Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin celebrated the House of the Dragon finale with one of his elusive Winds of Winter updates. Despite previously saying he was going to stop offering updates on the long-awaited book, a livestream for book publisher, Penguin Random House, was apparently the perfect time for an announcement.
“It’s a big, big book, I’ve said that before,” Martin commented. “It’s a challenging book. It’s probably gonna be a larger book than any of the previous volumes in the series.
“Dance with Dragons and Storm of Swords are the two largest books in the series, they were both about 1,500 manuscript pages. I think this one is going to be longer than that by the time I’m finished with it, and I think I’m about three-quarters of the way done, maybe? But that’s not 100 percent done, so I have to continue work on it.”
Despite apparently being 75% done, the writer went on to emphasize that doesn’t mean publication is just around the corner.
“And of course, then there’s the issue here of my friends at Random House, when I deliver this monstrous book that will be as big as a dragon,” Martin added. “Are they going to try to make me cut it in two? We’ll find out about that, but first I have to finish it. I have to get it all done.”
Yes, George, please get it all done! It’s been 11 years since the last A Song of Ice and Fire book came out, A Dance of Dragons, a delay so long it meant the TV show Game of Thrones overtook book releases, culminating in the disaster that was Season 8 of the show.
Some fans have given up on ever seeing the book, connecting themselves that the end of the TV show will be the only ending we’ll see. However, HBO may well be ret-conning Game of Thrones, with Snow continuing the story of Kit Harington’s Jon Snow. However, this show is not yet in production, making House of the Dragon the only window into Westeros that we have right now.
(featured image: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
