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Originally Posted by BetterRead
Pity those of us who bought and read the first book when it was published in hardcover waaaaaay back in 1996. Other than saying that it was the "start of an epic series", there was no indication how long it would be. I think most people expected a trilogy. (I know I did.) I later remember reading that there were 7 books planned, in keeping with the Seven Kingdoms.
The author's blurb on the dust jacket also says that GRRM "is presently at work on A Dance with Dragons, the second book of A Song of Ice and Fire". Well, as we now know, A Dance with Dragons was the title of the 5th published book, in 2011.
I reread the first 3 books before the 4th came out (as I couldn't remember all the characters & plots), but I held off reading the 4th as GRRM led people to believe that the 5th would be coming out relatively soon. (The 5th had been split off from the 4th, with the 2 books occurring simultaneously but following different specific sets of characters). When it took another 6 years for this "nearly completed" book 5 to be published, I stopped reading the series entirely. I figured the chances of GRRM ever completing the story on paper were practically nil.
Love the HBO series, though.
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Yes, it's awful to have read some of the best and most important fantasy books in decades.