Despite significant progress on the next book in The Song in Ice in the Fire trilogy, the Game of Thrones author says that it’s unfortunately still a long way from completion.
George R.R. Martine voiced his frustrations in writing his latest book, The Winds of Winteron, on the Bangcast. Last year, the author revealed that written around 1,200 pages and had roughly 400-500 to go. He hasn’t made much progress since then.
“The main thing I’m actually writing, of course, is the same thing. I wish I could write as fast as Bernard Cornwell but I’m 12 years late on this damn novel and I’m struggling with it,” admitted Martin.
“I have like 1,100 pages written but I still have hundreds more pages to go. It’s a big mother of a book for whatever reason,” he continued. “Maybe I should’ve started writing smaller books when I began this but it’s tough. That’s the main thing that dominates most of my working life.”
Since the book’s first release window in 2011, The Winds of Winter has seen delay after delay. And while the development of the book has evolved into a bit of a meme within the Game of Thrones fanbase, there is a lingering fear that it will never see publication.
Granted, with all the other creative projects Martin has and currently is involved in, it’s understandable that there have been significant delays. Alongside the recent House of the Dragon TV show, the author revealed that eight other Game of Thrones shows are in development, many of which haven’t been greenlit.
“But I also have like eight other spin-off shows that we’re developing. The Dunk and Egg show has been greenlit. The others, not yet, but we’re still working on them,” Martin continued.
Dunk and Egg tells the story of the knight Sir Duncan the Tall and his squire Aegon V Targaryen.
While it’s sad to see that progress continues to be slow, it’s clear that fans of Martin have no problem with waiting for the next installment. And with all the other upcoming projects the author is involved in, I’d say that there is enough material to tide them over until the book is eventually published.
