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George R.R. Martin’s fans are eagerly waiting for the blessed day when the author will finally release the sixth book of hisA Song of Ice and Fireseries. The planned novel is titledThe Winds of Winterand it will resolve the unfinished storylines from the previous book, A Dance with Dragons,which was released all the way back in 2011.
Given the fact that it has been well over a decade since the release of the most recentA Song of Ice and Firebook, it’s safe to say that the fans are restless. With constant reminders coming his way, George R.R. Martin once stated that people had his consent to lock him up far, far away ifThe Winds of Winterwas not released by mid-2020.
George R.R. Martin’s Unfulfilled Promise
Back in 2019,George R.R. Martinreceived a video from Air New Zealand advertising the country’s serene and absolutely breathtaking sceneries to him. The purpose of the video? To fly the author out to New Zealand where he could find the peace he needed to finally finishThe Winds of Winter.
Martin was obviously pleased with the offer of getting a free trip to the Land of the Kiwis. However, he wrotein hisblog that he had enough money to buy a plane ticket for himself. Then, he had a counteroffer for the airline – fly 30-50 American“writers, fans, and artists”to the Worldcon, which he would be attending as well.
Finally, Martin touched on the subject ofThe Winds of Winterand stated that New Zealand was far too distracting for him. He then took a solemn oath stating that the book would be done by the time he arrived in the country for Worldcon.
George R.R. Martin May Never Finish the Books After Massive Game of Thrones Film Update
And if he wasn’t able to stay true to his words, he gave readers his permission to imprison him on the White Island in New Zealand.
As for finishing my book… I fear that New Zealand would distract me entirely too much. Best leave me here in Westeros for the nonce. But I tell you this — if I don’t have THE WINDS OF WINTER in hand when I arrive in New Zealand for worldcon, you have here my formal written permission to imprison me in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid, until I’m done. Just so long as the acrid fumes do not screw up my old DOS word processor, I’ll be fine.
Worldcon took place on July 25, 2025, and clearly, Martin was unable to fulfill the promise he made. It’s been more than a decade since the fifth book of the series was released. No wonder people are tired of waiting around!
What’s the Progress onThe Winds of Winter?
There is still a bit of time before fans will be able to get their hands on the sixth book. Since Martin didn’t stick to his own deadline, we wonder just how much progress has been made over the last few years when it comes toThe Winds of Winter.
“I get that Winds of Winter, the sixth book, is late”: George R.R. Martin Using the Sympathy Card to Justify the Delay is the Laziest Excuse of All Time
Back in 2012, Martin toldEmpirethat the book would have about 1,500 pages to its name. As it turns out, the author has written about 1,100 pages so, there’s still quite a bit left to finish.
In 2023, he toldBangcast,
I have like 1,100 pages written but I still have hundreds more pages to go. It’s a big mother of a book for whatever reason. Maybe I should’ve started writing smaller books when I began this but it’s tough. That’s the main thing that dominates most of my working life.
As for the most recent update, Martinposted a blogon August 13, 2025, where he wrote,“Writing came hard, and though I did produce some new pages on both THE WINDS OF WINTER (yes) and BLOOD & FIRE…I would liked to have turn out a lot more.”Unfortunately, his other commitments took up most of his time this year.
The last few pages of a book are always the most difficult to write since authors want to end on a mind-blowing note. The pressure only increases when you are Martin, the writer of one of the most celebrated fantasy novels of all time. We sincerely hope he is able to get over the writer’s block and deliver yet another book that will have readers feeling all kinds of emotions!
Mishkaat Khan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2257
A connoisseur of all things horror, fantasy, and the occasional chick flick, Mishkaat has been penning pieces for FandomWire since 2022. She started off as an intern and has worked her way up to a Senior Writer with over 2000 articles to her name.Outside of entertainment, she has also written well-researched medical content as a freelance writer and has experience in social media management.When not writing, you can find her relaxing with a romance novel and a tall glass of iced coffee in her hand or watching re-runs of ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Office.’
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A Song of Ice and FireGeorge R.R. MartinThe Winds of Winter
