It is no secret that fans have been waiting a long time for Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin to complete work on The Winds of Winter. The previous book in Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice series came out nearly a decade ago, in 2011, which was right around the time GOT premiered. Now, Martin is back talking about writing the book.
The problem, obviously, is that there is still no book. George R.R. Martin previously shared that he had turned down a cameo in the TV show’s final season to work on The Winds of Winter. That was in early 2019. More than a year later, Martin has still not completed work on the much-anticipated tome. He has found time to update fans on how it is going, though.
Taking to his blog, which is titled Not a Blog, George R.R. Martin shared that he has an assistant living with him in his mountain house at all times as he works on it, and did say his current situation has been “good for the writing.” What does that mean for The Winds of Winter’s release date? Fans are eager for some indication that the debut is finally close.
At this point, even those who write clues for the trivia show Jeopardy! are annoyed by how long it has taken for George R.R. Martin to finish work on The Winds of Winter. The problem is that Martin’s update regarding progress on The Winds of Winter is yet another in a long line of updates, with no concrete word coming from him on being even close to finished with the tome.
Late last year, George R.R. Martin promised that Winds of Winter would take priority over his admitted desire to work on House of the Dragon. For those unaware, that is the new Game of Thrones prequel set around the Targaryen family. It is the second prequel attempt to be made by HBO after a previous planned show did not make it past the pilot stages.
His hands-off approach to the prequel has yet to yield the next novel, though. George R.R. Martin has traditionally found time to weigh in on the Game of Thrones universe despite being hard at work on The Winds of Winter. But, nearly a decade after the last gust bellowed from the Song of Fire and Ice series, and more than a year since the TV show’s finale, patience is running thin among fans.
If George R.R. Martin had not agreed to resist contributing a script to the House of the Dragon prequel series or forego that cameo, where would The Winds of Winter be? It is a scary question. Martin’s latest update indicates he is working on the novel nearly non-stop, except for the requisite movie, television, and reading breaks.
At this point, fans would probably like to read a post from George R.R. Martin’s blog with the headline “It’s (Finally) Done.” It may be a while yet before Martin enthusiasts read any such welcomed news, as he provided a lot of context to his work without mentioning how close he is to being finished.
In the past, George R.R. Martin has blamed the Game of Thrones TV show for delaying the final books. More than a year after the series has ended, there is still no Winds of Winter, though. Of course, fans may need to be careful what they wish for when it comes to the next chapter in Martin’s saga.
George R.R. Martin has vowed not to change his remaining books to please internet fans. Game of Thrones' showrunners witnessed how that turned out. Regardless, you can currently stream every season of the series on HBO Max. While you wait, continue hoping for The Winds of Winter to blow in, and check out this fall’s premieres.
