i hope. I heard there might be time gap between 4th and 5th. I kinda hope so, it would definitely make things more interesting.

Maybe a few years in between or something.

Why do you feel that the fourth book is the worst? What makes it any less epic?

read it and you'll understand. There is absolutely not plot development. You follow the meanderings of some side characters for 400 pages only to find that Martin kills them off in the end and nothing got accomplished.

Trust me, the 4th book is a chore to finish.

I very much doubt there is going to be that much of a time gap, and that would make everything become ruined. A lot of time has ALREADY gone by since Feast for Crows. I think he's going to coincide it with the fourth book. The fourth book is just half of the fifth book anyway.

That's what he has said. It was all going to be one book but it was getting too long.

Why would it ruin everything? The two boys are hundreds of miles from where they are headed with the frog people, Arya is still beginning training to become a monk/priest or whatever (i forget), Daenerys is waiting for her dragons to grow or something.

Everybody's waiting, and nothing is going to happen anytime soon. And if the second half of the 4th book is as bad as the first half, then nearly nothing will have changed at all.

What about Tyrion? Or Jon? Or Dondarrion? Or Sansa? I want to read the progression of Bran with his power. I want to read of the process behind the Dornish and how they will coincide with King's landing. I want to know what all the sparrows are going to do. I want to read every process behind everything. The only reason I found the fourth book harder to read was because I didn't know the characters and didn't feel related to them that much. The first book as awful hard to start as well. And really, I can't wait to see what the ironborn will do next.

I'm really interested in the ironborn's role in the next book. I'm assuming they will follow him indirectly through Jon Snow at the wall.

What I really don't think I will like about this book is that some of the stuff has already been revealed if it is coincidental. I.E. He already revealed that Davos will be killed and I'm pretty sure he is one of the chapter headings next book.

And all that stuff is what I expected to be happening in the 4th book... instead I plowed through 400 pages of Brienne chasing Sansa only to find that Martin kills her off and it was all meaningless. And there where few enough chapters in the 4th book of the enjoyable characters, and each of those chapters could have been summarized in a sentence.

Honestly I think Martin is losing it.

i need to reread these damned books for real....!!! but the fourth will be a chore once again :(... But I just cannot wait for Jon, Tyrion, Arya and Daenerys!!!!!!! Sansa blows.... Cersei is useless.... The Jaime part of the plot was pretty neat with Brienne who is badass.... but fuck... If the fifth book is a disapointment, I shall give up on Martin for sure.

On a side note, off-topic from Ice and Fire books, anyone read his Dreamsongs short stories compilations? Im slowly reading it and halfway done and some of his short stories are fantastic. ;). I also bought Hunter's Run but I have not read it yet...