George R.R. Martin cancelled several convention appearances in 2015, writing on his blog “I have too much to do. Too much on my plate.” His intention was to reduce his public appearances to make time to complete The Winds of Winter, the next entry in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, the basis for HBO’s Game of Thrones. But 2016 is a new year, and GRRM will be returning to the fantasy convention circuit, giving people ample opportunity to extract an official Winds of Winter release date from him.
“Next weekend I will be heading off to MystiCon, in Roanoke, Virginia, where I’ll be a Guest of Honor,” Martin announced on his LiveJournal . But even if an update on The Winds of Winter is not forthcoming at the Con, Martin will probably unveil new Game of Thrones material in a live reading.
“Are you planning on a reading from The Winds of Winter or from Fire and Blood at MystiCon?” a commenter asked.
“That’s the plan,” GRRM said.
GRRM is going to do a reading from TWOW or FIRE AND BLOOD at Mysticon. cc @WesterosHistory @MeereeneseKnot pic.twitter.com/Dg7t9AfMsL
— BryndenBFish (@BryndenBFish) February 22, 2016
Fire and Blood is Martin’s history of the Targaryens, which he plans to release after the Song of Ice and Fire series is complete. Though little is known about the project, Game of Thrones fans are calling it George R.R. Martin’s Silmarillion.
While some new material from The Winds of Winter will probably emerge at MystiCon, an update on the novel’s release date is less likely. Martin has emphasized that he’s attending for the specific reason of getting away from the novel for a weekend.
“Truth be told, I need a good con just about now. I am tired and I am stressed,” Martin wrote. “So… let’s raise a few glasses and have a few laughs at MystiCon, and try to remember why we love science fiction, fandom, and each other.”
MystiCon tickets for the weekend of Feb. 26 are sold out, but you can check out other upcoming George R.R. Martin appearances on his official site.
