Anticipation levels for the next chapter in George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire book saga, on which HBO's Game of Thrones is based, is at an all time high. Titled The Winds of Winter, it will begin what is sure to be the dramatic conclusion of Martin's sweeping fantasy epic.
If it ever comes out, that is.
Fans have been waiting for Winds of Winter ever since the fifth book, A Dance with Dragons, released back in 2011. Martin has published several excerpt chapters of the book on his website, but that has only served to whet the appetite of fans. Many dared to hope that Winds of Winter would see a 2015 release. But according to Martin's publisher, the book isn't on this year's schedule.
"I have no information on likely delivery," Jane Johnson of HarperCollins tells The Guardian. "These are increasingly complex books and require immense amounts of concentration to write. Fans really ought to appreciate that the length of these monsters is equivalent to two or three novels by other writers."
Instead, fans will be able to pick up an illustrated collection of the three Game of Thrones prequel novellas, collectively called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. These star a young Hedge Knight named Ser Duncan and his squire Egg as they roam the countryside at a time when the Targaryen rule over the Seven Kingdoms was still firm.
Is it possible Winds of Winter will see a 2015 release, or at least the announcement of a release? It is possible. A 12 Days of Christmas promotion late last year caused some fans to assume that the countdown was not for Christmas, but actually for the release of Winds of Winter. Martin assures fans they will be the first to know when the book is finished.
"Sorry. Not true. Look, I've said before, and I will say again, I don't play games with news about the books," he writes on his personal blog. "I know how many people are waiting, how long they have been waiting, how anxious they are. I am still working on Winds. When it's done, I will announce it here. There won't be any clues to decipher, any codes or hidden meanings, the announcement will be straightforward and to the point. I won't time it to coincide with Xmas or Valentine's Day or Lincoln's Birthday, the book will not rise from the dead with Jesus on Easter Sunday. When it is done, I will say that's it is done [sic], on whatever day I happen to finish. I don't know how I can make it any clearer."
The upcoming fifth season of Game of Thrones will be drawing material from the fourth and fifth entry in Martin's book series, meaning the author has roughly one more season to go before the show surpasses his own story. Martin has gone on record to say that he is doing everything in his power to make sure that doesn't happen. So write, George, write like the wind.
