In news that should come as no surprise to those who have kept up with the two-horse race between HBO and decorated author George R.R. Martin, the long-awaited novel sequel The Winds of Winter won’t release before Game of Thrones season 6.
That’s according to the author himself, who took to his personal blog to pen a frank open letter about the status of Winds of Winter – the sixth novel in A Song of Ice and Fire – expressing his own disappointment that it didn’t meet the original release date of 2015, and why Martin is refusing to set another tentative deadline until he’s confident that he’s on the home straight.
Per George R.R. Martin:
Believe me, it gave me no pleasure to type those words. 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. For months now I have wanted nothing so much as to be able to say, “I have completed and delivered THE WINDS OF WINTER” on or before the last day of 2015.
I can’t tell you when it will be done, or when it will be published. Best guess, based on our previous conversations, is that Bantam (and presumably my British publisher as well) can have the hardcover out within three months of delivery, if their schedules permit. But when delivery will be, I can’t say. I am not going to set another deadline for myself to trip over.
While it’s refreshing to learn of Martin accepting the sole blame for the prolonged release window of Winds of Winter, it does spell worrying times ahead for fans that have followed the Game of Thrones from the beginning. What this means is that HBO’s upcoming season 6 will be venturing into largely uncharted territory towards the final episodes. Even still, as Martin acknowledges, the series has already diverged so much from the novels that it shouldn’t have too much of an effect – at least, that’s the best case scenario.
Game of Thrones season 6, meanwhile, is slated to premiere on HBO in April.