MartinannouncedThe Winds of Winterin June 2010.
I have to finish the books…
I think the one I’m writing is coming pretty well, but I wish it would come faster.
Image via HBO
But weve heard this tale before.
Martin has made similar remarks almost every year since 2010, beforeGame of Throneseven aired.
Hed completed 400 pages by 2012, a year after the fifth book was released andGame of Thronespremiered.
Image via HBO
However, theshows success brought everything to a screeching halt.
Updates became few and far between when Martinsuddenly rose to fame.
In the lead-up to Covid, Martin made a series of promises that never came to fruition.
Image via HBO
At the start of 2017, he claimed, I think it will be out this year.
Manyfans found it frustratingfor Martin tokeep publishing in-world books without finishing the main story.
In 2019, Martin joked that his fans could “imprison me… until I’m done.”
When his deadline arrived the following year, Martin didn’t deliver, though he luckily escaped incarceration.
However, the following year would bring the most soul-destroying updates.
The idea of yet another series catching up with his novels was not a welcome idea.
In December 2024, Martin made a very startling confession during an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter.
After acknowledging many fans doubted he could ever finish the series, he said, Maybe theyre right.
However, his most recent interview with Collider brought more hopeful words.
“Winds of Winter is thirteen years late.
I’m still working on it.
However,Windswouldn’t be as burdensome if he improved his communication with the fandom.
Season 3 will be the HBO show’s penultimate season.
Of course,Martin never intends to upset people.
He never had to write any of the previous novels under such pressure.
We Need To Go Easy on George R.R.
Martin, Hes in a Difficult Position
Its easy to complain about Martins slow writing.
As a hardcore fan of the novels, I grow sadder with every passing year without a new book.
Most people would retire at the age Martin was whenGame of Thronespremiered.
Frank had kind of come to hate Dune by the endbecause thats all anybody wanted from him…
I hope I never wind up in that situation.
Though he sadly seems to have found himself in the same position.
