Octopus Overlords

Zaxxon wrote:Re-re-reading the series again, in honor of this:

Tower of the Hand wrote:Over at the Terry Brooks Forum, Shawn Speakman reports from Comic-Con, where GRRM's editor Anne Groell says she expects to get the final draft of A Dance with Dragons by October or November. Here's the relevant passage:

Shawn Speakman wrote: George has indeed passed the 1000 page mark as of last week and those are, to him according to Anne, finished pages that will not be returned to. He also has several hundred more pages of not completed chapters that every week he makes progress on. Some of those will be in Dance; others will be in the next book. Anne also thinks she'll be getting the book by October or November, which to her would probably make it a February or March 2010 release, although the progress he is making is quickly happening and she could receive it sooner if those incomplete or mostly complete chapters come together faster.

This basically confirms what GRRM has said recently, but it's good to see another source on his progress.

Yes, we've had countless 'progress! Soon now!' notes, but this one is actually from someone who actually knows what's going on other than GRRM...

Anyone else in the process of reading or re-reading the series?

Sith Lord wrote:Good to hear from a 3rd-party that GRRM's finally nearing home plate on the next book. It's tough to think, though, that I'll have finished his next book within a week after it's published and then I'll have another 4+ year slog to get to the next one.

Zaxxon wrote:Re-re-reading the series again, in honor of this:

Tower of the Hand wrote:Over at the Terry Brooks Forum, Shawn Speakman reports from Comic-Con, where GRRM's editor Anne Groell says she expects to get the final draft of A Dance with Dragons by October or November. Here's the relevant passage:

Shawn Speakman wrote: George has indeed passed the 1000 page mark as of last week and those are, to him according to Anne, finished pages that will not be returned to. He also has several hundred more pages of not completed chapters that every week he makes progress on. Some of those will be in Dance; [b]others will be in the next book.[/b] Anne also thinks she'll be getting the book by October or November, which to her would probably make it a February or March 2010 release, although the progress he is making is quickly happening and she could receive it sooner if those incomplete or mostly complete chapters come together faster.

This basically confirms what GRRM has said recently, but it's good to see another source on his progress.

Yes, we've had countless 'progress! Soon now!' notes, but this one is actually from someone who actually knows what's going on other than GRRM...

Anyone else in the process of reading or re-reading the series?

Zaxxon wrote:I've just started re-reading A Game of Thrones in prep for the (hopeful) release of A Dance With Dragons in mid-2009. I know there's nothing official putting release at that point, but I'm tired of waiting, so I'm starting now.

Hello from Amazon.com.

We're writing about the order you placed on January 29 2009 (Order# xxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxxxx). Unfortunately, the release date for the item(s) listed below has changed, and we need to provide you with a new delivery estimate based on the new release date:

George R.R. Martin "A Dance with Dragons (Song of Ice and Fire)"
Estimated arrival date: October 01 2010 - October 05 2010

If you still want us to ship the delayed items when they do become available (though they may arrive later than expected) please visit this address to approve the delay:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/css/summary/ed ... xxxxxxxxxx" target="_blank

If you do not approve this delay by October 30 2009, we will cancel the item. However, if the item becomes available before that date, we will automatically ship it to you.

If there are other items in your order, they'll be shipped according to the delivery estimates listed in the order details in "Your Account" (http://www.amazon.com/your-account" target="_blank).

By approving the new delivery estimate, you are letting us know that you still want the item(s) though they may arrive later than expected. If there are other items in your order, they will ship according to the delivery estimates listed in the order details in "Your Account" (http://www.amazon.com/your-account" target="_blank).

We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this delay.

Zaxxon wrote:I wouldn't put any stock in that date; Amazon has no idea.

Crabbs wrote:

Zaxxon wrote:I wouldn't put any stock in that date; Amazon has no idea.

I think that it's actually optimistic.

Suvudu Experts wrote:How we think the fight will go
Hermione had prepped even harder for this battle than she had for her O.W.L.s, and in much the same fashion—by hitting the library. She had read d’Artagnan’s Duelling for Dunces, and knew Montoya’s The Soul of a Swordsman by heart. And even though it meant learning a little Valyrian, she had memorized all of the properties of Valyrian steel. The magic that coursed within the Kingslayer’s sword would repel expelliarmus, cut through a shield charm, and rebound a blasting curse upon its caster.

And yet she was unprepared for the moment in which the golden-haired warrior strode into the clearing in the Forbidden Forest. How could she ever have swooned over Gilderoy Lockhart? Jaime’s blond hair shone even in the darkness. And his green eyes, so like the sea after a storm… For a moment, she couldn’t remember quite what she had planned to do.

Her hesitation gave Jaime just enough time to unsheathe his sword. Jaime knew he should not underestimate this little wench, with her bushy brown hair and largish front teeth, so unlike his sweet sister. He would have one shot, no easy task with his still unpracticed left hand, his useless golden right. But one quick slash would even the score.

He would take her right hand, in which she gripped that infernal wand.

Gather, Hermione, gather, she said to herself, and cried “Confundus!” just as Jaime swung his sword. The Kingslayer was not so easily confounded as that McLaggen creep, however; he did not lose his footing, nor his grip on his sword. Jaime moved into his next attack with the preternatural quickness of a Dementor, but Hermione’s avis charm proved faster. A flock of birds circled Jaime’s head and threw off his aim. But with one mercilessly accurate slash he neatly sliced through all of them and their little corpses fell to the ground.

Jaime felt a thrill of pride and power as he brought his sword back for the killing blow. And for a moment, he was sure he had her—

—But then the world suddenly turned upside down.

Hermione had to admit that Jaime was markedly less glamorous dangling upside down, his sword waving around uselessly, the victim of a Levicorpus charm. In fact, she could not quite find it within herself to finish him off. She saw in his eyes such a look of torment and sorrow that she realized how deeply misunderstood he was, how he had suffered…

Later Jaime would not even remember hearing the little witch cry “Obliviate!” But he had just one moment of consciousness—one moment, as the painful memories of his glorious past, of losing his hand, of Cersei’s face, slipped away—in which to whisper “Thank you.”

Predicted Winner: Hermione Granger (Five points to Gryffindor!)

GRRM wrote:No, no.

Jaime does not actually own a Valyrian steel sword. The blade he used to kill King Aerys is common castle-forged steel, gilded to match his golden armor. But he can certainly get hold of a Valyrian blade for the fight — Widow’s Wail, the twin to Oathkeeper, both made when his father had Ice melted down and reforged. Widow’s Wail went to Joffrey, but we all know how that turned out. Now it belongs to Tommen, but the kid’s not old enough to use it.

A sword is not enough, though. This duel is life and death. Jaime is not likely to prance into that clearing smiling and clad only in cloth. He’ll armor himself before the match. His gilded plate-and-mail (this is not a fit occasion for the white of the Kingsguard), a crimson cloak, and a shield strapped to his right arm and emblazoned with the lion of Lannister. And of course he will have a helm. Knights who enter battle without one are soon dead. He can smile at Hermione before the match, then lower his visor. The helm, of course, would be fashioned in the shape of a maned lion. (Oddly enough, the Lannister arms look a lot like those of Gryffindor, which might give Hermione a moment’s pause).

He’s not going to waste time and effort swatting at birds with his sword, either. He’s encased in gilded steel. What are they going to do, crap on him? He’ll rush right through the birds, and go straight for Hermione. A sword is not a knight’s only weapon. While she’s watching the blade, he will slam his shield right into her face, knock her off her feet. Let her try and mumble those spells with a mouthful of broken teeth.

And if somehow Granger does get off that spell (cheating, really) and turn him upside down, Jaime is more likely to undo the straps on his shield and fling it at her head then to hang there meekly waiting to die.

But hey, let’s say everything goes the way your “experts” say it will, and Hermione wins. Sad to say, she will not live long to enjoy her victory. Sometime very soon, when she least expects it, a “boy” she does not know will bump up against her in the corridors of Hogwarts… and suddenly she’ll find a dagger sliding through her ribs, right into her heart. “A Lannister always pays his debts,” Tyrion will say, as he slips back into the shadows.

theohall wrote:and yet he finds it difficult to finish his book

GRRM wrote:"Books?" Jaime said. "How can books help me in a fight?"

"They can tell you more about this thing you're fighting." Tyrion dumped the dusty tomes down on the table.

"Cthulhu," said Jaime. "It sounds like the noise old men make when they're bringing up phelgm." He rummaged through the books with his good hand. They had odd titles, in languages he did not know, though he was not surprised his brother did. "Abdul Alhazared," he pronounced, leafing through a few pages. "This is written in gibberish. What tongue is this?"

"A fair question," said Tyrion, "to which I have no answer. That comes from the shadowlands beyond Asshai. But here, look at this. It is a translation of a translation of a translation, I understand." The dwarf flipped through the pages, until he found the one he wanted. "And there are illuminations. Here. This is Cthulhu."

Jaime stared. "That?"

"That."

"It's as big as Casterly Rock."

"Bigger. If Casterly Rock fell on its head it might not even notice."

GreenGoo wrote:Instead I just have to let time do its work and hope Martin doesn't die before I get another chance to read it again.

Jow wrote:I have the great benefit of having started my first readthrough of this series fairly recently and am now about 200 pages into book 2. Loving it, though I have to be careful what I read as spoilers abound.

GreenGoo wrote:Since then I've been trying to keep an eye on the "what I'm reading" threads to hopefully catch sight of the next gem. The small problem with that is that it was based on numerous recommendations here that I picked up the Salvawhatever Dark Elf book. That book set fantasy back like a decade on my reading preference list. That thing was god awful. I'll have to be equally diligent watching for other landmines of that magnitude.

GreenGoo wrote:I don't know why it offended me so badly. I hate that book and by extension the author. I still rant about it occasionally. You'd think it punched my kid in the back of the head with a set of keys.

I don't want to talk about it any more. Angry making.

GreenGoo wrote:I remember looking for something to read and hearing about this series here at OO. Well, I'd seen it referenced for quite awhile before but wasn't interested. Fantasy in general had been off my list for awhile. Too many terrible books in a row. I picked up the first book and started to read. Hmmm, I said. Got a little deeper into it and the next thing you know I'm gorging myself on the series like a starving man with a thanks giving turkey.

Sith Lord wrote:I adored the Drizz't books, particularly the early ones. I wasn't a huge fan of the halfling and I despised Salvatore's "Woods out Back" book(s), but I like Drizz't and Artemis Entreri.

Sith Lord wrote:Agreed - they're not great literature, just fun reads.

Zaxxon wrote:Why is there no joy in your life? Think of the children!

Zaxxon wrote:Briar King--good one.

Kelric wrote:

Zaxxon wrote:Briar King--good one.

Agreed.

GreenGoo wrote: I just finished the Colour of Magic, the very first Disc World book. For the first time. That's right, my very first step into the Disc World world just occurred this year.

Gryndyl wrote:

GreenGoo wrote: I just finished the Colour of Magic, the very first Disc World book. For the first time. That's right, my very first step into the Disc World world just occurred this year.

Boy do you ever have a pile of grins just waiting for you. There's a whole lotta Discworld.

Zaxxon wrote:Suvudu Cage Match: Round 2 - Cthulhu vs Jaime Lannister

Hilariously, the voting has Lannister ahead....

Excerpt from GRRM's writeup:

GRRM wrote:"Books?" Jaime said. "How can books help me in a fight?"

"They can tell you more about this thing you're fighting." Tyrion dumped the dusty tomes down on the table.

"Cthulhu," said Jaime. "It sounds like the noise old men make when they're bringing up phelgm." He rummaged through the books with his good hand. They had odd titles, in languages he did not know, though he was not surprised his brother did. "Abdul Alhazared," he pronounced, leafing through a few pages. "This is written in gibberish. What tongue is this?"

"A fair question," said Tyrion, "to which I have no answer. That comes from the shadowlands beyond Asshai. But here, look at this. It is a translation of a translation of a translation, I understand." The dwarf flipped through the pages, until he found the one he wanted. "And there are illuminations. Here. This is Cthulhu."

Jaime stared. "That?"

"That."

"It's as big as Casterly Rock."

"Bigger. If Casterly Rock fell on its head it might not even notice."