Game of Thrones fans were left overjoyed this week when it was claimed that the 16-year wait for George RR Martin’s next novel would end later this year. Sadly, this was wishful thinking.
Despite Martin’s recent admission that he is “struggling” to complete the book as “the actual writing is getting harder”, some readers were quick to take a social media post about the publication date as confirmation.
But Bantam Books, the US publisher of the author’s Song of Ice and Fire book series, has cleared up the confusion, stating: “The online chatter you are seeing regarding a supposed leak is false.”
Between 1996 and 2011, the author published five books in the fantasy series, which were adapted into the juggernaut HBO drama, and The Winds of Winter’s delay has proved agonising for fans, with many readers questioning whether he will ever finish it.
He previously addressed the “controversy” about how late the next book is, stating in October 2025: “I’ve always had trouble with deadlines and I don’t feel happy breaching contracts or missing a deadline or anything like that.”
Martin continued: “Yes, I do love Winds of Winter. I’m still interested in it, I’m still working on it, but honestly, I love these other things, too.”
The author said the book delay has stemmed from having commitments to numerous other projects, including more novellas for characters Dunk and Egg. The pair take centre stage in Game of Thrones spin-off series A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which aired earlier this year.
Discussing the backlash he receives every time he announces a new project that isn’t related to Winds of Winter, Martin added: “Every time that happens, and I announce it on my website, half the internet goes crazy.
“Why the f*** is George RR Martin writing this other thing when he should be writing Winds of Winter? What is he doing?’ And I want to say, ‘I did it in 1993, guys. Come on! It was lying in my drawer, and they wanted it, so I sold it to them!’”
He also previously called The Winds of Winter “the curse of my life”, telling Time: “There’s no doubt Winds of Winter is 13 years late.”
However, he has shared some details about the forthcoming release. He recently wrote in his blog that the book will have chapters told from the point of view of Jon Snow, who was seemingly killed off in his previous release, A Dance with Dragons.
In Game of Thrones, Snow (Kit Harington) was resurrected after being murdered, but Martin has claimed the book will stray from events depicted in the show.
Martin is currently set to follow The Winds of Winter with a seventh and final book titled A Dream of Spring – but who knows when that will be written, let alone released.
