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Not necessarily. 70 isn't all that old! Since it's unlikely we'll be running any marathons at that age, it leaves plenty of time for writing! :)

My deduction would be a mix of writing hassles and considerations for the TV series. I can vouch first-hand for how absolutely horrible it is to try to finish a piece of writing. (The only thing I find more difficult than nailing an ending is finding a good starting point. :p) But it would also make perfect sense for HBO to have contracted things so that Martin could not release the final novels until the show had been resolved on the screen. As annoying as I would find that, it makes really good business sense.

Can't begin to list off how many absolutely brilliant stories I've read that feel like they fall apart at the end. Whether it feels rushed, preachy, off-beat, or (in the worst cases) like it's completely missing its own themes...it's possible for things to faceplant right at the end. From the perspective of a film / television producer (especially if I'm investing in an unfinished work), it would be smart to ensure that people need to watch my production to get the ending. If it comes out in print first, and people don't universally love it, that could seriously impact the ratings / turnout when the film version releases.
So everyone thought with Robert Jordan. :(
 
it might not be high literature by any standards by im currently reading through several light novels. Stuff like Konosuba, The irregular at magic high, Toradora, Overlord, Goblin Slayer, and so im a spider so what. Pretty much all of them have been made into animes but i really love reading them instead of just watching it, theres so much more to them when they are written :)
 
it might not be high literature by any standards by im currently reading through several light novels. Stuff like Konosuba, The irregular at magic high, Toradora, Overlord, Goblin Slayer, and so im a spider so what. Pretty much all of them have been made into animes but i really love reading them instead of just watching it, theres so much more to them when they are written :)

Mm-hm! My argument is that screen or stage experiences are dominated by sight and sound. Writing (especially without images) can more readily incorporate all the senses.
 
Elizabeth George's A Traitor to Memory. Only just started last night, but I'm already liking it.
Fantasy is great and all, but it's refreshing to read something else in between novels. :p
 
Over a month later and I still haven't returned to fantasy.

Currently in the middle of Independent People by Halldór Laxness. It\s very different from what I usually read, the text is tiny, and the book is well over 500 pages. Liking the story even though it is quite dark.

I don't think I've ever read an Icelandic book before; they are not what I would call common. Not here, anyway.
 
Love reading. Currently revisiting Judge Dredd with a lot of the collected editions. Read these a lot as a young teen. They're still great.

Anyone into fantasy should look at the original Robert E Howard Conan stories. They are short stories of dark fantasy but he has a way with words and they are really great. I imagine fans of the Witcher books or Game of throne may enjoy the tone.

John Wyndham is another great author that younger people may not be aware of. Lots of great books including The Day of the Triffids, The Kraken Wakes, The Crysallids, The Midwich Cuckoos, The Trouble with Lichen, and Chocky.

Terry brooks Shannara books are great particularly The heritage of Shannara (4 books).

Robin Hobb The liveship series and Assassin series.

My favourite books though, 13 novels by Peter O'Donnell, The Modesty Blaise books. Amazingly fun James Bond style stories. He also did masses of newspaper comic strips based off this character which are great, but the novels can't be beat.
 
Anyone into fantasy should look at the original Robert E Howard Conan stories.

I found those to be surprisingly good. The movies from the '80s (while still fun in their ow right) are downright silly compared to the Conan that Howard created.
 
In honor of A Game of Thrones Season 8 starting tonight I thought I would share my preferred way to read "A Feast for Crows" and "A Dance with Dragons." The two books were too big to release as one, and though they happen simultaneously, each mostly focuses on different characters. So this list combines the two together:

PROLOGUE (ADWD p. 3)
THE PROPHET (AFFC p. 17)
CAPTAIN OF GUARDS (AFFC p. 30)
CERSEI I (AFFC p. 46)
TYRION I (ADWD p. 16)
DAENERYS I (ADWD p. 31)
JON I (ADWD p. 46)
BRIENNE I (AFFC p.56)
ARYA I (AFFC p.87)
BRAN I (ADWD p. 60)
TYRION II (ADWD p. 71)
DAVOS I (ADWD p. 123)
CERSEI II (AFFC p. 99)
JAMIE I (AFFC p. 116)
BRIENNE II (AFFC p.130)
SANSA I (AFFC p. 145)
SAMWELL I (AFFC)
JON II (ADWD p. 95)
TYRION III (ADWD p. 112)
KRACKEN’S DAUGHTER (FC p. 159)
REEK I (ADWD p. 161)
CERSEI III (AFFC p. 172)
JON III (ADWD p. 134)
DAENERYS II (ADWD p. 148)
BRAN II (ADWD p. 169)
THE SOILED KNIGHT (AFFC p. 185)
BRIENNE III (AFFC p. 199)
DAVOS II (ADWD p. 192)
SAMWELL II (AFFC p. 215)
JAMIE II (AFFC p. 226)
TYRION IV (ADWD p. 179)
CERSEI IV (AFFC p. 238)
THE IRON CAPTAIN (AFFC p .255)
THE DROWNED MAN (AFFC p. 267)
DAENERYS III (ADWD p. 203)
JON IV (ADWD p. 218)
DAVOS III (ADWD p. 243)
THE QUEENMAKER (AFFC p. 298)
BRIENNE IV (AFFC p. 280)
ALAYNE I (AFFC p. 328)
CERSEI V (AFFC p. 344)
TYRION V (ADWD p. 232)
REEK II (ADWD p. 253)
ARYA II (AFFC p. 312)
THE PRINCESS IN THE TOWER (AFFC p. 587)
THE MERCHANT’S MAN (ADWD p. 83)
JAMIE III (AFFC p. 391)
BRIENNE V (AFFC p. 363)
CERSEI VI (AFFC p. 410)
JON V (ADWD p. 267)
SAMWELL III (AFFC p. 377)
DAENERYS IV (ADWD p. 293)
THE REAVER (AFFC p. 427)
TYRION VI (ADWD p. 276)
CERSEI VII (AFFC p. 473)
THE LOST LORD (ADWD p. 306)
THE WINDBLOWN (ADWD p. 320)
WAYWARD BRIDE (ADWD p. 332)
JON VI (ADWD p. 372)
DAVOS IV (ADWD p. 382)
MELISANDRE I (ADWD p. 407)

PROLOGUE (AFFC p. 1)
TYRION VII (ADWD p. 351)
DAENERYS V (ADWD p. 395)
JAMIE IV (AFFC p. 445)
CAT OF THE CANALS (AFFC p. 504)
BRIENNE VI (AFFC p. 460)
JON VII (ADWD p. 461)
SAMWELL IV (AFFC p. 519)
CERSEI VIII (AFFC p. 529)
JAMIE V (AFFC p. 485)
TYRION VIII (ADWD p. 434)
REEK III (ADWD p. 420)
BRAN III (ADWD p. 448)
DAENERYS VI (ADWD p. 473)
BRIENNE VII (AFFC p. 546)
JAMIE VI (AFFC p. 561)
PRINCE OF WINTERFELL D p. 484 )
THE WATCHER (ADWD p. 500)
JON VIII (ADWD p. 514)
CERSEI IX (AFFC p. 574)
TYRION IX (ADWD p. 524)
THE TURNCLOAK (ADWD p. 536)
THE KING’S PRIZE (ADWD p. 549)
DAENERYS VII (ADWD p. 564
ALAYNE II (AFFC p. 605)
BRIENNE VIII (AFFC p. 628)
CERSEI X (AFFC p. 642)
JAMIE VII (AFFC p .658)
JON IX (ADWD p. 579)
THE BLIND GIRL (ADWD p. 593)
GHOST IN WINTERFELL(ADWD p. 605)
TYRION X (ADWD p. 618)
JON X (ADWD)
SAMWELL V (AFFC p. 672)
DAENERYS VIII (ADWD)
THEON I (ADWD)
DAENERYS IX (ADWD)
JON XI (ADWD)
JAMIE I (ADWD)*
CERSEI I (ADWD)
THE QUEENSGUARD (ADWD)
THE IRON SUITOR (ADWD)
TYRION XI (ADWD)
JON XII (ADWD)
THE DISCARDED KNIGHT (ADWD)
THE SPURNED SUITOR (ADWD)
THE GRIFFIN REBORN (ADWD)
THE SACRIFICE (ADWD)
VICTORIAN I (ADWD)
UGLY LITTLE GIRL (ADWD)
CERSEI II (ADWD)
TYRION XII (ADWD)
THE DRAGONTAMER (ADWD)
THE KINGBREAKER (ADWD)
JON XIII (ADWD)
THE QUEEN’S HAND (ADWD)
DAENERYS X (ADWD)
EPILOGUE (ADWD)

*Jaime I in ADWD is read out of order compared to the book, because it feels to me like it should be read just before Cersei's chapter that follows.
 
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I like this quote.

All architecture is great architecture after sunset; perhaps architecture is really a nocturnal art, like the art of fireworks. - Gilbert Chesterton
 
I've finished Anthony Burgess "The Wanting Seed". While not as good as the "Clockwork Orange", it was still interesting. Currently going through Charles Stross "Accelerando" and while first two "Singularity" books were OK, I think I'm suffering from reading too much of his work one after another (Laundry Files) and from his over-extensive use of technical jargon. After I finish struggling through it I will probably go back to "Humans as Gods" by Sergey Snegov - I've got like 10-15 books from my wife with works of russian s-f writers and I need to finally read them.

The last non-fiction book I've read was "

Losing Military Supremacy: The Myopia of American Strategic Planning" by Andrei Martyanov and I'm itching to read "More on War" by Martin van Creveld.
 
Just finishing Agency by William Gibson. Not typically cyberpunk but Gibson delivers a story with immense style. There are many moments that make me think of the Sprawl trilogy without actually referencing them. Simply a fantastic book. If you haven't read The Peripheral you have to in order to fully enjoy this one.
 
I'm about to finish The Republic of Thieves, by Scott Lynch. Not the best book of the Gentleman Bastard series but a good enough read still. Some nice lore revelations as well and, of course, some good comedy and witty dialogs here and there :ok: Hopefully The Thorn of Emberlain isn't too far away, I imagine it might be out in a year or so.
 
Borrowed a couple of recommended scifi books from a library last Saturday, after I'd finally finished my previous project.

Already finished Ender's Game (awesome story, but I'm not interested in its movie adaptation) and currently am almost 200 pages into Dune. I've been reading several hours per evening, that's how good the books are.
(Dune is a hardcover and quite difficult to handle due to how massive it is.)
 
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