George R.R. Martin has admitted that a new Game Of Thrones book won’t be released over the next 12 months.
The author, who has seen his series of books turn into a pop culture phenomenon, has admitted that The Winds Of Winter , which will be the sixth book of George Martin’s hugely popular A Song Of Ice and Fire novels, isn’t finished yet.
Speaking to the Guardian , Jane Johnson, who works at HarperCollins, which is the company that publishes the books, came out and admitted that there is no release information on the follow-up to 2011’s A Dance With Dragons.
“I have no information on likely delivery. These are increasingly complex books and require immense amounts of concentration to write. Fans really ought to appreciate that the length of these monsters is equivalent to two or three novels by other writers.”
Last month, Game Of Thrones fans were adamant that the author was about to announce a release date for The Winds Of Winter. That’s because a 12 Days of Christmas promotion was organized, which people assumed would result in the date being announced.
However, Martin came out and quashed this speculation, posting on his blog , “Somehow, from somewhere, the rumor arose that the ’12 Days’ were actually a countdown… not to Xmas, but to the publication of The Winds Of Winter , or the announcement of its completion and/or pub date.”
During this post, Martin then embarked on a passionate diatribe on how he will not “play games about the books.” He added that he is more than aware just how much pressure and anticipation there is regarding the novels.
“I know how many people are waiting, how long they have been waiting, how anxious they are. I am still working on Winds . When it’s done, I will announce it here. There won’t be any clues to decipher, any codes or hidden meanings, the announcement will be straightforward and to the point.”
“I won’t time it to coincide with Xmas or Valentine’s Day or Lincoln’s Birthday, the book will not rise from the dead with Jesus on Easter Sunday. When it is done, I will say that’s it is done [sic], on whatever day I happen to finish.”
Game Of Thrones’ A Song Of Ice And Fire series began with 1996’s A Game Of Thrones , which was followed by 1998’s A Clash Of Kings , 2000’s A Storm Of Swords , 2005’s A Feast for Crows , 2011’s A Dance with Dragons, and will be followed by the forthcoming additions to the series, The Winds Of Winter and A Dream Of Spring .
[Image via CBSISTATIC ]