George R.R. Martin is taking his time to finish the sixth novel of his epic series "A Song of Ice and Fire" (ASOIAF) where the popular show "Game of Thrones" is based on. Fans have been waiting for "The Winds of Winter" for six years now, but it looks like they may have to wait a little more for its release.
In his Not-A-Blog blog, Martin announced his long-rumored plans of releasing a book, titled "Fire and Blood," that would focus on the history of Westeros. It would come in two volumes and detail the Targaryen dynasty.
"The first of those will cover the history of Westeros from Aegon's Conquest up to and through the regency of the boy king Aegon III (the Dragonbane)," he wrote. "The second volume, which will carry the history from Aegon III up to Robert's Rebellion, is largely unwritten."
Martin did not give specific release dates for the books, but he estimated the publication of the first one to fall sometime in late 2018 or early 2019. Assuming this is followed strictly, there is a possibility it would come sooner than the long-due "Winds of Winter."
Martin also set the "ASOIAF" book previously for a 2018 or 2019 release. However, he said it is hard to say which of "Winds of Winter" and "Fire and Blood" would come first at this point.
"Winds of Winter" is still in the works. He debunked rumors claiming that it has not been written yet, or that he already finished the book but is sitting on it for some reasons. The veteran author did not reveal how close he is to finishing it, only saying that he has good days and bad days. He did assure fans though that at least one Westeros book would hit the shelves next year.
If fans are lucky, he might even roll out two. As Martin teased, "Who knows...A boy can dream."
Then again, nothing is certain for now. Martin has already broken several promises regarding the "The Winds of Winter" release. Digital Spy notes he once promised it for 2017, only to push it back. Thus, until there is proof that the book is nearing publication, it is best to take these release date reports with a grain of salt.
