George R.R. Martin gives an update on The Winds of Winter, the latest book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, which inspired the Game of Thrones TV series. It's been eleven years since the release of the last book in the series, A Dance With Dragons, with Martin shifting his focus to a number of prequel novellas, including The Rogue Prince and Fire & Blood. Fire & Blood serves as the inspiration for the upcoming House of the Dragon series, set to premiere on HBO on August 21.
The Winds of Winter will pick up immediately after the events of A Dance of Dragons and see the return of many popular characters, including Tyrion Lannister, Arya Stark, and Theon Greyjoy. Martin has teased that The Winds of Winter will be his longest book to date, explaining the long time he's taken to complete it. The book does not have a release date at the time of writing.
On Martin's blog Not a Blog, he briefly summarizes the recent progress he's made on the book. He elaborates by saying he's finished a series of chapters around Cersei Lannister that had been giving him trouble and has since moved on to chapters about Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth. He says though the book is proceeding, it's not going as quickly as some readers would like. Read his quote below:
WINDS, you say? Yes, still working. Finally finished a clutch of Cersei chapters that were giving me fits. Now I am wrestling with Jaime and Brienne. The work proceeds, though not as fast as many of you would like.
The update seems similar to other updates he gives on the book, saying that the work continues as it has for some time now. He also talks about the progress of the House of the Dragon TV series, saying he's impressed with the rough cuts he's been shown. He also mentions the upcoming AMC series Dark Winds he executive produced and gives thanks to some of the other creatives who worked on it.
Given the mixed to negative reception the Game of Thrones series ending was met with, it's understandable how Martin might be reluctant to put so much emphasis on his books. However, it could just be Martin's process, for he's always focused on multiple projects at once, and it's unfair to the author that readers demand they focus all their energy on one place. With so much anticipation for The Winds of Winter, Martin should take his time to get it as right as he can to continue the rich storytelling of A Song of Ice and Fire, and until then, readers will just have to wait.
Source: Not a Blog