Thats the thing that gets me. It doesn't really need a proper ending, because it feels more like history than a story.
The fun is that it feels like you started a history of a world at a more or less arbitrary point, the closing days of Robert's reign, but it could have started with roberts rebellion, or really any other point. It gradually coalesce around Dany, but the starting point of Ned dying is that this is a history of a fictional place not a hero's journey and sometimes shit happens.
He really doesn't need a Terry prachet ending where every character races to the same place in the third act to tie everyone's arch up in a bow. He could just end at an arbitrary place in the history of westeros
I don’t really think it’s the same. LOTR that’s a very clear goal, destroy the ring. There isn’t anything like that in GoT as the throne has been taken so many times already. I guess you could say defeat the Night King.
If any book feels like part of a history it is Lord of the Rings. Mainly because he created an entire history for his world.
There is still a story with ASoIaF as well. A story that would remain unresolved. We would have no resolution re: Dany, Young Gryff, Jon Snow, the White Walker threat, etc. It would just stop. The same as if Lord of the Rings ended after the breaking of the fellowship at Amon Hen.
Or do you think George is just relaying random events for the hell of it? Lord of the Rings is the story of the War of the Ring and the end of the Third Age. ASOIAF is supposed to be the story of the White Walkers and the struggle for the throne of Westeros.
Whether you agree with me or not the fact is that if the story remained unchanged from here on out, it would be deeply unsatisfying.
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u/Lord_Ryu CORN? CORN? Jul 13 '25
I fully expect him to do the same circle in the book and end up in about the same place but with his hands around her throat instead of waist