issue 31 // volume 43 Winter is coming, but not quite yet > Updates (or lack thereof) from GRRM and others Caroline Ho Arts Editor T*: Winds of Winter out in 2018?! No, this isn’t a humour article, though it might still be hard to take too seriously. Ina recent blog post on July 22, George R. R. Martin, author of the bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire, announced that he expects to have at least one new Westeros book out by the end of next year. This would be fantastic news for ASolaF devotees if only we could be sure that: a) this book will be the Winds of Winter, and b) Martin will actually deliver this time. While we're on this topic of publishing delays, we might as well take a look as well at several high fantasy series that are taking forever for their next volumes to hit the shelves, to see whether they're any further along in the writing process. The Winds of Winter - A Song of Ice and Fire, book 6 After the publication of A Dance with Dragons in 20u, optimistic fans and the author himself predicted the next book’s completion to be by 2015 or 2016. Those were the days when the idea of the Game of Thrones HBO series catching up to and overtaking the plot of the book series was an amusing, improbable what- if. Since the TV show has just begun its second to last season and has long since surpassed the novels... Whoops. Every few months Martin has made some announcement that The Winds of Winter is progressing, but he’s fallen far short of promising any release date. His July 22 post is pretty optimistic on this front, hinting that it’s likely we “will have a new Westeros book from [him] in 2018.” However, this blog post acknowledges that the next book to hit shelves might be TWoW, but it might just as likely be the first volume of Fire and Blood, a fictional history book of House Targaryen. Way back in the early days of ASolaF, Martin originally envisioned the saga to be a trilogy. As much as readers would probably enjoy more Westeros, we'd also enjoy an eventual sense of closure. The Thorn of Emberlain - Gentleman Bastard, book 4 Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard is one of those novel series that starts off swimmingly but gets increasingly bizarre with each subsequent book. The first book, The Lies of Locke Lamora (2006), is a delightful fantasy heist novel with lovably deplorable conmen characters, witty banter and prose, and a tastefully light level of magic in its Renaissance- Italy-esque world. By book three, The Republic of Thieves (2013), the dialogue is still smooth, but the series has thrown in pointlessly convoluted schemes, secret societies, seemingly directionless plot twists, and a few fantasy tropes that veer close to cringeworthy. These perplexing turns have left readers all the more eager to pick up Book Four, The Thorn of Emberlain. Lynch originally announced plans to release the book by 2015, then pushed the date back to mid-2016; however, as of December 2016 Lynch stated that he’s still working on writing and rewriting some areas. Like ASolaF, Gentleman Bastard is also planned as a seven-book series. If a longer delay between books will correlate with a return to the quality of the first novel, hopefully it will be worth the wait. The Doors of Stone - Kingkiller Chronicle, book 3 After The Name of the Wind came out in 2007, followed by The Wise Man’s Fear in 20u, author Patrick Rothfuss garnered a lot of favourable comparison to George R. R. Martin for his spellbinding storytelling voice, fluid prose, epic-scale plot, and rich world-building. Less positively, plenty of readers have also drawn similarities between the two authors in terms of writing pace. Six or more years since the last volume wouldn't seem like that long of a wait if Rothfuss hadn't spent much of this period assuring fans that Book Three, tentatively titled The Doors of Stone, had long since been written arts // no. 7 Image Via gollancz.co.uk and was in the process of revision. As of this February, Rothfuss has stated that he still can’t confirm a release date. However, the Kingkiller Chronicle might end up resembling ASolaF in yet another way: Late last year, Lionsgate entertainment company announced plans to create a TV show and feature film version of the series, produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame. Awesome song titles, even more awesome rock > ‘Hydrograd’ album review Caroline Ho Arts Editor kkekenknx Sr Sour’s latest release Hydrograd is a full record of solid, rocking-out fun. Hydrograd is the sixth studio album by Stone Sour (also known as the other hard rock/metal band with vocals from the phenomenally versatile Corey Taylor of Slipknot). The album’s 15 tracks and total length of 65 minutes give Stone Sour plenty of time for musical exploration, which they utilize to the fullest. This album has a somewhat different feel from much of the band’s earlier works, with a sound that veers more toward positivity rather than raw anger or melancholy. Yet Hydrograd is hard and heavy where it needs to be, balanced by several softer tracks that demonstrate the melodiousness of Taylor’s vocals. Throughout the album, Stone Sour cultivates the perfect blend of energy, lyricism, and an irresistible, reckless exuberance. The overall tone of the record might be described as playful and almost carnivalesque. Introductory track “YSIF” certainly sets the stage for this, beginning with a drumroll and an intonation of “Hello, you bastards!” Aside from that line, it’s almost entirely an instrumental track and an excellent hype-builder. Hydrograd’s harder sound kicks off with the next song, single “Taipei Person/ Allah Tea” (if you're confused about the title, read it aloud). With a driving rhythm and Taylor’s not-quite-growling singing—especially prominent in the pre- chorus—it’s one of the record’s heavier highlights. The song also features brilliant rhythmic complexity with its tempo shifts, thanks to Roy Mayorga on drums. “Song #3” is actually the song’s fifth track and one of its two leading singles, released concurrently with “Fabuless.” “Song #3” has a more mainstream sound and theme that could almost be described as trite elsewhere, but the sentiment manifests on this record as upbeat, uplifting, and purely passionate. “Did I save you?/’Cause I know you saved me too,” Taylor declares vivaciously in the chorus, singing about finding salvation in the arms of a loved one. The other lead single, “Fabuless,” is also a heavy hitter. It’s accompanied by a deliciously sardonic music video poking fun at the shallowness of celebrity culture, as the video features the band rocking out in front of a crowd of air dancers. The song is loud, brash, and furiously buoyant. Asa listener, it’s almost impossible not to be caught up in the song’s frenetic energy and scream along with the chorus: “It’s all downhill from here, motherfucker!” “The Witness Tree” has one of those titles that hits you with its poeticism even before the music starts, and the song itself is just as evocative. Faintly discordant, atonal verses backed by sombre guitar riffs mesh beautifully with the soulful choruses. The album’s best title, however, has to go to “Rose Red Violent Blue (This Song Is Dumb & So Am I),” which is also the track that best displays Hydrograd’s darkly carnivalesque vibe. Title aside, this song is also fantastic for its almost schizophrenic fluctuation between the playful verses and the super-upbeat chorus. Yet Stone Sour is just as capable of Screenshot from ‘Stone Sour- Fabuless’ Music Video carrying itself in softer, slower-paced tracks like “St. Marie.” The ballad has, unexpectedly, a somewhat country-like vibe. It might not be the jam for most Stone Sour fans, but it’s an undeniably powerful track and one that shows Taylor’s capabilities for a lot more than just growls and screams. For those craving a more metallic and fast-paced sound, “Somebody Stole My Eyes” is sung largely with a rap-rock-growl style that certainly channels some Slipknot. A record as powerful and full of life as Hydrograd deserves an epic finale; ending track “When the Fever Broke” delivers just that, and more. Another song that trends toward softer and melodic, Taylor’s heartfelt vocals power through the mournful lines, propelled by pulsing drums and grippingly haunting harmonies. The song ends with a solemn echo of “I can’t go, I can’t go home,” a cathartic close to a phenomenal album.