I hold little hope that the epic will reach any sort of closure when the book finishes. too many threads still dangling. you'll find as you progress thru the series that the number of parallel plotlines just continues to grow. with the narrative rotating among so many plotlines, you will have ones you like, and ones you don't care about as much but have to skim anyway so you don't end up lost.one thing that has made an impression on me with these books is a distinct lack of fairytale endings.
<spoiler alert, but only for book 1>
example: the guy who I thought would be champion of good and truth ends up paying for his mercy with his own head. now that shows some sand on the part of the author.
</end spoilers>
it's been a fascinating ride so far, but I'm starting to get Ice-and-Fire fatigue.