Finally. FINALLY!
It has been several long winters (seven, to be exact) since Martin released his most recent entry into his A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Dance With Dragons.
Since then, the HBO adaptation of Game Of Thrones has bypassed the timeline of the books itself, venturing into its own territory, and we’re not sure if the showrunners have discussed with Martin about whether their ending and his ending might align in some ways.
We doubt it, especially since Martin still has TWO more books in the series to finish, and fans were beginning to go a little doolally waiting for the next one, as it appeared that he kept getting distracted by other projects.
He’s getting involved in some way or another with at least one of the FIVE Game Of Thrones prequel series in the works, plus he has the new sci-fi-horror show Nightflyers arriving this December, PLUS he has just released another, different book – The Sons of Dragons, which is also a prequel to A Song of Ice and Fire – so it isn’t as if he’s been taking a prolonged work break.
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Martin told the interviewer that he is essentially in hiding:
“He’s talking to me from a remote mountain hideaway whose location he refuses to disclose. It’s a cabin he visits when he wants to hunker down to finish a book.”
He had previously described the book in a particular way, exposing the reason why it is taking him so long to finish:
“[It is] not so much a novel as a dozen novels, each with a different protagonist, each having a different cast of supporting players, antagonists, allies and lovers around them, and all of these weaving together against the march of time in an extremely complex fashion.
“So it’s very, very challenging.”
At least we know now that he is in the final stretch, apparently writing seven days a week, so it can’t be TOO much longer until the next one comes out, right?
Although how long we might have to wait until the seventh and final book – A Dream of Spring – to arrive is anyone’s guess. Considering the work rate, we’re guessing… 2027?
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