In 2016, months before the release of season six, destined to contain material that had yet to occur in the Ice and Fire novels, Martin provided what he prefaced as a disappointing update for those hoping “Winds of Winter” would land first. Since then, Martin has stopped short of promising a specific release date for any future books in the series, including “Winds of Winter.” As Game of Thrones trucked along on HBO with one season a year, the threat of Benioff and Weiss’ adaptation not only catching up with but surpassing Martin’s story became increasingly real.

Martin Reveals How the Books Can Beat the Show The fourth book in the series, “A Feast for Crows,” arrived on shelves five years later in 2005, focusing on Jaime and Cersei Lannister and a few other well-known Thrones figures, but not the major players: Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister.

“A Game of Thrones,” the first book in the series, was published in 1996, followed by “A Clash of Kings” in 1998 and “A Storm of Swords” in 2000. Martin’s announcement means “Winds of Winter” will release in 2019 at the earliest, possibly marking eight years or more since the publication of the most recent novel. While it was already suspected, Martin’s revelation that “Winds of Winter” will definitively not arrive in 2018 all but confirms a sad inevitability for fans of the novels, the first of which was published in 1996: Short of a miracle, Game of Thrones will conclude before the book series on which the show is based. Nobody knows yet how Martin plans to resolve that story thread and others, though Game of Thronescreators David Benioff and Dan Weiss have certainly offered up their version of events. The most recent installment in the series, A Dance With Dragons, was released in summer 2011, leaving fans with the cliffhanger of Jon Snow’s fatal stabbing at the hands of the Night’s Watch. Here’s the bad news: Martin also confirmed that “The Winds of Winter,” the sixth novel (emphasis on novel) in the Ice and Fire series from which Thrones takes its cues, will not arrive in 2018. Martin: New Novel Won't Release Before 'Game of Thrones' Season 6 Premiere

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