‘The Winds Of Winter’ Release Date Update: George R.R. Martin Gives Fan A Rare Update On The Status Of The Book

It has been a little over a year since beloved Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has officially released an update about the latest installment of the series. A lot of fans who were expecting an annual update have really gone frustrated since Martin has not said a word about The Winds of Winter in his recent blog posts.

Just last January 09, 2017, George R.R. Martin posted an entry in his LiveJournal blog titled Doom, Despair, Defeat where he talked about how the year is off to a not so good start. Martin talked about how his beloved football team lost and how Game of Thrones did not win any awards at the Golden Globes. There was no mention of The Winds of Winter in the post.

However, one fan seems to be lucky enough to have caught George R.R. Martin’s eye. A fan named J Snow wrote a comment on his blog post titled Really George and politely asked for any update about The Winds of Winter, he said.

“Even if its as simple as, ‘not done yet, but ive made progress( or not),’ or ‘it’ll be out this year (or not).’ Anything(or not). Either way, have a great new year, and thank you for, imo, the best fantasy series out there.”

While most days, George R.R. Martin does not answer queries similar to this, he seemed to have been in a different mood that day. Martin indulged his fan with a reply which said:

“You really think statements like that would make a difference? Ah, you sweet summer child. I have years of experience with this that tells me otherwise. But okay, I will try it your way. Not done yet, but I’ve made progress. But not as much as I hoped a year ago, when I thought to be done by now. I think it will be out this year. (But hey, I thought the same thing last year).”

The Winds of Winter has been in the works for six years with no concrete release date in site. There have been several rumors about a possible release date but none seems to have been confirmed by Martin. His long update on his blog last year was no help either.

Martin mentioned how it took his writing longer than he has expected and that his editor, publisher, HBO, and most of all himself has been very disappointed about the delays. G.R.R. Martin also said that he is a creative perfectionist and rushing him to finish his work is not an option.

The frustration of his fans are mounting and this unlikely update might keep his fans wanting for more. The long-awaited The Winds of Winter has already several sample chapters and many fans believe that the book is very near its release date.

However, since George R.R. Martin admittedly knows that he has a problem with deadlines, his recent update might break many fans hearts if it does not come true. Besides, it is not the first time that he promised the release of The Winds of Winter.

According to an article by Nerdist,George R.R. Martin promised back in 2014 that The Winds of Winter will be released on 2015. Come 2015, it did not happen. Martin then promised a 2016 release date instead, however, as many fans know by now, that did not happen either.

So, should fans keep their hopes up? Well, maybe. After all, there are fan theories surfacing the web that there has not been any new sample chapter released recently which might mean that the book is likely done and will be out this year. Or maybe not.

[Featured Image by Charles Sykes/AP Images]