This summer will mark the 14th anniversary of the release of A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin’s fifth book in his A Song of Fire and Ice series…which means the 14th anniversary of the last time we got a book in the series. So where is The Winds of Winter? At this point, we’re almost afraid to ask.
George R.R. Martin was recently asked by TIME about the status of The Winds of Winter, to which he admitted that it is far overdue. “That’s the curse of my life. There’s no doubt Winds of Winter is 13 years late. I’m still working on it. I have periods where I make progress and then other things divert my attention and suddenly I have a deadline for one of the HBO shows, I have something else to do.” Well maybe if you weren’t spending so much time with dire wolves!
Other than the recent petting of dire wolves and blasting House of the Dragon, George R.R. Martin has a number of endeavors, although he is constantly trying to convince fans that these aren’t taking any time out of his writing. “I swear, I opened a bookstore and people say, ‘Why is George R.R. Martin opening a bookstore? He could be writing Winds of Winter.’ I don’t actually work in the bookstore, you know…I have a theater — I’m not the projectionist. They seem to overestimate how much time I’m putting into these things.”
Just last year, Martin admitted that he really wasn’t sure if he would ever finish The Winds of Winter. That would also pretty much confirm that he’ll also never get around to the supposed seventh installment, A Dream of Spring. And, honestly, we just have to go with it at this point and be happy with the books he’s given us. That should be good enough to convince fans to chill out, right…?
To date, Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice novels have sold over 90 million copies and been translated into nearly 50 languages.
Are you ever expecting George R.R. Martin to finish The Winds of Winter? What is your favorite book in A Song of Fire and Ice?
