Summary
There hasn’t been a newGame of Thronesnovel since 2011, the same year the HBO show began. After A Dance with Dragons infamously took six years to write, author George RR Martin mused that hopefully the next book would “go a little quicker”, but over a decade later, there’s still no sign ofThe Winds of Winter.
He’s been pressed in nearly every interview about the subject, even penning blog posts about how the novel is coming along. But when speaking toTime, he also addressed speculation that his various side projects, such as his New Mexico-based bookstore, Beastly Books, were hindering his progress.
“I have a deadline for one of the HBO shows,” Martin said. “I have something else to do. But the two things are not connected. I swear, I open a bookstore and people say, ‘Why is George RR Martin opening a bookstore? He could be writing Winds of Winter.’ I don’t actually work in the bookstore […] I have a theatre, I’m not the projectionist. They seem to overestimate how much time I’m putting in these things.”
“I’m Still Working On It”
As for how The Winds of Winter is going, you’ve heard the answer before. “That’s the curse of my life here. There’s no doubt Winds of Winter is 13 years late,” Martin admitted. “I’m still working on it. I have periods where I make progress and then other things divert my attention.”
In 2022, Martin said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he had finished around three-quarters of the book, with roughly 1,200 pages written. While that makes it a hefty follow-up to match the lengthy wait, there was still a lot more to be done, as he explained that he had nearly 500 pages left to go. Jump ahead to the end of last year, and he likewise admitted that the novel is “13 years late”, saying that he’s keenly aware fans are “already writing obituaries” with the worry that he’ll never finish it. “Maybe they’re right,” Martin said. “I don’t know. I’m alive right now! I seem pretty vital!”
Martin also stressed on his blogearlier this month that “it’s not” imminent.
But even if The Winds of Winter does release, Martin still has the seventh novel, Dreams of Spring, to write, which is intended to wrap up the story. If it takes anywhere near as long as The Winds of Winter has, Martin will be in his 80s by the time of publishing — who knows? Maybe the show will be rebooted by then.
In the meantime, we haveHouse of the Dragon’s third seasonto look forward to, as well as the new HBO spin-off, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, this summer.
