christ, but the stories can still be fun to read.

[@sillypuppy5940]

Heroes and villains are the driving force in any good story. Without them its all "slice of life" - an empty narrative.

[@Eirinen_E34]

@@bryandean8585 Fairy tales can and have been dark ... especially the German ones. They teach the child to behave or the bogey man will get them.

[@SeeThomasHowl]

It's like the other 3 replies to this comment are replying to something totally different.

[@Br0ketruck]

You can dislike him if you want, but Steven King got hit with a car and still kept writing after that.

[@nicoleackerman205]

He actually like writing by George's attude it is almost like he hates writing.

[@SoakerCity]

The heroin helped.

[@gerboiremoncopaing933]

King is legitimately one of the very greatest authors of the modern age, regardless of his politics.

[@AnonymousNoNayme]

Cocaine is a helluva drug

[@Michael-cb5nm]

And he’s half blind…

[@nolovequeen6023]

If he's thinking like this now do we really want him to finish the books?

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

If only people considered supporting OTHER authors. Independent ones with basically no resources, no corporate connections, no crews, etc. That would be a red letter date. "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, We must see all in nothingness... before we start again." --Diamond Dragons (series)

[@Xeno_Solarus]

​@@Novastar.SaberCombat Who knows how many small authors with great talent go unnoticed today? As an aspiring author myself, it's a little scary and upsetting.

[@BurghezulDjentilom]

I'd rather read someone's gay furry slash fic d&d campaign than anything gurm will ever sh1t out.

[@ronaldjr3092]

I don't think you've got a better choice, or are you hoping that someone who believes that muslims are invading europe, vaccines cause autism and Kamala is a communist has enough of a functioning brain to write something 1% as good as asoif?

[@anonperson3972]

I'm not convinced he CAN give it a good ending to be honest

[@Zeoran]

The ending to Season Two wasn't entirely their fault. HBO forced them to cut two episodes TWO WEEKS before they were supposed to start filming.

[@Miykael]

Ryan mentioned that on FNT , its just not in this clip.

[@theenigmaticmrwu]

Brandon Sanderson has churned out a mountain of books between the last Song of Ice and Fire and now. Somehow all the alleged Fascism didn't stop him. Maybe George should call him up and ask him for some tips.

[@lurksnitchtongue8986]

Sanderson is a terrible writer. Anyone can pump out mountains of slop

[@jamesogden7756]

​@@lurksnitchtongue8986You try the Stormlight Archives? And you stand by that opinion? He writes different styles for different readers. That's impressive.

[@jacquelineking5783]

I wouldn't necessarily call him the best writer ever but he is enjoyable enough. There is also a middle ground to be had. Maybe Sanderson pumps out too many books a year but it has been at least ten years since Martin's last one is a shit pace on the other end.

[@hariman7727]

@@lurksnitchtongue8986 Sanderson has a certain formula which has stayed entertaining to many. It's actually pretty good, but if get tired of all the books having a similar structure you'll fall out of his fandom. It's definitely reasonably good writing quality though. I've read a variety of his books, and the only one I'll hate on is the Mistborn Trilogy, and that's because I find the ending awful and NOT because it's written badly.

[@hariman7727]

There are writers who have, in the time that we've been waiting for Winds of Winter, either: A: Like Larry Correia, FINISHED an entire Epic Fantasy series that's at least 3 books long. (Six in Larry's case.) B: STARTED THEIR WRITING CAREER AND BECOME A MODERATE SUCCESS.

[@SpecialAgentBillMaxwell]

People like George act like fascism scares them, but they cheered for it during covid.

[@ABoyandHisDog-pd3lb]

Exactly. And continue to advocate for more Corporatism (aka Fascism) and the increased movement towards Full Blown Authoritarianism.

[@DSPHistoricalSociety]

@@SpecialAgentBillMaxwell 🤘🤘👍👍

[@rullangaar]

Maybe he’d be less vulnerable to covid if he wasn’t morbidly obese, but that would mean taking some personal responsibility and we all know how lefties feel about that.

[@sigmacademy]

Didn't a KZbin channel hint that some type of lockdown is coming YET AGAIN to at least 1 state in the US for the NEW incoming disease?

[@keithmichael112]

They like it sometimes

[@OnimenoJason]

At this point, people should stop paying attention to GRRM and spend their time reading and promoting Epic Fantasy authors that care and do finish their works. There are plenty of authors that need the sales and are suffering because of lazy authors like GRRM and Rothfuss not finishing their works that is causing their sales to suffer.

[@jessy8a10]

Any suggestion?

[@kurt9395]

@@jessy8a10 Two that come to mind are Roger Zelazny's Amber novels and Stephen R. Donaldson's "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever". I read these decades ago, but I think good stories and good writing are timeless.

[@denkerbosu3551]

I agree on recommending other works, but showing this man as an example of what not to do is great. It inspires other aspiring youngsters with "if he made it and can't even finish, why can't I?"

[@Wolf_ManJack]

The Licanius Trilogy (Dark fantasy time travel with hard deterministic "one way street, no paradoxes allowed" rules with an obvious allusion to the world building of The Wheel of Time), TWoT itself (A book series long and detailed enough to make you think about magical quantum physics as you watch an entire metaphysical era pass through an eternal history), and The Will of The Many (same author as Licanius) are all soaking my time right now. It's not epic fantasy, but The Dresden Files deserves a seat at the front of the table during any discussion about _good fantasy novels_ and I'm bringing it up anyway. Far better options than the 60% finished work of an overly popular author - The Wheel of Time's author DIED and he still got it done!

[@ronin1648]

After GRRM and Rothfuss I'm not starting any unfinished series. Sorry new authors, the trust is lost, blame them.

[@YorickWell]

"Tolkien was the far better man all along"--so true for so many things. GRR may have already burnt too many brain cells to continue.😢

[@hariman7727]

The sad thing is, I don't think that was ever in doubt for some people. Boobs and beheadings could never live up to Lord of the Rings.

[@thundarrisaboss2725]

martin is a great writer, but people will love robert jordan, and brandon sanderson, more, over time. because they CARE about things.

[@bilosdiogee410]

I’ve said 100 times. The ending of the show IS the ending of the books. George thinks like a 14 year old girl, he’s terrified of the massive backlash he will receive when his ending matching the show becomes more obvious. So, he is delaying writing for that, or he is trying to change his plan because of the backlash and doesn’t know how to do it now.

[@kevinkenobipius1557]

Yeah I don’t know how people don’t realize that, seems very obvious he gave the ending to D&D

[@BobbyFlay14]

The ending was fine. It just needed another of season or 2 to flesh it out

[@anonperson3972]

Dany and Jon getting it on, Dany burning down kings landing, Jon killing Dany and Bran becoming king are probably all intended. There was no "night king", at least not yet, in the books. So I don't think Arya killing the night king would have been a thing. This needed more build up and better execution than it got in the show. But that would ultimately be a very cynical ending. Dany goes mad or was always ruthless and vengeful (no hero there), Jon ends up embodying heroism and as a result loses everything he ever loved, never becomes king, despite being the rightful heir and is killed or exiled into the wilderness (subversion of heroism, heroism is once again punished), and the kingdom is taken over by an all seeing magical cripple man that has probably been taken over by some children of the forest spirit that doesn't mean humanity good will... It is ultimately a very bleak and cynical ending

[@aroyals339]

@@kevinkenobipius1557 I guess it's the stuff that isn't in the show. Like how Catlyn is still alive, or Danaery's nephew existing and wanting the throne or the sea guy (forgot his name) being a totally different char with his own goals (and some evil horn thing?) and not just a jack sparrow wannabe that wants to get in Cercei's pants. There were a bunch of other things I was curious about at the time too but haven't read the books since season 2 so I'm thankfully blocking it out.

[@ronin1648]

@@BobbyFlay14 so how many more books?

[@wolfbane7497]

First he was complaining about people not respecting Source material now he's complaining that he can't write his book because of fascism pick a lane George

[@Deridus]

He's the epitome of a coward, And if he were forced to pick a side , that would mean he'd have made a choice. Seems incapable.

[@ZeelofTheMarty]

Have you seen how big George is? He can fit into many lanes at the same time!

[@colebrandt9302]

2 years ago, Nerdrotic did one of George not releasing Winter on time. History is just repeating

[@dingledan1966]

George "Rest and Recovery" Martin

[@Captain-Thievius]

I always thought it was “Round R3tard”

[@geraldmorgan6906]

Huh, I always thought it stood for "Really Rotund". Good to know.

[@brockdavid]

GRR Martin is the Anti-Tolkien

[@1_underthesun]

Serious question....now that we all know more about ol George, his mindset, and his politics.... do we even want him to finish the books? What are the odds they don't read like a modern movie written for a modern audience? I say slim.....

[@julianne_warren]

He is a modern author - grim, dark and subversive. Which would be fine, but I don't understand why many people put him into the category of epic high fantasy. Such a let down. His works are grimdark low fantasy.

[@hariman7727]

The report I heard is that George gave D and D the outline for the finale of Game of Thrones, and D and D filmed it in one season instead of two or three.

[@kurtl8425]

It reminds me of the scene in Forrest Gump where Jenny’s abusive boyfriend blames his asshole behavior on”That damn Johnson!” And the Vietnam war.

[@elpsykongroo8308]

Misery porn and hero's journey are not mutually exclusive....You can make your heroes go through a lot of miserable shit, in fact going through all of that and still coming out as a hero will make it more deserving. Also, even at the end of the series when the fight has to be between good and evil you can still have characters (like Cersie or littlefinger) who will still be cynical and nihilistic, who don't directly side with the evil but make things more difficult for the good side.

[@RRRRRRRRR33]

Dark fantasy is all about crude realism in a fantastical world. If you take that basic premise for granted, the ice zombies are supposed to destroy the whole continent at the end, this ending would be even more "evil" than the TV show ending. Magical creatures such as dragons, vampires, chaotic magic, etc.. they are far more powerful than medieval humans, it's silly how humanity wins in high/low fantasy, it's like cave man sharing the same habitat with dinosaurs (looking at you Warhammer Fantasy, the delusional "correlation" with the readers are so hysterical, humans can fight and survive against impossible odds)

[@ohsweetmystery]

Obesity messes with men's testosterone levels.

[@andrewbaker3855]

I have genuine antipathy for GRRM. I think he is everything wrong with modern media. Nihilism, subversion for the sake of subversion. And that's without even mentioning the politics, the laziness, the excuses, the lies, and the derision he has for his own fans. I actually hope he doesn't finish ASOIAF and the series ends with the ignominy that he deserves. With a wimper.

[@Captain-Thievius]

I agree. I despise Andor for the same reasons I hated GoT. It’s long winded, pretentious, and champions garbage ideals like moral relativity and nihilism. It’s not “grown up”, it’s stupid.

[@AnonymousNoNayme]

@@Captain-Thievius How did you get any of that from Andor? lol It was in fact the fair opposite smh

[@andrewbaker3855]

@@Captain-Thievius "Rick and Morty" as well. I think about that scene a lot: "Nobody exists on purpose, nobody belongs anywhere, everybody is going to die." If that statement is a Warning, fair enough, but if it is an ethos, I can't fathom a more depressing message.

[@Captain-Thievius]

@@andrewbaker3855 Just take a glance at the kind of people who make shows like that. They have more issues than Superman.

[@SpankMyFace]

I'll probably forget this term in about 20 seconds, but thank you for introducing 'ignominy' into my vocabulary. I can barely pronounce it, but I'm just hoping it sticks around long enough for me to use it in an interview, or as an insult in a HLL lobby.

[@user-Calrulk55]

GRRM will never finish ASOIAF, anyone who thinks he will is delullsional, he front loaded the first 3 novels and has basically released 2 books in 20 odd years. I would not be surprised if he actually doesnt know how to finish it.

[@nicoleackerman205]

There is some rumor that he killed a character off and then realized he need them. If that is true, him not knowing how to end it I can believe.

[@DarkFenix2k5]

My theory is that the TV show actually _did_ follow his notes and instructions very closely. That the complete crap the show gave us in the final seasons is precisely what GRRM intended. Then uh oh, people _hated_ it and now he's stuck because the whole thing he had planned out has failed spectacularly on being market tested.

[@user-Calrulk55]

@@DarkFenix2k5 The tv show is not like the books so idk about that, but im sure the ending is kinda right. The Night King doesnt even exist in the books as an example.

[@kevinkenobipius1557]

@@DarkFenix2k5yeah I agree that’s obviously what happened. People really think George wasn’t involved in the final seasons at all?

[@nont18411]

@@nicoleackerman205 It’s true. He regretted not making Robb Stark a POV character before killing him.

[@alassesinda]

Brandon Sanderson wrote four books secretly by cancelling book signings during COVID and finished Stormlight Archive Book 5 in a year! GRRM needs to be get off his arse and start writing OR give the outline to someone else who could finish it for him!

[@alassesinda]

Plus GRRM needs to stop wasting time being involved with the shows and focus on the books as those are what he is known for!

[@CaptainHindsight-xt9yd]

0:10 correction: WW2 was fought and lost.

[@pendorran]

The rumor I heard, one that rings true somehow, is that the early book were heavily dependent on the creative work of "assistants", who have now moved on to bigger and better things. This would certainly explain the STEEP decline in quality with the later volumes.

[@OnimenoJason]

At least one of the Expanse authors was an assistant to GRRM and that series started and finished in the time Winds of Winter is taking to be written.

[@geraldmorgan6906]

The first three books are fantastic, A Feast for Crows was not as good but still excellent in its own right. A Dance with Dragons was the worst of the series so far and since we probably won't ever see the Winds of Winter or A Dream for Spring, I can't really say there was a steep decline in quality. I think you'd need more than one weak book in a series to show a steep decline.

[@MaxCadyS]

@@geraldmorgan6906that’s a good way of putting it. I found the last two books to be bloated where the story expands instead of starting to wrap plot lines up. It will never be finished and at best, Winds of Winter may one day be released. I don’t think Winds will be all that great either.

[@ronin1648]

@@geraldmorgan6906 listen, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons together, are not even one full book, he had to remove chapters and everything ended in cliff hangers. That's how bloated they are.

[@Telorchid]

@@OnimenoJason it was Ty Franck. Although Daniel Abraham (the other half of James S.A. Corey) has also worked on various GRRM projects like scripting the comic book adaption of Ice & Fire.

[@RaymondSwanson-u9y]

My theory is that Martin had a ghost writer and that person stopped.

[@AnonymousNoNayme]

He had a bunch of "assistants" that went on to do bigger and better things. He's a fraud. Kinda like how Rian Johnson's first movie Brick was fantastic and everything else he's written has been retarded. Ppl he went to school with did all the mental heavy lifting for that one. Same goes for Leslye Headland with Russian Doll. Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler carried that show.

[@RanMouri82]

Apparently, Martin had an assistant who got him into a writing routine, and *that* person stopped.

[@necronomicon4448]

Quite possibly a deceased writer/editor named Gardner Dozois.

[@wolf2965]

@@RanMouri82 That assistant was Ty Franck, also known as one of two collaborators behind the pseudonym "James S.A. Corey", a.k.a. the authors of The Expanse.

[@lightworker2956]

Don't know. If you read the books, it's obvious that he loves "gardening" i.e. planting more and more and more seeds, and he's terrible at writing all the plot threads to come together in a coherent way. In the books there's a plausible contender for the throne named Young Griff, and Young Griff hasn't even made his move yet, and we've already had 5 of the 7 books. Obviously if you want the series to actually end, you shouldn't introduce a major new throne contender in book 6 -- book 6 isn't the time for planting major new seeds. On top of that, George has the problem that the theme in his series so far has been "good guys lose, backstabbers win." And it's really unsatisfying and bleak to keep that theme going all the way to the end of the series. But it's also tricky to suddenly just let John Snow and Dany start winning continuously, without feeling that suddenly the protagonists got plot armor (which the show was criticized for). Also, another theme is "if the humans keep fighting for the throne, winter will devour them all" and also Cersei is undoubtedly going to keep fighting for the throne... so shouldn't the humans lose? This would require very careful writing or it'll feel like another "story is nearly done, time to give the heroes plot armor" contrivance. So I see enough "regular problems" that would explain why he's unable to finish the story.

[@raymondamador1487]

The "writer's block Cope" is hilarious. Blaming everyone else for your problems seems to be contagious

[@assassins4]

Not to mention Tolkien had every reason to be bleak. He lived through WWI. Yet Martin was a draft dodger and he embraced the bleak worldview. Yet Tolkien embraced virtuous heroism. Thats why he will be remembered and celebrated for centuries to come.

[@youraveragejoe9286]

Fascism touched George in inappropriate places and now he feels guilty for liking it 😂

[@alexfish128]

Its amazing that everyone just says fascism without having any idea of what it means

[@Oyvind80]

Same can be said about socialism.

[@neilforbes819]

@@Oyvind80 right? that rant in the middle was cringeworthy.

[@JPayne95]

Aint it ironic that facists are the ones using the term the most

[@AstraLuna-o9i]

The Left: Omg the right are fascists! The Right: Omg the left are communists Billionaires at WEF, Davos, and Bilderberg: We will use Fascism to consolidate power for ourselves while there will be communism for the rest of the people on the plant, who will need to share less than 1% of the world resources. Everyone will be equally poor, own nothing, eat de bugs, and be happy.

[@ryack6355]

​@@Oyvind80I mean technically you could make an argument for how he could be a socialist using the Nordic example. But at that point who cares? Socialist wasn't the right word, instead - greedy selfish boomer

[@Tony4095]

Laziest author ever. Such disrespect shown to his fans who he OWES a proper finish to his series. Everyone who bought his books & watched his shows deserves better.

[@NickMeisher]

He got paid. He no longer is hungry for fame and money. He is old and doesn't want to spend time writing, but enjoying his fame and fortune.

[@nicoleackerman205]

One might say he might not like writing.

[@TCK-9]

Yea it's not so much the laziness issue, but a money issue. He had a book contract that he was writing under, and then the tv show came along and made him rich - so now going back to the books has no interest for him as the money just isn't there under that contract to finish the books. He will keep doing other stuff until the book company gives up, or pays him more, or never. Authors stop writing a project all the time because of contract issues, especially if the books are really popular and they are getting paid peanuts under their contract - they move on to other projects with other publishers or self publish.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

I really, really, REEEAAALLY wish people would start supporting independent creators. Especially the ones who do NOT have creepy corporate connections, crews, clout, computer code, control, etc. If you want better content, you're going to have to HELP individuals who are more or less like you and your sister or brother rather than some rich mogul with endless resources. 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind’s journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul’s fate revealed. In time, all points converge, hope’s strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the universe’s endless refrain, We must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)

[@misanthropicservitorofmars2116]

lol no he doesn’t owe anyone anything. Don’t be so entitled, are you a child? “He OWES” Is such a brainlet position. Buy the product he’s made of stfu. You deserve nothing.

[@EbenezerEibenhardt]

Whenever he sits down at his desk and tries to hammer out another chapter he picks up the pen and his hand just automatically writes "Il Duce was right"" and he throws the book across the room and goes back outside to play horseshoes.

[@GloriousRAT]

Hello again... Tolkienesque Novelist D L Lindeman here. George R R Martin, in my experienced opinion will NEVER finish "Winds of Winter". Why would I say this? Simply know that I have worked with aspiring "gardener" type writers before. These writers have a real hard time getting back into a narrative once they've walked away from it. Their minds don't work that way. The fact that he is piling up excuses is only to keep the interest in whatever else he writes. A starving man will happily eat gas station sushi. Another problem that George has with finishing ASOIAF is that there is an established ending in place "Bram is king". Gardeners NEVER do this. I get ZERO pleasure from stating these realities. George being able to finish ASOIAF benefits every other fantasy writer, including me.

[@Alex-mn1fb]

People need to wake up and face the bad writing in House of the Dragon. Season 1 was good, but the problems were already there, especially after the time jump and the change of the actors, but the Season 2 is abysmal. Especially glaring is the issue of some sort of misguided feminism, where they cant commit to portray main characters as morally ambiguous, and end up with passive, unintereseting, static and internally inconsistent female characters. Thus adult Rhaenyra mid seson 1 ends up boring, declawed and at the mercy of other peoples dramas happening around her. And Alicent in seson 2 ends up the same.

[@oldaxehead655]

Season 2 really grew on me. It was a slow burn, and everyone expected a giant finish, and hate when it doesn't happen. This show is still better than 90% of everything else on TV right now.

[@KODIAK-ij4yg]

As soon as the director of the first season left, I knew this show was gonna go down, and the writing would be off... They spent their money on the Dragons this season and thats the only good thing!! And if I hear Rhaenyra say, "What will you have me do," one more freaking time...🤬 They are making it for Modern Audiences and are gonna mess things up!!! You are absolutely right, they neutered her and Alicent's characters... They were supposed to be at each other's throats and not trying to save the realm...🤷🏾‍♂️

[@PlacidDragon]

House of the Dragon is merely mediocre.. and that is me being generous.. i see it more as a testament to how utter sh*t most media has gotten in the last 5+ years that it is deemed "great". Same with the "Mandalorian"... very mediocre show.. but yes, it was far better than anything else, because everything else was utter shite. Its still not good though, only good in comparison to what else was currently available at the time.

[@herbthompson8937]

Mediocre is very generous. Hearing Ryan and Gary talk about how great the show is, is mind boggling. The amount of liberties it's taken is absurd. I am 100% convinced if RoP wasn't showing at the same time as HotD, they would be singing a different tune.

[@Captain-Thievius]

I agree. HotD is like Disney Starwars. A worthless prequel show that doesn’t fix or change anything because all roads lead to disaster. For HotD, it all leads to GoT season 8. For Disney Starwars, it all leads to the Disney Trilogy.

[@lordrichardson4447]

Could be much worse. Thats basically my position on it and Rings of Power. Ultimately.. it could be far worse.

[@vyperleo]

FUCKING THANK YOU!

[@kiethhadford3733]

Right? Is it possible that the last few seasons of Game of Thrones was so bad that we aren't liking it so much as we're relieved is not as horrifyingly terrible?

[@paranoyd70]

If George hasn't written it by now, he never will. I personally am convinced that HBO paid him NOT to finish writing the book. Because they (HBO) doesn't want him to finish it because it will just show what a crappy ending their show had, and they want fans to go to them for the only ending. Notice that HBO keeps hiring George to write spin-offs. Plus, George has zero incentive to please the fans, cause he has more money than he could ever spend. He (George) DOESN'T care, Which is disgusting and I hope he is remembered for failing the fans.

[@carlrood4457]

More likely that they're paying him for more Fire & Blood and Dunk & Egg. They don't care about ASOIAF. That's done from their standpoint. They wrote that check and its been cashed. They can't make any more money off of it. They want content for the future and that's not ASOIAF. Corporate bean counters don't care if their adaptation fails artistically.

[@svetlanaandrasova6086]

Why doesnt he just hire people to write it for him? Many writers do it. Its their ideas and words but written by someone else's hand.

[@lightworker2956]

Good question -- probably pride or ego. I'm actually surprised how often people are being held back from making decisions that would obviously benefit them by their own pride or ego.

[@zzz-sleepforever]

That would be a very cynical move by him. Oh wait...

[@abcun17]

Look at Patrick Rothfuss and "The Kingkiller Chronicle" trilogy. He was heralded as being the next George RR Martin (and even received enthusiastic endorsements from Martin himself). The guy put out "The Name Of The Wind" in 2007, "The Wise Man's Fear" in 2011 and was supposed to finish with "The Doors Of Stone"...but just like Martin...he never finished. There have been two novellas published in the nearly decade and a half since he last put out a novel in the series. Just like Martin, he has attacked his fans, blamed Trump so on and so forth. Rothfuss, even more so than even Martin, should serve as a cautionary tale...

[@hariman7727]

Worst of all, their fans won't buy book one of any new epic fantasy series, they'll only buy COMPLETE series... which used to be written off the sales of book ones. Martin and Rothfus literally killed the Epic Fantasy genre for over a decade, and now people have to write at least 2 to 3 books before they can publish so they can advertise "a complete series!" to actually have a chance to sell.

[@Nolnocnaes]

I threw all his shit books in the trash and re-read LotR for the 9th bajillion time; all is right with the world.

[@trpimirkarlovic838]

That's hella based bro

[@gxkdykxiyx1985]

OK lol

[@jessica_jam4386]

@@Nolnocnaes this is the correct action to take 😉

[@nicoleackerman205]

That is crazy that WW2 time frame is shorter then the Winds of Winter release date.

[@jacquelineking5783]

At this point I think both WWs took less time combined.

[@James_Bee]

I remember him talking to Stephen King and joking about how Stephen is just a novel producing machine, meanwhile he was taking years to write a couple books. I now realize he wasn't joking, he was hysterical at the realization that he's a HACK. ;) I also remember him thanking the Wikipedia writers for his books because he had used it as a reference many times for his own writing because his story became so convulated (my phrasing) that he couldn't remember it all.

[@Draugh39]

In the old days you said, " *_the dog ate my homework_* " when you didn't produce the work on time. So, it's the raise of fascism, nowadays? That excuse didn't even work when we lived under fascism. Tolkien wrote his work between 1937 and 1949. So during the reign of Hitler Mussolini and Franco, (as well as that little distraction called WW2). No George, "the dog ate it" is a better excuse...

[@hariman7727]

Ironically, George supports the political party that's trying to implement the tyranny he's supposedly opposed to.

[@vasileseicaru8740]

George went with morally ambiguous characters because he thought that would make him greater than Tolkien. As it turned out, though initially well received as a novelty for the fantasy genre, people eventually got tired of reading and watching those characters and, ultimately, they were probably all hoping for a Tolkienesque endgame, where the good guys are rewarded for being the good guys.

[@paulievespucci6867]

Nah, a lot of people got tired of waiting because he couldn't finish. Before people knew he couldn't finish his books, many were still excited to read. That's why people are still talking about whether he could finish EVEN AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. Because they want to read it. Youre all making this narrative that people didn't like his books before this issue because for you, it's about "who is better, Tolkien or Grrm?"

[@BaconMinion]

I've never seen somebody fight so hard to ensure a tarnished legacy. ... I mean, outside of Patrick Stewart, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, RTD, the BBC, all of Disney...

[@MickyChowMein69]

Exactly what Ive been trying to communicate to people recently. The whole deconstruction of the hero myth is okay as a one off story but for as long as weve been telling stories, heroism makes great fun stories.

[@MarioG.-yt1of]

I stop catering to authors/artists that pull shit like this. Make up excuses and procrastinate about getting projects done and still expect people to fork over money for their indulginces...NOPE!

[@SamElliottsStache]

Hot take: Game of Thrones was always overrated. A medieval soap opera with incest. If you want your Winds of Winter, research the War of the Roses. And George, just like King, has to toe the line.

[@veronicab15]

I have this theory I see play out in the world. When good, moral stories emerge, they make it big. Every single well written story with a moral (most often Christian) backbone, makes it big. The rip-offs and stories that mock or subvert this goodness inevitably fail. Why? Because every story is ultimately a description of humanity and the big story we are all *right now* and always have been, part of. The moral decay of authors can very well kill a story that started well. People often fail to remember is not just that the writer knows tricks and structures to storytelling, that creativity emerges from places science has yet to figure out. It's not just pattern recognition and combining eclectic elements, when a story is really good it comes from deep within the soul of the writer.

[@theoneaboveallthelivingtri5862]

What i dislike the most is the Whitewashing of Rhaenyra and Alyssen. The show is trying super hard to make them the innocent good guys.

[@andreaplavkova1037]

Both have plenty of flaws in the show, even though certainly they are better people than in the book. Neither can really be called a good person in the show either though, but the bar is on the ground considering other people.

[@theoneaboveallthelivingtri5862]

@@andreaplavkova1037 the fact that they have been trying to make them the good guys and that all bad stuff happen cus others do it or they force them to do it. Like when rhaenyra kid was killed and she still pleaded for peace etc. Whereas in the book both are vindictive and do plenty of bad thing etc. Or they straight up order the bad things.

[@KendrickEdits]

Tolkien Books from Beginning to End: The Silmarillion, Beren and Lúthien, The Children of Húrin, The Fall of Gondolin, Unfinished Tales, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. That's why I prefer optimism over nihilism

[@ItsSVO]

Many of these were actually finished and published by his son though. George not finishing his books has nothing to do with optimism or nihilism either, what a stupid argument.

[@KendrickEdits]

@@ItsSVO Suuuure ok you keep believing in that

[@ItsSVO]

@@KendrickEdits I mean, it’s true. Christopher Tolkien published the silmarillion after his father’s death and beren and Luthien and the fall of gondolin are simply parts of the silmarillion that Christopher wrote and finished using his father’s notes. Facts don’t care about your feelings and you not being able to accept you’re wrong is your issue, not mine.

[@KendrickEdits]

@@ItsSVO Man I'm talking about optimism and nihilism and Tolkien died how you expected him to end the books duh

[@ItsSVO]

@@KendrickEdits Then why list books Tolkien didn’t write at all? I didn’t comment on why he didn’t finish them, I simply stated the fact that he didn’t hence why his son did. Again, it’s not my issue that you had no idea Christopher wrote a lot of the silmarillion using his father’s notes and that two of the novels you listed are simply two stories from the silmarillion itself. So again, nihilism nor optimism has anything to do with finishing or not finishing books. George is lazy and distracted by his wealth and celebrity, something Tolkien was not but then they have both lived in very different times.

[@MiniHarpist]

George's favourite character from Lotr is Aragorn, but only when he was Strider. Not when he is fighting to become king.

[@shazmodeus2795]

George won't be remembered fondly even in 25 years, not like Tolkien. Game of Thrones will be forgotten by the masses as no one will recommend an unfinished book series to their friends and family, and the show lost all re-watchability due to the final 2 seasons and ending, so it will also be forgotten by and large.

[@osamaqtaitat]

The show is great MOSTLY, the journey is interesting, but the fast burn and some unconvincing and unsatisfactory major events in the latter seasons are rushed and bad! But it's a great, unique journey mostly, and i just started watching all of it 6 months ago, took me 2 months approximately to finish it lol

[@lightworker2956]

It's interesting to think that if the last 2-3 seasons of the show had simply never been released, then we'd probably be thinking of the Game of Thrones show like we think of the Lord of the Rings movies. It's pretty amazing how badly the last 2-3 show seasons undermined the first 5 seasons.

[@derpyhooves7349]

As a boy, when I heard George Martin criticize Tolkien's work for being morally simplistic and distinguish himself in his handling of morality, I believed him. But as I have matured over the years, I got a stronger and stronger impression that George's universe was not actually representative of reality, not even back in medieval times. He speaks of a fight between good and evil within individuals, yet all I see are a pile of irredeemable monsters and zero shining heroes. He speaks of a grey morality, but all I see is a world so unreasonably degenerate and cruel, that it wouldn't realistically be able to even exist, because it would fall apart so fast. This is not realism, this is cynicism. And the post in this video about it is on point.

[@questor55]

Harry's rant was perfect. My experience with GoT was the first book, after which I was done. There were obvious trends from the start that would, according to the critics, be repeated throughout the books and series. Why follow a nihilistic path?

[@RayBetterThanEvilCanival]

A new book from JRR Martin is the one and only this we won’t get before GTA 6

[@hariman7727]

We got a plot summary for Half Life 3 before we got Winds of Winter.

[@otaconzz]

Biden was young when he released his last book

[@zonefreakman]

I wouldn't go that far, but he could at least speak.

[@LuisNunes-ps4sl]

Well, at least not senile...

[@nicoleackerman205]

No I seen pictures of him he been old since the 80's.

[@berserkasaurusrex4233]

@@LuisNunes-ps4sl I wouldn't go that far, either. He's been senile since 1988 or whenever he had his first brain-bleed. Robin Williams had a whole standup bit mocking him in the early 90's for being a senile moron.

[@Nick-zp8wk]

@@nicoleackerman205 attached earlobe biden or detached earlobe biden?

[@tlotpwist3417]

Fascism is rising around the world, but it should be a perfect motivation to finish your books while you can

[@ryack6355]

Its completely overblown, Spain was fascist long after ww2 ended and most people who lived through it had decent lives. Better than what was had past the iron curtain in eastern Europe.

[@hariman7727]

George is complaining because it's not rising fast enough, but he doesn't realize that.

[@williamjameshoffer4405]

There is also the factor that GRRM had his best years, not as a writer, but as a television producer for shows like "Beauty and the Beast". GoT, now HotD, have him back in his comfort zone - producing television. He wrote at least one episode a season for the first four of GoT, and he is probably quite busy designing the GoT universe of shows for HBO. That is aside from his New Mexico projects. Who knows? Maybe his Wordstar program (Yes, he uses a word processor that no longer exists in any form.) is acting up as well.

[@bazbazzer2822]

I really wanted to believe that making arya the hero out of no where and ruining John's character was just a show thing but seeing him say things like this I think he'll really make it in the books as well

[@jessy8a10]

That is disappointing.. We all want a hero and we thought Jon was going to be that character...

[@asaptenebrae2240]

He built up all this tension who was supposed to be Daenerys and Jon defeating the Night king, dragons of fire defeating the dragon of ice. But naah ... On the other hand,Arya was supposed to defeat Jaime and Cersei but she also got robbed of her real arc s ending.

[@osamaqtaitat]

It's not about arya actually , it's just the unconvincing, unsatisfactory, fast-cooked scenes after prolonged and epic buildup! But fr, the show is unique and great JOURNEY for the most part, and i watched it entirely just recently within 2 months or something lol! People should try to remember that perfection is almost just an ideal, and the best case is to be as close as possible

[@nont18411]

Yep, he’s into subversion way too much that it ruined a food story

[@Counterbalance_]

I've never understood the hype around his books and the TV shows. I failed to get emotionally invested and couldn't help wondering if there was something wrong with me, because all I saw were cheap tricks, like stuff made for the shock value, a lot of boring sx scenes and a pretty picture. But what about everything else? Emilia Clark is a godawful actress and ruined the character for me. Those who I did like were disposed of early on. People complain about the last season, but I didn't even make it that far.

[@grimnar6725]

Most of the actors were mediocre. That's why almost none of them have moved on to any other roles. And Peter Dinklage is just riding that DEI pony to the bank so I don't really count him either. Some of the side characters were played by good actors. Like Charles Dance, and Sean Bean. But yeah, most of them were mediocre at best. I don't think the show was bad in its earlier seasons though. Fairly predictable but overall entertaining.

[@JRRob3wn]

Have you read the books or are you just reacting to the show?

[@julianne_warren]

I couldn't understood it either. I remember people trying to coerce me by saying: "You like Tolkien, so you will also like Martin." No, I don't. Just because both have swords and dragons doesn't make them similar in any way. It's just a surface level normie thinking. Drinker was right in this video about one thing - people (maybe not all but many) love to read books that inspire them to be better. When I want to read dark stories about people's minds being destroyed and evil, I prefer Lovecraft. He knew how to write inescapable sci-fi horror insanity and weirdness.

[@damienb2074]

How to say you havent red the book without saying it

[@TiggerTiger-le8kc]

tbf the books and the show are almost nothing alike. Dany was my favourite in the books and least favourite in the show, that's how much they changed her character. They added way more sex in the show for shock value, and yes, it has sex in the books, but it's not thrown in your face every other scene. But once season 2 got going, you could see the changes they had made in the show, and in season 4 they'd gone in a completely different direction. They had "mediocre" actors because the first season had a tiny budget.

[@saigonjinn3772]

George Round Round Martin knows that no matter what, the book can't live up to the hype. He will either never finish it, or release it just before he croaks to avoid the fallout.

[@a_8850]

That quote you shared from Devon Eriksen was The Most On The Mark thing about the culture war I have Ever heard. I hear it in everything the FNT fellowship says, but for me, Eriksen captured the whole essence of what you all have been saying. Thanks for this Most Worthy video!

[@colebrandt9302]

Tears fall like soft rain, Silent whispers of the soul, Night soothes aching hearts. George sitting in his throne, weeps.

[@Neil.02]

It honestly would've been better if he said "i don't feel like it."

[@AnonymousNoNayme]

Can't milk everyone and everything that way

[@RRRRRRRRR33]

The publisher would fine him an astronomical amount, Mark Hamill style. If you are under contract, you just can't sound "negative" about it. A bizarre aspect of capitalism, also logical to some extend because it's foolish to tarnish your livelihood... in the end, it's a ugly situation, the guy is obligated to keep lying about writing the books

[@Fankas2000]

"I'm old and tired, sorry but I want enjoy my last years with my family" boom, no one would have a right to complain.

[@techelitesareadisease8816]

@@RRRRRRRRR33 There is a definitely a way to go forward that would leave all parties satisfied. Especially if he were to say that he would be glad to "hand the torch" to someone else as his old age has gotten to him. Nothing negative about that, but a misanthrope like GRRM probably can't manage it.

[@TheTangothrax]

Great point by Ryan I'd say, half of why Martin will never finish the series is that the expectations are something he is terrified by.

[@paulievespucci6867]

I'm surprised Ryan is the only one who made a good point here. Drinker was babbling about sh*t he doesn't know about. Shad should've spoken more. Drinker's rubbish was a waste of time.

[@coralreeves4276]

GRRM can't POSSIBLY wrap up the entire story of ASOIAF with just Winds of Winter it's just impossible! There are too many things to wrap up.

[@abdieljove2011]

I mean…yeah? It’s supposed to be the second to last book. A Dream of Spring is the last. And if anyone still thinks they’re coming out, I dunno what to say lol

[@onetimebear5681]

I think Drinker makes a good point with there not being anyone to root for anymore since Viserys is gone, the show-runners were surprised when Aegon became most people's favorite character in S2 but he was the only one with any actual character development.

[@agonsfitness7308]

I really wish FNT would stop pretending like HoD wasn't a complete dumster fire, especially compared to s1. I've lost all interest in s3 as a result. The girl power moments, the muh queen 2.0, the fever dreams, the allicent and rhaenyra scenes, the watering down of blood and cheese, the all build up no pay off, the transformer youtuber cameo. Overall a horrible season.

[@MorgothBagluir]

Not to mention all the incredibly cringe DEI, race swaps, lesbian and degenerate crap that wastes screen time etc, HotD is fugging shite.

[@kurt9395]

Back when everyone was raving about "Game of Thrones" on HBO, I wondered what all the fuss was about. Since I refuse to give HBO a dime of my money (long story), I bought the book set of "A Song of Ice and Fire". I slogged through 4,600 pages of that only to find out that there's no ending. Did it say anywhere that this is an unfinished series? No of course not, because that might keep people from spending their money on it. My guess GRRM is kind of writer who makes it up as he goes along and he probably can't figure out how to wrap up all the loose ends and finish it and too lazy to try.

[@scarymonsters524]

You are right; he calls himself a "gardener" as opposed to an "architect".

[@julianne_warren]

I admire your resilience. I've watched the first season because so many people were raving about "If you like Tolkien, Martin is a great choice". That was a bad decision. It shows many people are just normies and as long as they have swords and dragons, they think it's all the same fantasy. Yeah, right. Just like E.T. and Lovecraft are the same sci-fi.

[@septimiusseverus343]

@@scarymonsters524 Except his garden is more like an overgrown lawn with weeds and brambles, and the remains of a dead '94 Buick leaking oil all over it.

[@paulievespucci6867]

​@@julianne_warrenyou love Tolkien and call other people "normies"... Okay 😂😂

[@donkeysaurusrex7881]

His computer is surrounded by a literal impenetrable wall of fascism.

[@DarthEvilicus]

This really reminds me of the Epic Rap Battle of History between GRRM and JRR Tolkien

[@TeleologicalConsistency]

Blaming the "far right" seems to be the common excuse for just about everything these days.