It’s been years (over a decade, to be exact) since the last book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series has come out, and George R. R. Martin is exhausted of giving constant updates. The acclaimed author went on the record recently to discuss his new progress on the upcoming installment in his award-winning series, The Winds of Winter.
You Can’t Keep This Writer Down
In a stream with Penguin Random House, his publisher, George R. R. Martin explained that he has about 75% of his book complete. The Winds of Winter, he reveals, will be longer than any single novel in his series yet! That’s saying something, considering A Dance with Dragons is over 1,000 pages long (and that was after editing)! Unless you count A Dance with Dragons and A Feast of Crows as one book, Winds will blow both novels out of the water.
Martin has been at the center of endless fan questioning regarding his incomplete manuscript for some time. Many eager readers can’t help but contemplate what might happen if the author passes before the novel is finished. Naturally, this is quite disorienting to him. Additionally, in an interview with Vanity Fair, he divulges that he doesn’t feel at all “close to dying”.
Still, Temper Your Expectations
It’s important to realize that when George R. R. Martin does complete the manuscript, there is still more time to wait still. The publication process can be rigorous! It’ll take his team a while to edit and ready the manuscript for publishing, and by the time it’s ready, another 3-5 years could pass in the meantime.
Considering how long the novel is shaping up to be, it’s very likely that it will be split in half. Though George R. R. Martin himself doesn’t quite know the answer to that yet.
Patience is Key
With the wait we likely have ahead of us, it’s safe to say George R. R. Martin would rather put out something he’s proud of than something he isn’t. And who can blame him? It’s not as though we’re lacking for Game of Thrones content right now. Though, with the season finale of House of the Dragon having just aired, it would be nice to have something else to look forward to until season two is on the horizon.
Until then, we’ll just have to cross all our fingers for any updates––however small––from our favorite elusive fantasy author.
Looking for more Game of Thrones/ASOIAF content? Read all about the promise of unicorns in The Winds of Winter!