What are you reading right now? (possible RotE spoilers)

[o0Ampy0o]

Norma J,

You may have gotten a mistaken impression of George R.R. Martin and A Song of Ice and Fire. I hope you can set aside your initial perceptions and find the treasure in the series. Martin was the author that proved to me good writing transcends a genre.

I was not interested in fantasy. I only read non-fiction. Everything else was a waste of time IMO. People strongly recommended Martin because he wrote so well and his characters were so rich.

Martin develops many characters not just a couple in his stories. They are three-dimensional maybe even five-dimensional? There are many to love, even the evil people. Martin is not afraid to build a favorite character then drastically alter them through events or kill them off. He is a Master of character development.

It has been a while but it could not have taken long to grab me or I would have abandoned the first book in the series. I loved the first three books. I was in love as I read them.

I have not read beyond Storm of Swords. The books that have followed have been met with strong criticism. Until the series is complete we will not know whether everything written is essential and what may be superfluous. If it turns out that Martin wandered too far from his original focus perhaps within my lifetime there will be an editor's cut that removes the perceived bloat in the later books. Maybe a fan will find this a worthwhile project......no adding allowed, just trimming the fat. I am waiting until the final book(s) is/are completed before continuing on past Storm of Swords.