It has been more than a decade since fans have been waiting for The Winds of Winter, the sixth instalment of George R.R. Martin’s sixth A Song of Ice and Fire book series.
Unfortunately, despite the global phenomenon of HBO’s Game of Thrones and its continuous expansion through spinoffs, like House of the Dragon and the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the main story remains unfinished.
After the release of the fifth book A Dance with Dragons in 2011, fans cannot help but ask: Will The Winds of Winter ever be released?
‘The Curse of [His] Life’
The Winds of Winter was originally supposed to be finished in 2012, but 13 years have already passed, and there are still no words on whether it will ever be finished.
In an interview with Time, Martin could not help but call the unfinished book “the curse of [his] life,” thanks to its lengthy delay.
“That's the curse of my life here. There's no doubt Winds of Winter is 13 years late,” he said.
But fans do not have to worry, though, the epic fantasy series’ author is still working on it. Anyhow, he admitted that he could get distracted at times—especially with the number of projects he has.
“I'm still working on it. I have periods where I make progress and then other things divert my attention,” he continued. “I have a deadline for one of the HBO shows. I have something else to do. But the two things are not connected.”
The Book’s Status
Martin started working on The Winds of Winter no later than 2010. Over the years, he has provided numerous updates about the delay.
In October 2022, he revealed he had completed approximately three-quarters of the manuscript, which was about 1,100 to 1,200 pages written, and had only 400 to 500 pages left to write.
However, his next updates seem to suggest that his progress has been slower since.
Fans have to understand Martin, though, he once said that writing the sixth book was “daunting” due to its larger story compared to the previous installments in the series.
But rest assured that he has remained committed to finishing the book, though he, too, has no idea when that may happen.
“When Winds of Winter is done, the word will not trickle out, there WILL be a big announcement… where and when I cannot say,” he wrote in his blog.
While the release date of The Winds of Winter remains unknown, Martin is evidently dedicated to finishing it. He may be delayed for 13 years, but he still continuously gives updates about it through his blogs and interviews.
That said, it looks like fans still have to wait when the Winter will come.