George R. R. Martin wants you to know that the end of his Song of Ice and Fire books, the basis for the wildly popular HBO show "Game of Thrones," won't be a "horrible apocalypse" scenario; that's not the tone he's hoping to end on. But for an author who has no qualms killing off one reader's darling after another, what Martin may consider "bittersweet" may be an entirely different thing to others.
Martin has yet to finish his Song of Ice and Fire series, but it sounds like he's rounding the corner. And after many years of watching beloved characters perish via smoke monster or violent battle, fans are nervous.