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28th Nov 2023

George R.R. Martin has written 1,100 pages of new Game of Thrones novel – the same amount as last year

Stephen Porzio

winds of winter

The author’s latest update on The Winds of Winter will probably frustrate fans.

The Winds of Winter, the hugely anticipated sixth novel in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series (perhaps better known as the Game of Thrones series), has been in the works for over ten years.

And with the release of the upcoming book already having been struck by several delays, the author’s latest update on its progress suggests fans still have a long wait in store for its publication.

Appearing on the podcast Bangcast this month alongside fellow author Bernard Cornwell (The Last Kingdom series), Martin had the following to say about The Winds of Winter:

“The main thing I’m actually writing, of course, is the same thing. I wish I could write as fast as Bernard but I’m 12 years late on this damn novel and I’m struggling with it.

“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.

“Maybe I should’ve started writing smaller books when I began this but it’s tough. But that’s the main thing that dominates most of my working life.”

winds of winterGeorge R.R. Martin has written 1,100 pages of new Game of Thrones novel – the same amount as last year

Martin’s comments suggest he has not made a significant amount of progress on the novel in around a year.

Appearing on Tooning Out the News last December, Martin was asked how many pages of The Winds of Winter he had written, to which he replied: “Like 1,100, 1,200 – something like that. It’s not done yet though. I need another 400, 500.”

In more positive news for Game of Thrones fans though, Martin said on Bangcast that around eight spin-off TV shows from the hit HBO series are in development.

He said: “Of course, in television, we have the new show House of the Dragon, which has just finished a filming a second season and we’re going to be doing planning for a third season soon.

“But I also have like eight other spin-off shows that we’re developing. The Dunk and Egg show has been green-lit. The others, not yet but we’re still working on them, developing.”

You can hear Martin speak about The Winds of Winter at around 81 minutes into the clip below:

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