Dear George R. R. Martin,
Earlier today I noticed something that I wanted to bring to your attention at the earliest opportunity. For the past couple months, Amazon has listed the release date of Feast of Crows, the fourth installment of your superfreakingawesome Song of Ice and Fire series, as July 26 — that is, a mere three weeks away. However, today when I visited the listing the date had inexplicably become Nov. 1.
I admit that at first I let out a gargled little “Aaaargh,” a sound hard to reproduce typographically but — if this helps you imagine it — similar to the noise I made the other night when I found a daddy long-legs high-stepping across the working end of my toothbrush in the bathroom. I doubted you, George.
But now I realize that there must have been a dreadful mistake.
Right, George?
Right? Because when I see you there on your official home page, bobbing on Loch Ness and looking inscrutable behind your ChiPs shades, I feel an inchoate something rising in my heart. It’s hard to put into words but it sounds a little like “Aaaargh.”
Sincerely,
Carrie A.A. Frye
The previous date, like many previous dates listed on Amazon.com before the end of May, was calculated before Martin had turned in the manuscript to his publisher. At one point, Amazon.com predicted that the book would be delivered in November of 2002, and the sequel in the summer of last year.
If you’re a superfreakingobsessive Martin fan, you might consider ordering it off of Amazon.co.uk, which should have it several weeks earlier.
Comment by S. Tarzan — 7/6/2005 @ 12:00 am
Thanks, S.T.! I’ve seen the date change several times in the last couple years. For whatever reason I believed it this time, I think b/c it was listed as 7/26 as recently as a couple weeks ago. Ah well, as you say there’s always amazon.uk.
Are you a fan of the series as well?
Comment by CAAF — 7/6/2005 @ 12:07 am
I am a huge fan, Carrie–they’re weirdly compulsive, aren’t they? I read the first one randomly & then basically couldn’t rest or eat or sleep until I had read ALL the following ones. Sort of a recipe for mania and insanity. I don’t know that I have any urge to reread them, which distinguishes them from my very favorite books, but I still found them ridiculously compelling.
Comment by Jenny D — 7/6/2005 @ 2:44 am
Yes, ridiculously compelling is a great descript. It’s probably my favorite fantasy series going – though I also really like Robin Hobb’s Fool series (but prefer her Assassin trilogy).
One of the things I like about Martin – and why I find reading his books such a white-knuckler – is he’s not afraid to sacrifice his characters. He has terrible things happen to them. Or bumps them off. So as you’re following the saga there’s no comfort that, “Oh she’s bound to get out of this.” George R.R. Martin: Not afraid to kill his darlings.
Have you heard Gwenda raving about A Princess of Roumania? It comes out 8.1., and I think I’m going to comfort myself with that. Looks v. good.
Comment by CAAF — 7/6/2005 @ 8:32 am
Yes, I’ve already shopping-carted Princess of Roumania too!
Comment by Jenny D — 7/6/2005 @ 10:57 am
I also have a major thing for the Robin Hobb series (all of them). I even forgave her for the ridiculously drawn-out beginning to the most recent trilogy which basically had Fitz sitting on his arse in the woods whingeing for TWO HUNDRED PAGES!!!!
I’ve avoided the George R. R. Martin books because I vowed that I would never get caught up in a big fat fantasy trilogy again. I can’t stand waiting for the next book. It gnaws at me and drives me crazy. People who write trilogies or ongoing series are cruel bad people, especially if there’s more than a year between books. Because, Elvis knows, a year is long e-bloody-nough!
Comment by Justine Larbalestier — 7/6/2005 @ 12:47 pm
CAAF:
Well, I think my good sense has managed to keep me from paying for the 18-pound (!) express delivery from the UK and put up with a delay of maybe three days in receiving A Feast for Crows, so obviously not *that* good of a fan. But enough to have read them more times than I care to remember, at least; they are ridiculously compelling, and there’s a depth of characterization there that’s only apparent (to me at least) after several readings.
Comment by S. Tarzan — 7/6/2005 @ 6:06 pm
Justine, agreed, those people who write ongoing series are cruel vile people. Especially the trilogy writers, they’re the worst.
(Observers will please note that Ms. Larbalestier is two volumes into writing a fantastic trilogy.)
I wholeheartedly recommend the Martin series, though, J. Really phenomenal.
S.T., funny, I made the same decision regarding the cost of shipping just for the gratification of having the book two months early. I decided I can wait. Have already been waiting *years*, what’s a couple months. (By the way, I sound ungrateful to Martin here and in my post, and I don’t mean to. I think he is fab – I’m just eager to get my hands on the next book.)
I haven’t reread any of the series yet but am sure I will someday, probably after he concludes it. I used to do a pass through Lord of the Rings every October, why not this one?
Comment by CAAF — 7/8/2005 @ 10:40 am