George RR Martin issues major update on next Game of Thrones book | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV

Acclaimed American author George R. R. Martin can hide all he likes, but fans will not stop asking about the cat he let out of the bag – the next in the Game of Thrones series.

The writer has penned five main novels in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, which went on to be adapted into what many consider the greatest TV show of all time, Game of Thrones. Except, he shared there are set to be two more books to finally complete the series. The next one titled The Winds of Winter – but it has been a long, 15 year wait already for it to appear.

It’s the big question on everyone’s lips – when will we be getting this book? And Martin has managed avoid giving many answers as over the years he’s spoon-fed fans information about its release. Instead, he seems to be working on and writing anything but The Winds of Winter.

In a resurfaced clip from an interview in which he answers fans’ questions, the author says: “It’s the same update I’ve been giving for a long time. I continue to work on it. It continues to get longer and longer.”

Martin opened up about his own disliking towards some of the copy he’d written upon rereading it and made the decision to “rip them apart”, which could be a reason for the major delay. The last book was released in 2011, and fans can’t seem to understand why it would take quite this long, as some even doubt it exists yet at all.

While there’s no movement on book six, he did confirm on the Official Game of Thrones Podcast he is continuing to expand on the Tales of Dunk and Egg, which inspired the latest series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, released today. He said that there is a fleshed-out “long-term roadmap” which has been shared with HBO’s Ira Parker.

The scope of this, according to him, will involve an additional 10 or 12 stories, which take readers through Dunk and Egg’s entire lives. It will eventually end with their deaths at Summerhall.

In the same viral cip from a 2024 interview he reveals that The Winds of Winter is both a “big” and “challenging” book, likely to be larger than any previous releases in the series. Since, he’s described the project to be somewhat of a “curse” meanwhile his other HBO TV projects have “eaten up” large chunks of his time.

This didn’t quite cut it for readers, who were quick to flood the comments of this clip shared on TikTok. On user specualtes: “I guarantee the ending to GOT was as close to winds of winter as we would ever get and now he doesn’t know how to end it. He’s trying to make the ending more likeable, but I don’t think he can end it.”

Another wrote: “I stand on my theory that what happened in the GOT show was supposed to be canon, but because of the way it flopped, he has scrapped all of it and is now trying to come up with something better.”

One other fan came to Martin’s defence, writing: “I don’t think people truly grasp how much of a monster wrapping up this series is. There is so much that needs to happen while trying to ensure consistency; it’s near impossible.”

In the meantime the highly influential writer has been shaping up some other stories within the same world, including A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. This collection of three novels was set roughly 90 years prior to the events that took place in the main series, adding further context.

As Game of Thrones fans mourn the loss of their favourite show, they’re now gearing up to unlock some new and exciting characters built off of the same foundations. The first episode of the series is set to air on HBO on January 18, and Martin has been doing some press to help promote his new creation.