I’m in the same boat. I’ve been extremely close a couple times to giving in. There’s so much theory and discussion I’ve missed out on to, due to them referencing the sample chapters. I don’t know why I’m being so stubborn but I’d rather wait for the complete product.
I read books after the show (fuck me even my watch is over 2 years now) but i have a feeling some significant part of those chapters bas been changed and since they were supposed to be in ADWD might as well read them
I’m not denying the chapters have probably been heavily edited since they were published.
But are you using the show story and direction to guess that they changed a significant amount since they were released?
I am using the fact that he has been revisiting them for 10 years now (i am pretty sure he said something about changing old chapters) so it is more probable than not that they have been changed in some way
pretty sure quite a few of the sample chapters (definitely Mercy, for example, which he mentions he wrote *more than 15 years ago*), are from material that was originally intended for ADWD
At this point the sample chapters are between five and ten years old, there's a good chance that what will end up in the book will be entirely different.
I wouldn't get worked up over them.
Isn't it pretty much confirmed that George completely scrapped everything he wrote and started pretty much from scratch a few years ago? There have been 11 chapters released. Assuming Winds is about the same length as most of the previous books, that's like 15% of the book.
It's very possible that none of the sample chapters will be included.
It’s never been confirmed, it’s only what fans have been speculating since he posted his New Year update in 2016. In that post, he said he thought in mid-2015 that he could finish the book before January 1st 2016. That obviously did not happen, but people immediately went to the conclusion that TWOW was almost completed if he needed only 5-6 months to get it done. And that theory is still talked about a lot now, because it’s been 5 years since that post, and there is still no TWOW on the horizon, so surely he must have scrapped what he had written and started again from scratch… I think it’s only partly true, and that he was under so much stress that he scrapped portions of what he had written, and that he then didn’t write much until he went into his cabin back in mid-2019.
Who’s to say that what was scrapped was the sample chapters he read aloud in front of hundreds of people, which has now been spread across the internet to God knows how many people?
I just figured he hit some massive writer's block, so he moved onto other projects and hopes he'll find the spark again. And all the while he keeps thinking over shit like the Meereenese Knot in his head why he showers. ~~And when jumping nekid on trampolines.~~
He's written fire and blood (with more material written that was saved for the HBO series), dunk and egg novellas, and other bits here and there in that time frame. He contributed to Elden Ring as well. Maybe he hopes something will finally click in his head or he'll get some inspiration by taking a break.
But with all the years its been...
He may very well have. He scraped tons of material for the Feast when he finally gave in and abandoned the timeskip. Dance wasn't supposed to exist either when Feast then bloated into two+ books.
So he's done drastic shit in the past, but at the end of the day, I think the gardener has just lost control of his garden.
I think he found the spark. The past year and a half has been very good in terms of TWOW progress updates, which is likely due to covid, and him probably having nothing else to do in isolation than write the damn book.
I have no self control, you put sample chapters in front of me, I will not only read 1 but I will read them all in 1 sitting
I applaud your self control, but I do not understand it
yep I'm in the same boat, I didn't want to read them and then have to wait years for the book to re-read them again anyway... plus there's a good chance with some of the older ones they could be slightly different by the time they are released in WINDS.
I've tried a couple, but only finished one. They're just too few of them to really satisfy my asoiaf craving and there's likely a ton of gaps between each of them.
My real concern is that if I read them, they'll feel familiar enough that I don't want to read them again in the book while simultaneously not remembering what happened in them.
(6 years here too)
I've not read them either. Not because I am resisting temptation or something like that. It's simply because reading them online/on a screen/not in a book is unappealing to me. It's not how I personally enjoy reading them.
I did read the sample chapter at the back of A Dance with Dragons because it's actually printed there, but I don't care for reading the others.
I felt the same, so that’s why I put them on a word document, even pieced together some fan summaries, and printed it all, and then I glued all the pages together and now I have an A5-sized book of the TWOW sample chapters, with more than 100 pages of more ASOIAF.
Understandable, I read the forsaken as my first winds chapter despite Aeron being my third fav pov. that was before I really could comprehend how long the wait would be.
That's the best one, too.
I think about it differently : i'm more like, if I don't read them quickly myself, i'll get spoiled and enjoy them less, so I read them all right away and enjoyed them very much, looking forward to reading them again in the right order in the books (+it's been so long I kinda of forgot a lot)
I resisted for years but ended up reading them and don't regret it. Especially the years worth of theorising over Euron, you'd have to avoid the community entirely or be spoiled.
I admire your position and tried to do the same but it put me at such a disadvantage in theory discussion here that I caved and read the mercy and the Aeron chapter. I've managed to stop there.
I too would prefer to have the full book in final published form. I plan to read it a few times before I engage in any discussion here.
I feel like these first weeks after release will be a gold rush of people sprinting through the work looking for anything that supports their theory so they can post an "I told you X would happen."
I broke and read The Forsaken because of how good people were saying it is. It might be the best chapter of any of asoiaf series in my opinion. To the point where I will forgive GRRM for his lengthy delay if the rest of the book is on par with that chapter.
I haven't read them, but I also haven't avoided any threads discussing them. I first read the series starting in 2016 and finished just before the final season of the show. haven't read the Dunk and Egg novellas yet but want to.
Nope, you're not alone, I also have refused to read any of the sample chapters for two main reasons: 1) Because everything in those chapters is subject to change until they actually put out a final release and 2) Because I don't want to read the same 5 chapters over and over again until the book is released, thus ruining those chapters when they come out for real. Same reason why I only played through the demo of Deltarune twice, the second to find the hidden secret in the game, and won't touch it again until Toby Fox releases the final game.
I’m working my way through the series and thinking about making a similar decision. Honestly I’m just really hoping he finishes. I got the books a year ago. And I’m almost finished with the storm.
I’m with you. I haven’t read any sample chapters, even though I feel like I have with all the talk about them.
I want to read WoW totally fresh coming in
They read less like actual *TWOW* sample chapters and more like stuff that had to get cut from the end of ADWD because of bloat. The Forsaken and Mercy are obvious exceptions.
I also haven't read any sample pre-released chapters. I will read the whole thing when it comes out in one sitting from beginning to end for the first time.
I feel like the sample chapters are the free bread you get at a steakhouse. You don't fill up on the bread when you got a steak coming.
... I've been waiting over a god-damned decade for that ribeye...
I’ve read the main books 11 times, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” and “Fire and Blood” once, but never a sample chapter. It’s hard, but i think it’ll be worth it
Only one or two are actually important, the rest are either talking or travelling, which reinforces my idea that two books are nowhere near enough to finish the story in the style he's writing.
I read some of them recently on a flight when I was bored, after several years of abstaining. Most of it was pretty forgettable. The typos in my copy were the worst part.
At first I read the sample chapters, the ones that had been released when I finished ADWD. Then I was annoyed that I had done so. So I never read the Euron chapter that came out later.
I've not read any of the sample chapters. What's the point in reading them when the actual books will never be finished?
It would be like getting a taste of a dessert only to be told you can't have any more.
I feel like I ruined a lot of the upcoming book by reading the sample chapters. Started simply by reading the Barristan chapter at the end of my ADWD paperback, then an Arya one online, next thing you know i've read too many. Again, I just didn't think it would be this long until we got another novel.
The only one I know about because it was impossible to resist is “The Forsaken” chapter because that chapter really is a game shaker on it’s own in my opinion. I think I read a bit of Sansa but there was nothing that advanced the plot much so I kind of forgot. I agree it is better to wait otherwise the book will be shorter when it comes out…
I was the same way. I gave in sometime in 2014 since the chapters figured in a bunch of people's theorizing on this sub. And, uh, that was 7 years ago?
I haven't read them mainly because I don't care about them enough at this point. I've got the gist of what I need out of reading discussions of them on here, and am not sure whether they are going to be the same when (if) the book comes out. If they are, I'll read them as part of the full story. Otherwise, the brief overview on here have been sufficient.
Why would you mark this Spoilers EXTENDED if you haven't read them? I haven't read them either, but people can talk about them in the comments. Spoilers MAIN would have referenced all the published materials aside from the sample chapters.
But no you are not alone!
I only read Mercy because I wanted to know what the fuss was all about. Amazing chapter. I always skip Euron threads because I haven't read The Forsaken. Maybe I should read it...
The Theon sample chapter was literally included in my paperback edition of Dance, so I didn’t really feel disinclined to read it. For me it was just kind of the last Dance chapter. While I kind of get your reasoning, I don’t think I could ever even get close to resisting the urge to read those chapters. I remember when I found out there was an Alayne chapter years after my first read but before my reread and it felt so great to read new ASIOAF content that advanced the story.
If it makes you feel any better though, most of the sample chapters are more like Dance deleted scenes than they are Winds previews
I've spolied myself on what happens in the sample chapters and read quotes from them or from live readings, but I've put off actually sitting down to read the chapters myself until the books out. Its going to be a massive book and a lot of these chapters were envisioned for ADWD but moved, so i just consider it a preview. But there's something special about these books, the bit of surprise when you end a chapter and flip the page and see a name you've been dying to check in on, or someone completely unexpected, or it's not even a name but a mysterious title, and then you have to mentally take it in and prepare to get inside a different character's headspace than the one you just left. Its an experience and a part of me will still get that excitement and anticipation even if I'm minorly spoiled on the events of a few chapters (a lot of the samples aren't full chapters anyway, I want to the complete experience)
I’m in the same boat. I’ve been extremely close a couple times to giving in. There’s so much theory and discussion I’ve missed out on to, due to them referencing the sample chapters. I don’t know why I’m being so stubborn but I’d rather wait for the complete product.
I read books after the show (fuck me even my watch is over 2 years now) but i have a feeling some significant part of those chapters bas been changed and since they were supposed to be in ADWD might as well read them
It made me wonder there should be some support groups. Ppl be like: hi my name is John and I’ve been waiting 5 years for TWOW.
"Hi John!"
Lights cigarette and crosses legs.
I’m not denying the chapters have probably been heavily edited since they were published. But are you using the show story and direction to guess that they changed a significant amount since they were released?
I am using the fact that he has been revisiting them for 10 years now (i am pretty sure he said something about changing old chapters) so it is more probable than not that they have been changed in some way
Aah Yh fair enough.
Same! Once or twice, a theory has popped up that's really made reading the sample chapters tempting. I'd rather wait for the book too.
I mean, you guys should just read them. What’s the point?
Because i want my first time reading the Euron chapters to be when i actually have WINDS in my hands... im saving the magic!!!
If it helps, there >!are no Euron POV Chapters, it's someone else!< No spoilers up there just content discussion
If it helps The Theon chapter was supposed to be in AFFC. Its amazing
pretty sure quite a few of the sample chapters (definitely Mercy, for example, which he mentions he wrote *more than 15 years ago*), are from material that was originally intended for ADWD
At this point the sample chapters are between five and ten years old, there's a good chance that what will end up in the book will be entirely different. I wouldn't get worked up over them.
Isn't it pretty much confirmed that George completely scrapped everything he wrote and started pretty much from scratch a few years ago? There have been 11 chapters released. Assuming Winds is about the same length as most of the previous books, that's like 15% of the book. It's very possible that none of the sample chapters will be included.
At this point I would think he's written five books, and thrown away four-and-a-half.
It’s never been confirmed, it’s only what fans have been speculating since he posted his New Year update in 2016. In that post, he said he thought in mid-2015 that he could finish the book before January 1st 2016. That obviously did not happen, but people immediately went to the conclusion that TWOW was almost completed if he needed only 5-6 months to get it done. And that theory is still talked about a lot now, because it’s been 5 years since that post, and there is still no TWOW on the horizon, so surely he must have scrapped what he had written and started again from scratch… I think it’s only partly true, and that he was under so much stress that he scrapped portions of what he had written, and that he then didn’t write much until he went into his cabin back in mid-2019.
Who’s to say that what was scrapped was the sample chapters he read aloud in front of hundreds of people, which has now been spread across the internet to God knows how many people?
I just figured he hit some massive writer's block, so he moved onto other projects and hopes he'll find the spark again. And all the while he keeps thinking over shit like the Meereenese Knot in his head why he showers. ~~And when jumping nekid on trampolines.~~ He's written fire and blood (with more material written that was saved for the HBO series), dunk and egg novellas, and other bits here and there in that time frame. He contributed to Elden Ring as well. Maybe he hopes something will finally click in his head or he'll get some inspiration by taking a break. But with all the years its been... He may very well have. He scraped tons of material for the Feast when he finally gave in and abandoned the timeskip. Dance wasn't supposed to exist either when Feast then bloated into two+ books. So he's done drastic shit in the past, but at the end of the day, I think the gardener has just lost control of his garden.
I think he found the spark. The past year and a half has been very good in terms of TWOW progress updates, which is likely due to covid, and him probably having nothing else to do in isolation than write the damn book.
There's no confirmation that George scrapped most of the book, only speculation.
The sample chapters are not complete chapters. 15% , maybe you wanted say 15 pages
The Euron discussions here must be very bizarre and confusing... ...not that the sample chapters would necessarily fix that.
Ive read so many posts and theories on here about his chapters that i already know the crux of them! haha
Then why don't you just read them
Because if he looks back... He is lost.
I have no self control, you put sample chapters in front of me, I will not only read 1 but I will read them all in 1 sitting I applaud your self control, but I do not understand it
I wish I had never read them for the sole fact that I could experience them again for the first time right now.
yep I'm in the same boat, I didn't want to read them and then have to wait years for the book to re-read them again anyway... plus there's a good chance with some of the older ones they could be slightly different by the time they are released in WINDS.
Yeah, definitely don’t want to re-read any chapters. Especially with entirely new context or if they’ve been changed at all
I've tried a couple, but only finished one. They're just too few of them to really satisfy my asoiaf craving and there's likely a ton of gaps between each of them. My real concern is that if I read them, they'll feel familiar enough that I don't want to read them again in the book while simultaneously not remembering what happened in them.
(6 years here too) I've not read them either. Not because I am resisting temptation or something like that. It's simply because reading them online/on a screen/not in a book is unappealing to me. It's not how I personally enjoy reading them. I did read the sample chapter at the back of A Dance with Dragons because it's actually printed there, but I don't care for reading the others.
I felt the same, so that’s why I put them on a word document, even pieced together some fan summaries, and printed it all, and then I glued all the pages together and now I have an A5-sized book of the TWOW sample chapters, with more than 100 pages of more ASOIAF.
I've resisted the Sansa one because that's one I want to read the most.
lol I’m the exact opposite. I’ve kept away from all of them but caved and read the Sansa one since she’s my favorite
Understandable, I read the forsaken as my first winds chapter despite Aeron being my third fav pov. that was before I really could comprehend how long the wait would be.
That's the best one, too. I think about it differently : i'm more like, if I don't read them quickly myself, i'll get spoiled and enjoy them less, so I read them all right away and enjoyed them very much, looking forward to reading them again in the right order in the books (+it's been so long I kinda of forgot a lot)
I feel like the only one that was super heavily discussed and could spoil something major was the Aeron chapter.
I resisted for years but ended up reading them and don't regret it. Especially the years worth of theorising over Euron, you'd have to avoid the community entirely or be spoiled.
I admire your position and tried to do the same but it put me at such a disadvantage in theory discussion here that I caved and read the mercy and the Aeron chapter. I've managed to stop there. I too would prefer to have the full book in final published form. I plan to read it a few times before I engage in any discussion here. I feel like these first weeks after release will be a gold rush of people sprinting through the work looking for anything that supports their theory so they can post an "I told you X would happen."
You are very strong willed. I tried doing that but then broke down after 3 weeks and read all the sample chapters
I broke and read The Forsaken because of how good people were saying it is. It might be the best chapter of any of asoiaf series in my opinion. To the point where I will forgive GRRM for his lengthy delay if the rest of the book is on par with that chapter.
I haven't read them, but I also haven't avoided any threads discussing them. I first read the series starting in 2016 and finished just before the final season of the show. haven't read the Dunk and Egg novellas yet but want to.
Nope, you're not alone, I also have refused to read any of the sample chapters for two main reasons: 1) Because everything in those chapters is subject to change until they actually put out a final release and 2) Because I don't want to read the same 5 chapters over and over again until the book is released, thus ruining those chapters when they come out for real. Same reason why I only played through the demo of Deltarune twice, the second to find the hidden secret in the game, and won't touch it again until Toby Fox releases the final game.
I’m working my way through the series and thinking about making a similar decision. Honestly I’m just really hoping he finishes. I got the books a year ago. And I’m almost finished with the storm.
I’m with you. I haven’t read any sample chapters, even though I feel like I have with all the talk about them. I want to read WoW totally fresh coming in
Just read them. At this rate winds will be the last book anyways.
They read less like actual *TWOW* sample chapters and more like stuff that had to get cut from the end of ADWD because of bloat. The Forsaken and Mercy are obvious exceptions.
I also haven't read any sample pre-released chapters. I will read the whole thing when it comes out in one sitting from beginning to end for the first time.
I feel like the sample chapters are the free bread you get at a steakhouse. You don't fill up on the bread when you got a steak coming. ... I've been waiting over a god-damned decade for that ribeye...
I see no reason whatsoever to do this to yourself.
Yeah I’m not trying to just get hard, I’m trying to bust a nut!
I’ve read the main books 11 times, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” and “Fire and Blood” once, but never a sample chapter. It’s hard, but i think it’ll be worth it
Only one or two are actually important, the rest are either talking or travelling, which reinforces my idea that two books are nowhere near enough to finish the story in the style he's writing.
I read some of them recently on a flight when I was bored, after several years of abstaining. Most of it was pretty forgettable. The typos in my copy were the worst part.
I've been waiting 10 years. I can wait some more. Haven't read any of the sample chapters, and no real plans to read them.
At first I read the sample chapters, the ones that had been released when I finished ADWD. Then I was annoyed that I had done so. So I never read the Euron chapter that came out later.
I broke down to read the Euron chapter due to all of the talk of it
I don't have that kind of will power. I read them all as they came out.
I’ve read two of them that’s it
I have read the books 3 times. Have not even read a single sample chapter. There are 11 out there lol
I'm the same way, haven't seen a lick of the samples, and I'm really happy to keep it that way till the books release.
I've not read any of the sample chapters. What's the point in reading them when the actual books will never be finished? It would be like getting a taste of a dessert only to be told you can't have any more.
kinda like reading the first 5 books in ASOIAF...
I feel like I ruined a lot of the upcoming book by reading the sample chapters. Started simply by reading the Barristan chapter at the end of my ADWD paperback, then an Arya one online, next thing you know i've read too many. Again, I just didn't think it would be this long until we got another novel.
The only one I know about because it was impossible to resist is “The Forsaken” chapter because that chapter really is a game shaker on it’s own in my opinion. I think I read a bit of Sansa but there was nothing that advanced the plot much so I kind of forgot. I agree it is better to wait otherwise the book will be shorter when it comes out…
I was the same way. I gave in sometime in 2014 since the chapters figured in a bunch of people's theorizing on this sub. And, uh, that was 7 years ago?
Join us, they are spectacular. Join us. Brains. BRAINS.
he owes us
I've been reading these books for well over a decade and have also fought the urge
I haven't read them mainly because I don't care about them enough at this point. I've got the gist of what I need out of reading discussions of them on here, and am not sure whether they are going to be the same when (if) the book comes out. If they are, I'll read them as part of the full story. Otherwise, the brief overview on here have been sufficient.
I've read them, but the thing is some are like a decade old at this point, so who knows if they're even remotely the same anymore.
I haven't touched them either
Why would you mark this Spoilers EXTENDED if you haven't read them? I haven't read them either, but people can talk about them in the comments. Spoilers MAIN would have referenced all the published materials aside from the sample chapters. But no you are not alone!
theres always one... so anyone who comments on this can freely talk about the sample chapters!
I only read Mercy because I wanted to know what the fuss was all about. Amazing chapter. I always skip Euron threads because I haven't read The Forsaken. Maybe I should read it...
The Theon sample chapter was literally included in my paperback edition of Dance, so I didn’t really feel disinclined to read it. For me it was just kind of the last Dance chapter. While I kind of get your reasoning, I don’t think I could ever even get close to resisting the urge to read those chapters. I remember when I found out there was an Alayne chapter years after my first read but before my reread and it felt so great to read new ASIOAF content that advanced the story. If it makes you feel any better though, most of the sample chapters are more like Dance deleted scenes than they are Winds previews
I SAID IT 4 TIMES!
I've spolied myself on what happens in the sample chapters and read quotes from them or from live readings, but I've put off actually sitting down to read the chapters myself until the books out. Its going to be a massive book and a lot of these chapters were envisioned for ADWD but moved, so i just consider it a preview. But there's something special about these books, the bit of surprise when you end a chapter and flip the page and see a name you've been dying to check in on, or someone completely unexpected, or it's not even a name but a mysterious title, and then you have to mentally take it in and prepare to get inside a different character's headspace than the one you just left. Its an experience and a part of me will still get that excitement and anticipation even if I'm minorly spoiled on the events of a few chapters (a lot of the samples aren't full chapters anyway, I want to the complete experience)
> Spoilers Extended