Fantasy fans will cheer out loud when they follow this link (http://www.georgerrmartin.com/nextbook.html) on George RR Martin's site: A Feast for Crows (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?path=ASIN/0553801503&link_code=as2&camp=1789&tag=mobileread-20&creative=9325") is done (http://www.georgerrmartin.com/done.html)! For those who don't know, this is the 4th book of the A Song of Ice and Fire saga. According to Amazon, the book will be available on July 26, 2005. If you pre-order (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?path=ASIN/0553801503&link_code=as2&camp=1789&tag=mobileread-20&creative=9325") now, you save 34%!

The upshot is, A FEAST FOR CROWS is now moving into production. It is still a long book, but not too long; about the same size as A GAME OF THRONES. The focus in FEAST will be on Westeros, King's Landing, the riverlands, Dorne, and the Iron Islands. More than that I won't say.

Meanwhile, all the characters and stories removed from FEAST are moving right into A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, which will focus on events in the east and north. All the chapters I have not yet finished and/or begun are moving into DANCE. I think this is very good, if truth be told, since it will give me the room to complete those arcs as I had originally intended, rather than trying to tie them up quickly in a chapter or two so I could deliver the massively late Big FEAST.

Thanks for the heads up Alexander. A coworker gave me the first two copies of this series when she finished them about two years ago. I don't think they're available in ebook form yet? Well...at least not legitimately I guess.

I got through about 100 pages of the first book and was enjoying it but then suddenly found myself laid off and haven't picked it back up yet. I am not the swiftest reader so these thick multiseries epics take me a while so I end up putting off starting them. I still haven't gotten around to Wheel of Time yet!

Will have to jump back into it once I am off of my horror kick. Oh Thomas Ligotti why isn't your stuff available in tree friendly form :(

A Song of Ice and Fire is perhaps the best fantasy saga next to Lord of the Rings! It is a bit slow at the beginning, Gatton, but don't give up! It'll get a lot more exciting after 100 or 200 pages.

A Song of Ice and Fire is perhaps the best fantasy saga next to Lord of the Rings! It is a bit slow at the beginning, Gatton, but don't give up! It'll get a lot more exciting after 100 or 200 pages.

I have to remind myself of that too TadW. There's a ton of exposition that these stories usually have to go through at the beginning. I do get bored after a while but I know it's rewarding to stick with it. Kinda like how Stephen King introduces you to every character in the sleepy little New England town before you get to see the monster. Reading Salems Lot at the moment.

Thanks for the heads up Alexander. A coworker gave me the first two copies of this series when she finished them about two years ago. I don't think they're available in ebook form yet? Well...at least not legitimately I guess.

Fictionwise have them, in Mobipocket format, I think.

Craig.

Fictionwise have them, in Mobipocket format, I think.

Craig.

Cool! Thanks for the heads up Craig. I don't know how I missed that.

A Game of Thrones (http://fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook8629.htm)

A Storm of Swords (http://fictionwise.com/ebooks/eBook9380.htm)

I wonder how long it'll take to see this one as an ebook.... and at a reasonable price. This might be my first hard cover purchase :)

Craig.

According to Amazon, the book will be available on July 26, 2005. If you pre-order (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?path=ASIN/0553801503&link_code=as2&camp=1789&tag=mobileread-20&creative=9325") now, you save 34%!
I cannot believe it. Looks like Amazon screwed up. Now they are saying that the book will be available on November 8, 2005 ;(( A double check on Martin's site (http://www.georgerrmartin.com/) confirms that his publisher Bantam Spectra (US) will bring the book out on that date. At least the UK version will be available earlier, on October 17:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0002247437/mobileread-20/102-2435566-4198549?%5Fencoding=UTF8&camp=1789&link%5Fcode=xm2

Still, I don't know where Amazon comes up with its release dates if they are off by several months.

It's still not out (2-3 weeks to go), but at least you can read an excerpt at Locus Online:

http://www.locusmag.com/2005/Features/10_GRRM_Excerpt.html

I'm just debating whether I should go back and read the other books before plunging ahead with AFFC. It's been a while, and some of the details are a bit sketchy now...