Jay Solo (mail) (www):
I couldn't get into Martin when my sister loaned me the first book. It's a good thing the fans like him so much though, considering how sloooow he is, even making Jordan look good.

Hopefully Knife of Dreams will be Jordan remembering and revisiting his excellent writing of books one through six, and not another waste.

In movies, you forgot Narnia this year.
5.31.2005 11:25am
Chris Reid (www):
There's another harry potter movie coming out in '05? And you didn't mention the Hitchhiker's Guide movie?
5.31.2005 12:06pm
Andrew Ian Dodge (mail) (www):
Harry Potter sci-fi? Um wtf?
5.31.2005 12:20pm
Jay Solo (mail) (www):
I thinkl he meant SF, in the sense of "speculative fiction," encompassing fantasy as well as skiffy.
5.31.2005 12:59pm
Jay Solo (mail) (www):
That's "think" not "thinkl." I think thinkl would be some fictitional word or something.
5.31.2005 1:00pm
Jerry Kindall (www):
Star Wars: not sci-fi. Harry Potter: not sci-fi. George R. R. Martin: Well, he's written some sci-fi, but that's not sci-fi.

So yeah, a good year for sci-fi. ;)
5.31.2005 1:01pm
Steven Malcolm Anderson (www):
Xrxqtl
5.31.2005 1:50pm
Kacie Landrum (mail) (www):
Yeah, I couldn't get into Martin either. But I'm more of a sci-fi person than a fantasy person generally anyway.

I have, however, been enjoying rereading H.G. Wells. "The Time Machine," "The War of the Worlds." Now THAT'S great sci-fi, and isn't there a WOTW movie coming out this year?
5.31.2005 2:46pm
Deanna Barr (mail):
George R. R. Martin is one of my favorite authors. I just checked at Amazon, and I see there's a fourth book out in the "Throne" series. Guess I'll have to go pick that up.
5.31.2005 5:06pm
BigFire (mail):
Re: Deanna

George has had 'better idea' regarding his book 4 in the series a while back (2.5 years ago) which resulted in him completely re-writting the entire book. This has made the gap between book 3&4 much much longer than what his fan can mentally take.

Now that he's teasing with this almost done shtick, rabid fans would almost go to his doorstep and drag the book out of him...
5.31.2005 6:06pm
Alan at TYL (www):
I used to work for Martin's literary agent. Here's what happened on the new book: he decided to start it 15 years after where the last book left off, wrote half of the new book and then realized the book sucked and trashed the whole thing and started over. The just finished book begins where the last one left off.

Other interesting factoid: Martin has so many characaters in this series that he routinely uses fan sites to refresh his memory on the history of his own characters.

If you like fantasy at all, this is easily one of the best out there. It's dark (like Tokien meets the Godfather) but incredible.
5.31.2005 11:37pm
triticale (mail) (www):
Thinkl is sort of a simpler relative of reading while taking a dump.

Speculative fiction highlight of the year so far? The Mercedes Lackey book wherein I am Tuckerized finally came out.
6.1.2005 12:27am
Deanna Barr (mail):
It's been a while since I've read the series. Perhaps I'll go re-read 1-3 before I get the fourth.

None of my favorite authors write fast enough to suite me.
6.1.2005 5:28pm
B. Durbin (www):
Yay! New book!

And Andrew, you like Steven Brust, huh? Could you be so kind as to email me and tell me what you think an iorich looks like, because, "It's not a bird— maybe the artist could come up with something" and I really have no idea. Please... :)

(Yes, that was the entire feedback I got on that one.)
6.1.2005 6:38pm