ForGeorge R. R. Martinfans despairing that he’ll ever finishA Song of Ice and Fire, they can look toStephen KingandThe Dark Towerfor an example of another book series that took an exceptionally long time to finish. Stephen King’sDark Towerbook series is the work of his life. Not only is it the longest series he’s written, but also dozens of hisnovels and short stories tie intoThe Dark Tower. He’ll probably never be completely done writing stories set in and around the universe, even if the main series has been finished since 2012.
Conversely, George R. R. Martin’s readers are still waiting to see how the final two books inA Song of Ice and Fireunfold and the story ends. It’s especially vexing considering the infuriatingly sloppy wayGame of Thronesseason 8 concluded its version of the story. At times, it seems as though he’ll never releaseThe Winds of Winter, especially with the recent news thatGeorge R. R. Martin is producingA Dozen Tough Jobs, another project that is not finishing his book. But a spot of optimism can be found in the history of other writers who also took a long time to finish their series, including Stephen King.
It Took Stephen King 30 Years To Completely Finish His Dark Tower Series
He Started It In 1982
There’s no doubt that George R. R. Martin fans have been waiting a very long time forThe Winds of Winter, the next book inA Song of Ice and Fire. Their wait still can’t hold a candle to Stephen King’s readers and their wait for him to completely finish hisDark Towerseries, though. Thefirst book in theDark Towerseries,The Gunslinger, was published in 1982, and the final book in the main series,The Dark Tower, wasn’t published until 2004.
1982
1987
1991
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
1997
1998
2003
2004
The Wind Through the Keyhole
2012
The last book to be published,The Wind Through the Keyhole, came out in 2012. That book, which came as a bit of a surprise, is set between book 4 (Wizard and Glass) and book 5 (Wolves of the Calla). As an in-universe, in-series book, King officially considers it to be book 4.5 in theDark Towerseries. Including the canonicalThe Wind Through the Keyhole, it took him 30 years in total to finishThe Dark Tower.Though one could argue it was even longer if factoring in the years King spent putting out the various short stories that were later compiled to become the first novel,The Gunslinger.
That is a very long time for an author to work on a single series and a very long time for readers to wait. It was so long, in fact, that King has been quite open over the years about the half-joking messages he got from a few readers threatening him to finish it. In his 2000 memoir,On Writing, King recounted how an old woman with late-stage cancer wrote to him on her deathbed, desperate to know how the story ended. Another letter contained a picture of a teddy bear in chains with the ominous message, “RELEASE THE NEXT DARK TOWER BOOK AT ONCE OR THE BEAR DIES.” You know - normal stuff.
George R. R. Martin’s Song Of Ice & Fire Series Hasn’t Even Come Close To The Length Of Time King Took To Finish The Dark Tower
He Still Has Eleven Years To Go
By comparison, George R. R. Martin has been working on hisSong of Ice and Fireseries for 29 years, including the 15-year gap (so far) since the release ofA Dance with Dragons. That is a very long wait, but it’s still a year less than the length of time it took Stephen King to completeThe Dark Towerover four decades. Similar to how Stephen King’s Constant Readers once wondered if he’d ever finish his own series, Martin fans have started joking thatThe Winds of Winter, which Martin has referred to as the “curse of [his] life,“will never happen.
However, King’sDark Towershows that sometimes writers take decades to finish their series, especially if it is their magnum opus. Martin is certainly taking his time, but, clearly, other authors have taken longer - much longer. And there’s another positive element to it all: Martin already has the title and rough plans for the next two books. That meansonce Martin releasesThe Winds of Winter, the seventh book,A Dream of Spring, shouldn’t be too far behind. Unless it takes Martin years and years to even releaseThe Winds of Winter, it’s unlikely that it will take him much longer than King did - we can hope.
Unless it takes Martin years and years to even releaseThe Winds of Winter, it’s unlikely that it will take him much longer than King did - we can hope.
Either way, Martin taking his time, while frustrating, is arguably for the best.Stephen Kinghas often talked about how difficult it was for him to completeThe Dark Tower. Part of that is because, as the series went on, andThe Dark Toweruniversegot more complex, it took King longer to figure out how to integrate so many books and stories connected toThe Dark Tower. Part of it was also that he was in no condition to finish it after his near-fatal accident. It was worth the wait, though, and ifGeorge R. R. Martinfans are patient, hopefully,A Song of Ice and Firewill come to an end worthy of the time he put into his own series, too.
