A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin has recently weighed in on the status of The Winds of Winter — a novel fans have been desperately waiting over a decade for.
When we talk about George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels, we’re talking about one of the greatest fantasy series ever written. Of course, his books are the source material for HBO series Game of Thrones, which is among the most successful TV shows ever. We could rhapsodise about the books forever, but there will always be one elephant in the room: Martin has been writing the next instalment in the series, The Winds of Winter, for over a decade.
Martin’s previous ASOIAF novel, A Dance with Dragons, was released way back in 2011. This means the entire Game of Thrones series had started and ended in the time he’s been writing The Winds of Winter. So what has he been doing? Well, that’s a bit of a joke around the fandom. Martin’s calendar has been incredibly busy over the years, working on everything apart from The Winds of Winter. I mean, look no further than his work on bestselling video game Elden Ring.
Even so, in a recent interview with Collider, Martin revealed that he’s still actively working on The Winds of Winter; he blames himself entirely for not completing the book sooner. And what’s more, he revealed that progress on the novel has been moving forward “pretty well” in recent times.
“There’s always the books, and I’m aware of that people think that— But no, I have to get back. I have to finish the books. That’s the one thing I’m completely in control of. There’s no budget limitations. There’s no other executives on the studio side that I have to please, or other writers with different views. The books are what I’m going to make them. And, I think the one I’m writing is coming pretty well, but I wish it would come faster.”
While this is not a major update, it’s nice to know he’s talking about it and taking thorough responsibility. But even so, in 2015, Martin is on record of saying he thought The Winds of Winter would be complete by the end of that year. That was a decade ago. Fans are naturally worried that it’d never be complete. The situation is similar to Patrick Rothfuss and his delay in writing The Doors of Stone, which you can read about here.
Currently, George R.R. Martin is anticipating the release of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which adapts his unfinished (yes, there’s another one) novel.
Do you have any theories about The Winds of Winter? Tell us in the comments down below!
