Making an End

I've finally finished what's been written of The Song of Fire and Ice series. 5000 pages, a month and twenty-one days later.....and I still have no idea where Martin is taking us.

Here's what I wrote about Dance with Dragons on Goodreads:

This book was a marked improvement from the previous one but I still have a few problems with it. The introduction by Martin of one particular character that significantly undermines the importance of Dany was disappointing. Another story line came into being and ended, making it completely irrelevant. Sometimes it seems like Martin is writing on a whim, with direction but absolutely no discipline. This is slightly frustrating after reading 5000 pages of his work, but seeing no end - still! ...moreThis book was a marked improvement from the previous one but I still have a few problems with it. The introduction by Martin of one particular character that significantly undermines the importance of Dany was disappointing. Another story line came into being and ended, making it completely irrelevant. Sometimes it seems like Martin is writing on a whim, with direction but absolutely no discipline. This is slightly frustrating after reading 5000 pages of his work, but seeing no end - still! - to his "epic." The story is epic, sure, but it also seems like Martin is trying too hard to make it epic. That being said, I enjoy the twist and turns involved. They make for great surprises and this book did not disappoint in that regard. It's a fun read if you can manage to suppress any impatience with the manner of storytelling.

Now, the question is "how long do we have to wait for the sixth book?" I'm guessing a long while since Martin is now putting a lot of his energies toward the HBO series. We'll see.

This summer will forever be known as the Game of Thrones Summer. Ha!