io9 reports that "HBO's television adaptation of Game of Thrones will debut Sunday, April 17." Meanwhile, George RR Martin has no release date for A Dance with Dragons, the next book in the series of which Game is the first book.
If Game is successful and HBO decides to go through with TV versions of the entire series, the question will inevitably arise as to whether Martin will even manage to publish Dance before the other books are televised.
Another question I would be asking myself if I were the HBO exec in charge of green lighting the entire series is "how is Martin's health?" Unlike Robert Jordan, say, Martin is notorious for not working from an outline. He just sort of makes it up as he goes along. So if he croaks before finishing all seven volumes, there'll be no way for somebody like Brandon Sanderson to step up and finish the series. It's an especially legitimate question given the growing time between novels. There was a five year gap between Swords and Feast. At best there will be a six year gap between Feast and Dance. Project that out and it'll be 2018 before we see Winds and 2026 when we get Dreams. At which point Martin will be 78. Assuming he makes it that far.
And does anyone really believe Martin will be able to finish the series in just seven novels? Given his tendency to produce door stoppers, the odds have to be at least 50=50 that the series bloats out to 9 or 10 books.
Personally, I'm not entirely convinced we'll ever even see Dances. My theory is that Martin has no idea where he's going or, if he knows how it ends, he has no idea how to get there. he's not working from a detailed outline, he's just making it up as he goes along. And he's painted himself into a corner from which he can't get out. Or created a Gordian knot he can't cut.
Alternatively, he's come to loathe the series, but can't pull the plug because that would kill his revenues on things like TV series and calendars and all the rest of the crap he peddles.
In sum, I know George Martin is not my bitch. Contra Neil Gaiman, however, Martin does work for me and the rest of his fans. If he wants us to buy his books, watch his TV show, or buy his stupid minatures and art work and the rest of that crap, he owes us a product worth buying. We've essentially been buying Ice and Fire on the installment plan for over a decade. We've paid what amounts to subscription fees. He owes us the damned books.
