The anticipation for The Winds of Winter remains high despite the fact that it has been delayed over and over again. George R.R. Martin has been very vocal on his difficulty in completing the sixth A Song of Ice and Fire book for a myriad of reasons. But, did the brain behind the successful Game of Thrones series just revealed the official release date of the much-awaited tome?
It has been, approximately, eight years since George R.R. Martin announced his plans to write The Winds of Winter. However, the veteran author has not yet confirmed the official release date of the second to the last installment of the A Song of Ice and Fire series. Because of this, many fans got anxious about the possibility that GRRM may not be able to finish TWOW while he is still alive.
George R.R. Martin, previously, predicted that The Winds of Winter could be published in "late 2018 or early 2019." However, no A Song of Ice and Fire novel was released up to this writing. The good thing is: GRRM hinted, recently, that TWOW could arrive next year.
In his recent blog post, George R.R. Martin sparked hope again as he shared some details about the progress of The Winds of Winter. The 70-year-old writer revealed he worries that New Zealand might befuddle his writing process. GRRM even said that the sixth book of the A Song of Ice and Fire series could be out during the WorldCon 2020.
"As for finishing my book... I fear that New Zealand would distract me entirely too much. Best leave me here in Westeros for the nonce," George R.R. Martin wrote. "But I tell you this - if I don't have The Winds of Winter in hand when I arrive in New Zealand for Worldcon, you have here my formal written permission to imprison me in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid, until I'm done. Just so long as the acrid fumes do not screw up my old DOS word processor, I'll be fine," the author of The Winds of Winter added.
Should George R.R. Martin successfully complete writing the highly-anticipated novel, avid followers of the A Song of Ice and Fire series could expect The Winds of Winter to arrive in August 2020. However, it should be noted that this is only GRRM's prediction and, just like his previously announced release date, this might not happen as expected.
Meanwhile, George R.R. Martin revealed that some parts of the Game of Thrones Season 8 finale are very much similar to his books. However, he noted that there would be major differences in the fate of the majority of the supporting characters. Even GOT star Isaac Hempstead Wright said that the coronation of his character, Bran, is, actually, Martin's idea.
"[Creators] David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] told me there were two things [author] George R.R. Martin had planned for Bran, and that was the Hodor revelation, and that he would be king," Isaac said in an interview with HBO. "So that's pretty special to be directly involved in something that is part of George's vision. It was a really nice way to wrap it up," the Game of Thrones actor added. With Isaac's statements, it is safe to say that some parts of The Winds of Winter could be parallel to what transpired in the television series.
Game of Thrones prequels are, currently, being made. In fact, George R.R. Martin was even involved in creating its storylines. However, HBO has not yet released other details about the spinoff shows. For now, stay tuned to Business Times for the latest news and updates about The Winds of Winter!
