First, you're dealing with humans, rationality is a distant consideration in dealing with emotions. Second, There's an implicit promise that stories have a str

First, you're dealing with humans, rationality is a distant consideration in dealing with emotions. Second, There's an implicit promise that stories have a structure, and that structure includes an ending, where there's payoff and/or setting other things up for a longer story. That lack of ending leaves built up tension that, well, hasn't been relieved. With that tension, see my first point. Thirdly, I'd lay the vitriol that's brewed purely at the feet of David & Daniel for royally fucking up the TV show adaptation's final seasons. The catharsis of the "TV ending" could have given GRRM a good few more years to work on the book ending, as some would have put down the story with the end of the show, and others might have debated how the divergence between book/tv before would affect the book ending. Instead, we got a train wreck, and snapping back to the reality that GRRM is getting old, and the only "canon" ending currently is.... not that good. Edit: I'm not endorsing shitty behaviour from fans, I've seen it cause plenty of issues over the years, just trying to offer some perspective as to why.