Several fans were disappointed when George R.R. Martin announced earlier this year that the release date of The Winds of Winter had been pushed back again. While many believe that the much-anticipated book will be arriving before 2016 ends, there are also some who think that The Winds of Winter will be launched in 2017.

Up to this writing, no official word has been made public yet as to when should fans expect the coming of The Winds of Winter. However, The Inquisitr has collected some interesting details that would help fans know when the wait should be over.

George RR Martin tapped Neil Gaiman to co-author The Winds of Winter

After the New Mexican author failed fans and himself for not having been able to finish The Winds of Winter on time, recent reports now claim that the release date could be in 2017. Parent Herald reported that it is highly possible for George to finish the book next year with the help of Neil Gaiman .

It has been reported that the famous author of Good Omens Bad Omens and The Sandman books was sighted in the same area where Martin lives. Hence, sparking rumors about his co-authorship for The Winds of Winter .

With the help of Gaiman, it should be possible for George to publish The Winds of Winter in 2017. However, up until now, no official word from both parties has been released yet, so fans should probably take these reports with a grain of salt.

The Winds of Winter will be released after Game of Thrones Season 6

Martin was extremely devastated when he pronounced to his million followers that he cannot finish The Winds of Winter on time. Originally, the author of The Song of Ice and Fire series promised to publish the much-anticipated novel before Game of Thrones Season 6 begins but that didn’t happen.

“You’re disappointed, and you’re not alone. My editors and publishers are disappointed, HBO is disappointed, my agents and foreign publishers and translators are disappointed… but no one could possibly be more disappointed than me.”

Crossmap shared that the release date for The Winds of Winter is hard to predict since only a few information about the forthcoming tome has been made available as of yet. For now, what fans can do is hope and pray that George will be able to overcome the distractions and stay focus on finishing the much-awaited book.

Game of Thrones Season 6 will not reveal much about The Winds of Winter

While no exact release date has been announced up to this writing, Martin assured fans that the forthcoming season of Game of Thrones will not spoil much about The Winds of Winter. George said in an interview with IGN that fans will be surprised with several twists and turns on the plot of his upcoming tome.

“I have decided to do it. Will you know it? I don’t know. It is fairly obvious because it is something that involves a couple of characters, one of which is dead on the show, and not dead in the books. So the show can’t do it, unfortunately, because they have killed someone I have not killed.”

Martin also revealed that some dead characters in the Game of Thrones TV series will possibly be still alive in The Winds of Winter. So, fans should worry no more as there are a lot of things to be excited about George’s upcoming book despite its delay.

Do you think George R.R. Martin will be able to finish The Winds of Winter in 2017? Who do you think are the dead Game of Thrones characters who are still alive in the books? Share to us your thoughts in the comment section below.

[Image via Mark Davis / Getty]

Jaja Agpalo

Articles by Jaja Agpalo

‘The Winds of Winter’ Release Date, News & Update: 3 Things You Need To Know Before George RR Martin Publishes The Book In 2017