George R.R. Martin has returned to his blog after a few months. He talks about some personal problems. This makes MeinMMO editor Nikolas Hernes ponder whether the author should even finish his series.
On August 3rd, George R.R. Martin returned on his own blog (georgerrmartin.com). This time, there is a short but also sad update. He explains that his last post was in February and how stressful his year has been.
Besides some positive things, there were also nightmares for him. He has lost friends and struggles with depression. According to him, the worst is yet to come. He turned 77 last year and getting old is not fun
.
Aside from the Emmy nominations for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, he doesn’t talk about his works, and that’s probably a good thing. He should just never finish Winds of Winter, because he doesn’t have to.
George R. R. Martin owes nothing to anyone
For a long time, it has been a meme that Martin will probably never finish his series. No matter what he does, everything is put into the context of Winds of Winter. We also published a list of what he has done since the last novel of A Song of Ice and Fire.
And there is probably nothing wrong with that per se. His novels are a part of pop culture and fans are eager for an ending, especially after the controversial ending of Game of Thrones, that comes from the author himself. However, his post about his health makes me ponder and quite honestly: He should just not finish the series.
Even if he doesn’t connect his health with writing, I still think about the many fan wishes for Winds of Winter
. Most of them are not meant to be malicious, but they create pressure, not only publicly but also likely for the author himself. Even if Martin never talks about it, it is unlikely that he is not constantly confronted with it.
Together with the unsatisfactory ending of the series, one can probably assume that there is also great pressure on him. Often, his age is also an aspect in the argument, and it must be terrible to be constantly confronted with the fact that he is old and may never finish his works.
But: Martin owes nothing to the fans and the world. He does not have to finish the book.
Martin has created a world that has continued to grow and expand despite the absence of a book. Sure, it would be nice to know what happens in Westeros, but I would rather have no ending than one that Martin himself is not satisfied with. In his place, I also would not finish it if there is a danger of upsetting the fans.
Sometimes you just can’t finish works.
If George R. R. Martin is unable to finish his work for creative, health, or other reasons, then that is how it is. He has created a world that will likely always be a part of pop culture.
But what do you think? Do you want an ending to the series, even if someone else has to write it in an emergency? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments. Martin is also a comic fan and a story from Spider-Man did not please him at all: A Spider-Man comic is so bad that even George R.R. Martin complained about it 18 years later
A question that is often asked in this case is: Could someone else finish the series?
Should stories by other authors be finished
Back in 2021, I asked myself whether works by other authors should be finished if it can’t be helped. At that time, Kentarō Miura, the mangaka behind Berserk, passed away. The question quickly arose whether and who would continue the manga. Today we know: Kouji Mori, a friend of the late mangaka, has taken over.
There are also positive examples, like Brandon Sanderson. He finished the series The Wheel of Time after the author Robert Jordan passed away (at the request of his widow). Looking at the community’s opinion, such as on Quora or Reddit, many are satisfied with the works written by Sanderson, even though he has a different style.
The more I think about it, the closer I come to the conclusion: I don’t want that. Even if another author does a good job and has many notes available – It is not the work of the original author. Not everything can be copied, and I also wonder: Why should one even do that?
To put it bluntly, the journey is the destination
, and even though I would like to see an ending, I can also enjoy works like Hunter x Hunter, Vagabond or A Song of Ice and Fire even if there is no ending.
If George R. R. Martin is unable to finish his work for creative, health, or other reasons, then that is how it is. He has created a world that will likely always be a part of pop culture.
But what do you think? Do you want an ending to the series, even if someone else has to write it in an emergency? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments. Martin is also a comic fan and a story from Spider-Man did not please him at all: A Spider-Man comic is so bad that even George R.R. Martin complained about it 18 years later
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