[ursAxZA]

If you compare the viewership of Game of Thrones with the readership of the original novels, the gap is enormous — not because one is “better,” but because different media win different kinds of attention.

Most people are never choosing between Being and Time and an HN thread. But if they were forced to choose, we already know which one would dominate sheer engagement.

That doesn’t mean HN replaces philosophy — it just means that attention has its own economics. And any medium that captures attention will inevitably show qualities (good and bad) that heavyweight works simply can’t compete with.

[qntmfred]

"soon, this whole structure will stop existing..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE68aF538e0

[bossyTeacher]

>If you compare the viewership of Game of Thrones with the readership of the original novels

The novels are unfinished though and I hardly believe they will be completed by him seeing how the penultimate novel has taken him over a decade to do about 75% of it and him being 77 already. I would never start a series I know it is unlikely to be completed.

[gcanyon]

I'll point out that I read Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos series, which started in 1983, is projected to run to 19 books with 17 done. Brust is 70, but he appears to be in reasonable shape, and the books have been pretty regular of late, so it looks like he'll finish.

I also read the War Against the Chtorr series by David Gerrold. That also started in 1983, but the last published book, the 4th of 7, came out in 1993. Gerrold being 81, despite his claims for almost a decade that books 5 and 6 are near completion, I am confident I will not see the end of the series written by him :-(

[lazyasciiart]

> the books have been pretty regular of late, so it looks like he'll finish.

That was true for GRRM twenty years ago, but not today.

[gcanyon]

Last I read was early 2025, Brust was saying that he had over half of the next-to-last book written, and as I said, he's been on a pretty regular schedule. Plus, he's not (only) telling a single story that has to come to some earth-shattering conclusion (as GRRM is). It would be nice if he pulled that off, but there is a lot going on in the background of his Dragaera that I expect he won't fully resolve: there are multiple types of death, multiple types of magic, Vlad is the reincarnation of an ancient Dragaeran, he's going to/has killed a god, the Jenoine are a mystery to resolve, and the whole planet has a science fictional foundation despite very clearly being fantasy in general.

But maybe he will; I'm actually several books behind at this point -- I'm pretty much waiting for him to finish so I can (re) read the whole thing from start to finish.

[bossyTeacher]

I wish george martin took care of his health. Surprised to see Gerrold mentioned here! I read The Man Who Folded Himself a long time and it is the first fiction book I ever had the pleasure to read where all characters were the same person

[gcanyon]

I haven't read that, I'll look it up! <spoiler> Have you read By His Bootstraps and All You Zombies by Heinlein?

[xarope]

I started A Game of Thrones in 1996, when I walked into a bookstore out of the cold in Toronto, and asked for a recommendation (I will always remember that day for several reasons, not just A Song of Fire and Ice!)

30 years later (give or take a week), I don't expect to ever see the end; I have a feeling GRRM has kind of lost interest/passion in the Song of Fire and Ice series, since he's started churning out other stuff like Dunk, but you know what, its ok.

[bryanrasmussen]

I think GRRM is failing the first two obligations of the author: https://medium.com/luminasticity/obligations-of-the-author-0...

Finish what you start — When starting a work that has readers or viewers, complete it if it is financially rewarding to do so. You have unfortunately made an aesthetic promise to your readers in exchange for money. Suck it up.

Keep Your Customers Informed — If you will not be able to do the first, inform people as soon as possible.

[ninalanyon]

I'm with Gaiman on this. No author has any obligation, ethical or otherwise, to provide further books in a series to the readers unless those readers are paying hard cash upfront for the missing books.

And what on earth is is an 'aesthetic promise'?

[bryanrasmussen]

from the phrase I would expect that "aesthetic promise" is similar to a monetary promise, except as applied to aesthetics instead of money. A promise that something will be given.

from reading the article "aesthetic promise" seems to be "that particular bit of aesthetic satisfaction that you counted on when starting out on the series", in other words, one of the aesthetic promises of a continuing series of books is that there is a conclusion, so you read one book and the next, expecting that at some point they will all be put together into a whole.

Rather like how readers of Dickens day started reading his serialized novels in their papers expecting that the novel would in fact have an ending.

[djeastm]

>unless those readers are paying hard cash upfront for the missing books.

Back a few years ago plenty of people would have done this if it had been offered. Maybe that would've helped his writer's block.

[latexr]

> I would never start a series I know it is unlikely to be completed.

As someone who can relate, I advise revisiting that stance. I discovered there is a lot of value to be gained from some unfinished works, and there are some finished works which would had best be left unfinished.

[ronsor]

At this rate, GRRM's novels will be finished by AI whether he likes it or not.

[shigawire]

Slap Brandon Sanderson in there and they'll be done in 2 years.

[nl]

Give him The Kingkiller Chronicle to finish first please!

[disgruntledphd2]

While Sanderson might be able to do Kingkiller, he wouldn't work for Game of Thrones. Steven Erikson, on the other hand...