George R.R. Martin finally updated fans about his work on The Winds of Winter at the New York Comic Con, and while he did not exactly talk about his progress, he reaffirmed his interest in completing the novel.
The bad news is that he’s also working on several other projects alongside the book, admitting he cannot just drop them because he loves them all equally (via Entertainment Weekly):
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 sixth book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series has been in development since 2011, and the massive delay has stirred controversy among the community, including fans bombarding the author with hate mail and even speculating his potential death.
GRRM Refuses to Set Aside His Other Projects Despite The Winds of Winter Delay
After Game of Thrones ended, many fans believed Martin would be more motivated to finish the book because: 1) he missed the deadline by which he had to submit the manuscript before Season 6 premiered; and 2) the backlash on the final season created a demand for a more definitive ending.
Unfortunately, the brutal criticism endured by the show left him uninspired and slowed down his progress. In the midst of all these, Martin found time to work on his other projects, one of which was the Fire & Blood book that he released in 2018. Indeed, he expedited its publication for it to be ready for TV adaptation.
Then, in 2021, he became one of the executive producers for 2022’s Dark Winds, an AMC television series. He also continues to be an editor for the Wild Cards anthology series, which he revealed in a comment on Not A Blog. In 2024, he produced and even financed a short film to honor Howard Waldrop.
Now, he is gearing up for the upcoming release of HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a new Game of Thrones spinoff based on Tales of Dunk and Egg. Recently, the author revealed via The Hollywood Reporter: “I’m still writing. The [sixth] novel, the ‘Dunk and Egg’ story — those are what I’m focused on.” Martin is evidently biting off more than he can chew.
Martin’s Update Doesn’t Make Sense After Years of Claiming The Book As a Top Priority
Over the years, Martin told fans that The Winds of Winter is his top priority, but if it truly is, then it should have been completed by now. Recent updates weren’t comforting as well, especially when he told Collider that the book “is coming pretty well, but I wish it would come faster.”
In August, a fellow author gave a shocking report on Martin’s writing progress, stating that it is 70% through, as compared to a 2022 interview revealing he’s three-quarters (75%) of the way done.
The 77-year-old writer stopped making self-imposed deadlines and predictions about the book’s release. Martin’s usual response nowadays only reveals that he’s working on the book and that he still cares about it, and for some fans, these are enough assurances.
What are your thoughts on Martin’s latest update on The Winds of Winter? Let us know in the comments!
