'Game of Thrones' author posts excerpt from new book

[Shadow]

LOS ANGELES (http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&where1=LOS ANGELES&sty=h&form=msdate) — Fans of novelist George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" fantasy series are melting. The "Game of Thrones" author just released a previously unpublished sample chapter from the upcoming sixth installment, "The Winds of Winter," on his website.
At 6,100 words in length, the excerpt is substantial.
"The chronology, as usual, is tricky," Martin said on his LiveJournal page. "This chapter will be found eventually at the beginning of 'Winds,' but as you will be able to tell from context, it actually takes place before some of the chapters at the end of ['A Dance with Dragons,' the fifth installment in the series.]"


http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45817702/ns/today-books/

I know several folks on this board are reading this series,looks like the author posted a sample of the new book for fans to read on their webpage.

[Gaffer]

Thanks, I hope the book is released soon. I hope 7 and 8 follow quickly as well. He is running out of good guys to kill off tho.

[Shadow]

I bought the first three books in this series right before christmas,now that things are slowing down some I may have time to start reading them. I noticed in the article that they have a series related to these books on HBO (which I don't have)....has anyone seen it? How does it match up? Should I read the books first and then maybe rent the series or will it matter at all?

[Thunderknuckles]

I bought the first three books in this series right before christmas,now that things are slowing down some I may have time to start reading them. I noticed in the article that they have a series related to these books on HBO (which I don't have)....has anyone seen it? How does it match up? Should I read the books first and then maybe rent the series or will it matter at all?
The HBO series so far is very true to the books and is actually very good. That said, this series of books is great but like I tell everyone new to this series: Read at your own risk!
The story is very engaging but Martin at this time appears to be following in Robert Jordan's foot steps with Wheel of Time. Martin is in his mid-sixties and the story has a myriad of sub plots to conclude, not to mention the main plot. The guy will be dead before he finishes the story leaving his fans in a similar place as Jordan's - wanting to dig up his corpse and piss in his skull.

[Gaffer]

I bought the first three books in this series right before christmas,now that things are slowing down some I may have time to start reading them. I noticed in the article that they have a series related to these books on HBO (which I don't have)....has anyone seen it? How does it match up? Should I read the books first and then maybe rent the series or will it matter at all?

HBO has stayed fairly true to the book so far. A few exceptions like gratuitous lesbian sex scenes that have nothing to do with the story and are not part of the book. There's plenty of sex in the books as it is. Google the series and you can probably find a number of free tv sites that will have the show available. One that I used was called FreeTV.