Game of Thrones

George R.R. Martin defends himself against critics who say he should be working exclusively on the next Game of Thrones novel: “I love these other things, too”

The author of Game of Thrones has been working on the penultimate novel in the series for more than a decade.

Update: Oct 26th, 2025 16:58 CET

It’s the same old story. Years of delays, impatient fans, and an author who never works on just one project. George R.R. Martin has said time and time again that he hasn’t abandoned Winds of Winter, the penultimate novel in the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ saga. The author of Game of Thrones continues to write his books, but he also attends conferences and participates in the creative process of television series, including ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.’

During the recent New York Comic Con, George R.R. Martin spoke again about ‘Winds of Winter.’ And no, there is no publication date, but the writer and screenwriter has confirmed that he has not abandoned the project, although he has made it clear that dedicating himself exclusively to it is not an option.

George R.R. Martin defends himself against critics who say he should be working exclusively on the next Game of Thrones novel: “I love these other things, too”

He remains interested and continues working on ‘Winds of Winter’

“Yes, I do love ‘Winds of Winter.’ I’m still interested in it, I’m still working on it, but honestly, I love these other things, too.” Martin said on that same panel that he didn’t like missing deadlines:

“I know there’s all this controversy about ‘Winds of Winter’ and how late it is, but I’ve always had trouble with deadlines”, he recognized. “And I don’t feel happy breaching contracts or missing a deadline or anything like that.”

We don’t know when Winds of Winter will be released, but we do know when the first season of ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ will premiere: January 19, 2026, on HBO Max.