Many Game of Thrones fans anticipated a late-2015 Winds of Winter release date and rumors reached a feverish high, yet New Years came and went without any specific information from George R.R. Martin, publishers, or HBO... until now.
GRRM finally took to his personal blog on Saturday and cleared the air. Sadly, it's not the post fans wanted to see: "You wanted an update. Here's the update. You won't like it. THE WINDS OF WINTER is not finished."
"I can't tell you when it will be done, or when it will be published," said Martin. "Best guess, based on our previous conversations, is that Bantam (and presumably my British publisher as well) can have the hardcover out within three months of delivery, if their schedules permit. But when delivery will be, I can't say. I am not going to set another deadline for myself to trip over. The deadlines just stress me out. "
As we all know, The Winds of Winter was supposed to publish before the Game of Thrones Season 6 release date. This meant that GRRM's initial timeline required a manuscript to be completed before the end of October so that the book could be published before the end of March. That said, the publishers had a contingency in place should GRRM fail to make the deadline. The publishers were prepared to speed up production, thus allowing GRRM to hand in a manuscript as late as the end of the year and still make the end of March goal. However, the contingency had failed as well.
"Here it is, the first of January. The book is not done, not delivered," GRRM admitted. More importantly, this also means that The Winds of Winter will not be published before the Season 6 premiere, which GRRM says will be in mid-April. However, this leads to a second problem:
Will the show 'spoil' the novels?
"Just consider. Mago, Irri, Rakharo, Xaro Xhoan Daxos, Pyat Pree, Pyp, Grenn, Ser Barristan Selmy, Queen Selyse, Princess Shireen, Princess Myrcella, Mance Rayder, and King Stannis are all dead in the show, alive in the books," teased GRRM while also noting the significant variance between the book and the TV show.
"Some of them will die in the books as well, yes... but not all of them, and some may die at different times in different ways. Balon Greyjoy, on the flip side, is dead in the books, alive on the show. His brothers Euron Crow's Eye and Victarion have not yet been introduced (will they appear? I ain't saying). Meanwhile Jhiqui, Aggo, Jhogo, Jeyne Poole, Dalla (and her child) and her sister Val, Princess Arianne Martell, Prince Quentyn Martell, Willas Tyrell, Ser Garlan the Gallant, Lord Wyman Manderly, the Shavepate, the Green Grace, Brown Ben Plumm, the Tattered Prince, Pretty Meris, Bloodbeard, Griff and Young Griff, and many more have never been part of the show, yet remain characters in the books."
Finally, GRRM told his fans this: "Write at my own pace and deliver when I'm done. That's really how I am most comfortable, even now ... But I won't make excuses. There are no excuses. No one else is to blame. Not my editors and publishers, not HBO, not David & Dan. It's on me. I tried, and I am still trying."
Be sure to read GRRM's livejournal post for all the details.
