Many fans were not satisfied with how the Game of Thrones series concluded on Tuesday. Because of this, a few expressed that George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series should have a better ending. Now that the popular HBO show is over, avid followers of the epic fantasy novel are wondering when The Winds of Winter could hit the shelves.
In 2017, George R.R. Martin teased that The Winds of Winter would not arrive until "late 2018 or early 2019." The veteran author made this announcement after fans of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series have demanded him to share updates about The Winds of Winter. However, the sixth installment of the ASOIAF has not been published up to this writing.
Besides being involved in the forthcoming Game of Thrones prequels, George R.R. Martin has been very busy with his other projects. The 70-year-old star writer has, also, been traveling to and fro the United States to attend conferences and events. This, according to reports, are some of the major causes why no The Winds of Winter novel has been released yet.
Two of George R.R. Martin's plans, Linda Antonsson and Elio García, shared why he is so slow in writing the highly anticipated novel. Linda revealed to Insider that GRRM is not fond of making an outline when writing books because it would only lose his interest in his own tome. "As the books have become increasingly complicated, there have [also] been increasing demands on his time," the pair divulged. "With the attention from 'Game of Thrones' publicity [and] all these other things, it's certainly true that he has a lot of irons in the fire," Linda and Elio added.
Recently, another rumor about the official release date of The Winds of Winter has spread like wildfire. A YouTuber named Gary Buechler predicted that George R.R. Martin is likely to publish the sixth A Song of Ice and Fire book next year. He even contended that TWOW is already finished and that it may arrive in "December 2020."
While it is not impossible for this theory to become a reality, it should be noted that George R.R. Martin has, already, clarified that he is still writing The Winds of Winter. He even debunked that reports saying that he signed a deal with HBO, which prevented him to release the book before the Game of Thrones television series concludes.
The predicted December 2020 release date, however, is possible only if George R.R. Martin would not be tied up in various projects again. Now that GRRM has vowed fans to focus on finishing the sixth A Song of Ice and Fire book, it may even be published earlier than the projected date. However, it is important to note that only George has the final say on when should TWOT hit the bookstores. For now, stay tuned to Business Times for the latest news and updates about The Winds of Winter.