A Song of Ice and Fire is an epic literary saga that inspired mega-hit TV adaptation Game of Thrones, and fans have been chomping at the bit for author George R.R. Martin to release the next installment for many years now. A fair reaction, considering that the most recent novel, A Dance with Dragons, was released in 2011. The wait for the sixth book, The Winds of Winter, became so long that Game of Thrones had to create its own plotline as the story began to outpace the books. This prompted some to ask George R.R. Martin how his ending would compare - and his answer was classic GRRM.
In a recent interview with WTTW Chicago, George R.R. Martin talked about his writing process and the upcoming The Winds of Winter in typical GRRM fashion - talking about the GOT show lapping him while promising that he was working on the next book. When asked about the show outpacing him, George R.R. Martin said:
It changed my life, in mostly good ways. Although you know, looking back, I wish I had stayed ahead of the books. My biggest issue was when they began that series, I had four books in print and the fifth one came out just as the series was starting in 2011. I had a five-book headstart and these are gigantic books. I never thought they would catch up with me. And they did. They caught up with me and passed me, and that made it a little strange because now the show was ahead of me and going in different directions. I'm still working on the book. But you will see my ending when that comes out.
So, no actual information on The Winds of Winter or the ending to A Song of Ice and Fire. His reasoning makes sense - how many times have you procrastinated on a project thinking you had more time than you actually did? That being said, ten years is an awfully long time to wait for a book, and there’s no guarantee that The Winds of Winter will be published in the next couple years, let alone 2021. And the fact that GOT finished its eight-series run with a plot invented by the showrunners doesn’t help. Now that the series has ended, fans will be pressuring George R.R. Martin even more to see how his ending will compare with GOT.
But, on the positive side, George R.R. Martin seems determined to actually finish the series. It could be worse, after all - he could have decided to let ASOIAF languish in purgatory forever and never actually finish the books. Then we would be left with Bran Stark as King of the Six Kingdoms on the show as the only ending, a decision that many fans were left scratching their heads over, as well as that questionable Season 8 character arc for Daenerys.
It’s unclear when we can expect The Winds of Winter, but CinemaBlend will be sure to keep you updated on all things Game of Thrones and George R.R. Martin.
