‘Winds of Winter’ Progressing Well, Says George R.R. Martin in Rare Update

Progress on the eagerly anticipated sixth book in ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’, ‘The Winds of Winter’, is going well, according to a rare update from George R.R. Martin.

Fans have been wondering about the next book in the series for more than ten years, since the publishing of the last book, ‘A Dance with Dragons’, in 2011.  The book, which was first scheduled for release in 2015, has had several delays throughout the years.

 Martin talked about work adaptations in an interview with Collider and assured fans that novels will always be available, despite TV series and video games.  He underlined his dedication to completing series, pointing out that although he has no control over studio executives or financial constraints for adaptations, he has complete authority over novels.  Although he acknowledged that he hoped he could finish more quickly, he expressed happiness with the way the writing was going.

The HBO series ‘Game of Thrones’, which ran from 2011 to 2019, is the most well-known adaptation of Martin’s writing.  In 2022, its predecessor ‘House of the Dragon’ made its debut, and later this year, ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ is anticipated to follow.

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Based on the role-playing game Martin co-wrote, there have also been rumours of an Elden Ring movie.  However, because he is still behind on his books, he stated in February that he might not be involved in the project.

According to Martin’s previous updates, he produced hundreds of pages in 2020 and finished about 1,200 pages by December 2022.  He has, however, also expressed worries that ‘The Winds of Winter’ and the seventh novel, ‘A Dream of Spring’, would never be completed.  He has quipped that some admirers have already begun writing his obituary, questioning whether he will ever finish the series, even though he is still focused on finishing ‘The Winds of Winter’.

Later this month, a medieval-themed pub in Santa Fe, New Mexico, called ‘Milk of the Poppy’—named after the painkiller from Martin’s books—is scheduled to open.

–Farheen Ali