George R.R. Martin fans will have to keep waiting for The Winds of Winter, the next installment of Martin’s book series A Song of Ice and Fire.
A Song of Ice and Fire is, of course, the basis of the HBO (now Max) series Game of Thrones. Like the TV series, A Song of Ice and Fire tells the story of the embattled land of Westeros, in which lords and rightful monarchs battle for control of the Iron Throne.
The first book in the series, A Game of Thrones, first came out in 1996. The novel told the story of Ned Stark (played in the TV series by Sean Bean), who pushes back against House Lannister’s efforts to seize the throne. Meanwhile, the exiled queen Daenerys Targaryen (played in the series by Emilia Clarke), comes into her power and makes plans to take her rightful place as Westeros’ ruler.
There are currently five books in A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, a Feast For Crows, and A Dance With Dragons, which was published in 2011. Martin has reportedly been at work on the penultimate volume, The Winds of Winter, for about 14 years. According to IGN, Martin reported in December 2022 that he had 1,100 pages of the book written. However, when asked about his progress in November 2023, Martin said that the total number of pages was still at 1,100, with some characters’ stories complete but other storylines unfinished.
That means that, as of this writing, there’s no solid release date for The Winds of Winter.
Meanwhile, the Game of Thrones TV series wrapped up in 2019, with Martin serving as an executive producer. Season 2 of the show’s spin-off series, House of the Dragon, is currently in production.
(featured image: Max)
