George R.R. Martin Dislikes Fans Questioning His Health

[Anachronism]

He's only 65, and doesn't seem to be in bad health. Why are people talking about him like he's on his deathbed? Perhaps when he's Christopher Lee's age I'll start to to worry about his looming mortality.

This is more or less what I think. I've actually met the guy, and he gives every impression of being in very robust health.

OT: I applaud this. If people are more concerned about being able to finish the books than they are about someone living or dying, they're not good people. They're his books, he can take as long as he likes over them. Repeat after me: George R. R. Martin is not your *****.

 

[V TheSystem V]

I completely agree with him, but I am one of those who has worried that he won't finish the series. He's already stated that he doesn't want to have a ghost writer finish his work if he were to pass away before its completion, so I understand why fans would be worried. But I agree with his feelings on those who are questioning his health (sorry, George).

The books are great, and I really wanna see what happens next. I apologise for worrying, Martin, and shall be patient.

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Easy now, George. Remember your blood pressure. After all, you're the one who said "Hah-hoi, I want Game of Thrones to end with me!". Are you that surprised that people wondered how long you were sticking around? You've only got yourself to blame for not finishing what you started.

This. When you make a planned trilogy into a saga, fill the fourth and fifth books to the brim with filler then come out and say "I know how it ends, but only I can write it (HBO can end it though)! " it's very understandable why people might be worried. If he were still releasing ASOIAF as frequently as the first three books then he'd have a point, but as of right now he should really just

Spoiler

Oh and "fuck you to those people" isn't exactly the response I'd expect from a famed author.

 

[tacotrainwreck]

If it makes you feel any better, Mr. Martin, I'm sure there's enough MSG in your system to preserve your dead body for at least another 80 years or so.

 

[K12]

Totally on his side with this.

How else would you respond to someone saying (or implying): "Do you mind hurrying up and finishing writing your story before you die of a massive coronary at a tragic early age please?"

Its sad that so many people here think the most noticable thing about his books are that characters die.

Totally agree with that. The "no character is safe" thing is such a small part of what he's doing in ASOIAF (and it's not really true either) he's deconstructing accepted fantasy tropes and one of them is that epic fantasies always seem to have a weirdly small number of people who seem to actually matter in the grand scheme of things. Noone is protected purely because the plot demands them to be. There are no extras and everyone is dispensible.

 

[ACman]

I personally annoyed because the last two books were meandering self indulgent garbage where character achieve nothing aside from moving at a snails pace to from locations where they were intersesting to locations where they are only potentially interesting.

Did we really need two books for people to be lost in the desert, travel, train or be locked up?

 

[Stu35]

it's what i'd do, but then I don't have a legion of fans or a super popular anything. yet.

yet.

I love the confidence.


As for George RR Martin...

Meh, I don't neccesarily care about whether or not he dies, in the same way that I don't care about whether or not most people who aren't my family and friends die. That said, I enjoy those books, and he's a 65 year old fat bloke. My Grandad was an old fat bloke, and he made it to 67 (I think, I'm not 100% on that).

Of course, my Grandad was not a multi millionaire, so when he eventually began to succumb to the effects of Irn Bru, battered Mars Bars and my Grandmas tablet [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_(confectionery)], he had a very under-equipped Scottish NHS to try and stave it off... Martin can probably afford the finest healthcare money can buy, including whatever combination of Virgin blood and unicorn tears they're using to clear arteries and strengthen heart walls these days.

 

[Clovus]

I don't see it as offensive. As otheres have mentioned, it has happened before. I know that Stephen King was really concerned that he would die before finishing The Dark Tower, and that he maybe rushed it.

I hope Martin lives as long as possible, but I do secretely hope he continues to write so slowly that the HBO series actually gets ahead of the books. I don't like his prose, so I have no interest at all in reading the books, but I do enjoy the shows. I generally feel that way about fantasy or Sci-Fi*. I'd just rather watch the movie/TV show or play through the world in a game. So, the small group of people who insist that I'm "doing it wrong" by only watching the show annoys me. I just like the idea of how much rage it'd generate for that group if those lazy-bones dumb-dumbs only watching the show got to find out what happens first.

* Sci-Fi as in "fantasy set the future", like Star Wars. I might read actual Science Fiction.

 

[nevarran]

The guy is not dying till he kills every single character in his books.

On a serious note, it's probably very annoying to hear about your eventual early demise every day and being asked about it in every interview.

 

[mindfaQ]

Well, if you take that long for finish one book and your series is not well planned enough, but instead takes sideways, people understandably start to worry about stuff like that ^^.

 

[The Great JT]

They just don't want you to croak before the series ended. It has a tendency to happen.

 

[Megalodon]

I'm surprised he didn't aim the other middle finger at the TV execs that want to milk out more Game of Thrones seasons from his last 2 books. They're the ones who are really sweating if Martin so much as has a minor cold.

No they aren't, the show will last seven seasons, and it will come to the same ending as the books. Probably travel different roads to get there, but we'll get an ending regardless of Mr. Martin's productivity.

So no, HBO isn't sweating shit, the showrunners know where it all ends up.

Really? Because while I haven't read the books, my understanding was the first 4 seasons of GoT have only covered the first three books. If HBO can bring the story to the same conclusion as the books, and have it be a worthwhile and satisfying ending in another 3 seasons, when there are (at least) 4 more books to cover, then frankly Martin isn't a very good writer.

 

[ISearchForTraps]

Now I feel bad for finding the meme about George funny. As much as I don't want him to die anytime soon, there WOULD be some poetic resonance given how much of a part death plays in 'A Song of Fire and Ice', characters dying suddenly and tragically before their stories come full circle.

But yeah, I'd be giving the finger too if I were in his position. Hope he doesn't let his health deteriorate just to spite the fans constantly bugging him about it.

 

[nightmare_gorilla]

I approve of this response, honestly "please finish before you die" has become almost a meme in itself. sure he's a little big and he's not a teenager but people are so cavalier about saying it I've almost started saying fuck you to them. it is pretty disrespectful considering it's supposed to be about someone you I guess respect for his talent. why does no one say the same thing about ian mckellen or any other old guys? another good example of "don't be dicks guys"

 

[Braedan]

At the current pace, if he does extend to an eighth book, it will take until the man is 80. If he keeps it at 7 he will be 74.
For an overweight male, that puts him well into the worry range of life expectancy.

In other words, hurry the fuck up and stop filling your books with descriptions of what your lazy ass characters are eating.
The world only cares about you insomuch as to what you can provide it, and the only thing George provides is books, so yes, people want your incredibly popular book series to end before you die of old age.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

"I only get to die when all the people you like in my books die. BRB, WRITING ZOMBIE JOFFREY!"

 

[Kahani]

I'm sure its a concern, but is there any evidence the man isn't well? Or that he may die soon?

Of course there is. He's currently 65, and likely to be well into his 70s before the series is actually finished. Life expectancy in the US is currently around 77 years. Median age of death will be slightly higher than that, which means that by the time the series is expected to be finished, he has close to a 50% chance of being dead (it depends on the exact distribution, but you're looking at at least 30-40%). It doesn't matter how healthy he may appear right now, people don't live forever.

 

[Baresark]

Eh, there is better book series out there that never saw completion. He should get used to it since he takes a really long time to write a book... and he did just basically announce that there is probably gonna be another book in the series beyond the expected.

He has a very unhealthy complexion, he is really overweight and he isn't young by any stretch of the imagination.

That said, who cares. It's his books and his life and it's really no one's damn business. "Fans" who say stuff like that only give a shit about themselves. Their fear isn't for the life and health of Martin, it's for their pathetic desire to see the books come to a final conclusion.

 

[JayDeth]

Considering his books move at the break neck pace of a glacier I'd be worried about him dying, too.

 

[JayDeth]

In other words, hurry the fuck up and stop filling your books with descriptions of what your lazy ass characters are eating.

This so much. Don't forget all the very long lists and descriptions of people and their relations to other people who will have NO impact what so ever on the plot in a series that's already fairly starved for plot.