The Martin Paradox: Has G.R.R. Martin Written Himself into a Corner?

I love the Game of Thrones series on HBO. I also enjoyed the books it was based on…mostly (they move painfully slow, but that’s for another time.)

            G.R.R. Martin is five books into his A Song of Ice and Fire series, the first of which was published in 1996. He has since published a new volume every five years or so.

            The TV series began in March of 2010 and is now in its sixth season. Each season roughly follows a book in the series. As a result, plot of the TV show has now caught up with the plot of the books. The sixth book is due this year (maybe). The next book (which I believe is set to be the series finale) will likely be published around 2021.

            So here is Martin’s dilemma:

1.     At this rate, the TV show will be the ultimate spoiler for his last one or two books if they follow the same plot. The remaining books will just be a rehash of the TV show (which would be an interesting reversal of the usual pattern).

So he can’t do that, can he?

 

2.     If the books follow a different story arc, fans’ heads will explode, the Ice and Fire universe will be torn asunder. I’m talking biblical proportions here: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.

So he can’t do that either, can he?

 

 

So what is Martin to do?

We'll just have to wait and see. He's a very smart guy. I'm sure he'll figure something out.