One of the staples of the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series is the author’s tendency to kill off characters on a regular basis. Fans have gotten used to the idea at this point, and it’s part of the enjoyment factor for many. It’s definitely more interesting to follow a story knowing that anyone could be taken out on the very next page, and this has allowed author George R.R. Martin to develop the plot in a very dynamic way.
However, rumors indicate that the next book in the series might focus a little less on the constant murders, and more on developing relationships between certain characters. This sounds strange for an installment in this series, but fans should keep in mind that it’s just a rumor so far. But even if it does turn out to be true, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad development in the franchise. It could simply indicate that Martin is looking to explore new styles and he’s checking what works and what doesn’t.
Meanwhile, progress on the next book is slow as usual, and there is no real news on the horizon. Martin’s publisher recently gave some statements about the situation, claiming that they fully support the writer and understand the difficult process behind coming up with this book. They also reminded fans that Martin has managed to come up with a stunningly long story so far, overshadowing the achievements of many other writers. That alone should earn him some more positive attitude from fans during his slow periods.
It’s not like Martin is intentionally taking things slow anyway – the author has already canceled several public appearances in order to have more time to work on the book. Just recently, he had to confirm that he had skipped the latest Comic-Con, after fans claimed that they had seen him at the event. This understandably resulted in some negative reactions from his community, forcing the author to step in and make a comment on the situation. It just goes to show how delicate his relationship with his fans is at the moment.
If Martin wants to make a proper impression with the next book though, we can understand the huge delays in finishing it. The stakes with this release are a lot higher compared to his previous works, and there is so much attention focused on the author right now that he is probably feeling stressed out on a daily basis. Which most likely only serves to add to the already slow working pace, making the situation even more complicated.
On the other hand, Martin also knows that he only has one chance to leave a good impression with this book. Getting to the last page will be far from the end of that journey, as he will have to go through long hours of revising and editing the story sentence by sentence until it feels perfect. And even then he will probably still have some reservations towards it, knowing his attitude to work in general.
At the same time, “Game of Thrones” moved on without the book, breaking the standard pace that had been established so far. This caught some fans off guard, especially those who preferred to read the books before watching the TV show first, as they were forced to be very careful in avoiding spoilers on the Internet for a while. Even then it was practically impossible to miss certain details from the new season.