“ANYTHING but finishing the book” — Fans react with humor and frustration as George R.R. Martin delays completing the Game of Thrones series
George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones sequel book, The Winds of Winter, has been long overdue. The author originally planned seven books in the series, but only five have been released so far. The fifth book, A Dance with Dragons, was published in 2011. So, it has been 14 years since Martin last released a book.
On April 8, 2025, Martin took to his blog, Not A Blog, to share his excitement about the de-extinction of the direwolves by Colossal Biosciences and shared a picture of himself holding a direwolf.
This once again triggered an uproar among fans who have been waiting for him to release The Winds of Winter. For instance, one fan wrote:
"ANYTHING but finishing the book"
Some other fans expressed similar sentiments regarding the unreleased book.
"The only way the series is getting finished is if the lab brings him back from extinction next." a fan joked.
"ChatGRRM may do it, but this guy never will" another fan wrote.
"The last thing that he will publish before passing will be - " Things I've Done Instead Of Finishing The Book vol.1"" a fan mused.
Fans continued to express their frustration and bewilderment over George R.R. Martin not releasing The Winds of Winter to this day.
"At this point he should just hire some good authors to ghostwrite it" one fan suggested.
"PUT DOWN THE DIRE WOLF AND PICKUP YOUR LAPTOP FOR THE LOVE OF GOD" another fan added.
"It'd be even cooler if he'd finish the book..." a fan mused.
The gap between the third and fourth books was five years, and the wait between the fourth and fifth books stretched to six. With the growing popularity of the novel series, thanks to the undying magic of hit shows like Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, fans are getting more frustrated about George R.R. Martin not releasing the sixth book.
Also read: “Without them, Westeros might not exist”— George R.R. Martin shares emotional moment after holding a real dire wolf brought back from extinction
George R.R. Martin gave a positive update on the books in March 2025
In a conversation with Collider published on March 10, 2025, George R.R. Martin stated that fans who remain unimpressed by the adaptations of his work will always have the books. He said:
"There's always the books, and I'm aware of that people think that— But no, I have to get back. I have to finish the books. That's the one thing I'm completely in control of. There's no budget limitations."
He further added:
"There's no other executives on the studio side that I have to please, or other writers with different views. The books are what I'm going to make them. And, I think the one I'm writing is coming pretty well, but I wish it would come faster."
The Winds of Winter is the sixth book in the series, with the seventh and final book planned to be A Dream of Spring. There is still no update on when the book will be released.
After Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, George R.R. Martin's novellas, The Tales of Dunk and Egg, have now been adapted into a series titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The first season of the series is scheduled to premiere later this year.
In the same interview, Martin revealed that he has already watched the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and expressed that he likes it. He also teased that a second season is already in the works.
Also read: What did George R.R. Martin criticize about House of the Dragon? Contents of the deleted blog post explored
Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are available to stream on Max.
