Summary
Attention Westerosi faithful! As promised by celebrated writerGeorge R.R. Martin, something big is on the horizon, due April 8 or April 9.
George R.R. Martin is the author of the very successful multi-book fantasy series,A Song of Ice and Fire— which birthed theGame of ThronesHBO series — and prequel,Fire and Blood.The long-awaited sixth installment in the series,The Winds of Winter, remains unfinished and has become a thing of legend among fans of Martin’s realm of Westeros. More than a decade has passed since the previous book,A Dance with Dragons,debuted in 2011. Martin planned to finishTheWinds of Winterand release it beforeSeason 6 ofGame of Thronesaired in 2016. It goes without saying that it didn’t go as planned and the latter seasons of the HBO TV show debuted to less favorable reviews from fans.
Something Big Is Coming To Westeros on April 8… or April 9
What Could It Be?
George R.R. Martin has repeatedly promised to finish upThe Winds of Winter.Still, fans’ patience keeps getting tested with the author fast-tracking other projects such as HBO’sHouse of the Dragon, the AMC showDark Windsand theElden Ringvideo game, and even teasing new books such asA Dream of Spring. And now, writing on hisNot A Blogsite — his preferred means of communication — Martin teased something new for fans.
Something else is going to be happening on April 8 as well. (Or maybe on April 9).
This time though, he specifically ruled out any hopes ofTheWinds of Winterdebuting anytime soon.
No, I am not announcing the completion of THE WINDS OF WINTER, the sixth volume of A SONG OF ICE & FIRE. Please don’t start any rumors to that effect. I am so tired of having to issue denials every time some offhand comment of mine, most having nothing to do with WINDS, somehow convinces half the internet that the book is imminent. It’s not. No. (Maybe I need to stop making offhand comments). So calm down. (Until April 8, anyway. Then you can get excited all over again, but for an entirely different reason.
In the blog post, Martin also kept readers up to date with the latest in Westeros.Season 3 ofHouse of the Dragonhas begun filmingin London, to debut in 2026;A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, HBO’s adaptation of the first Dunk & Egg novella,The Hedge Knight, is “looking good”; andThe Iron Throne, the new stage play centered around the legendary Tourney at Harrenhal, where Prince Rhaegar Targaryen’s fateful actions unwittingly set in motion the events that would ignite Robert’s Rebellion is “making progress.”
Now that any surprises onThe Winds of Winterhave been ruled out, what could be brewing in Westeros? If fans are meant to get “excited” it certainly should not be over Martin’s upcoming medieval-themed cocktail bar in Santa Fe, aptly named “Milk of the Poppy.” Nor should it be over a new inclusion toHouse of the DragonSeason 3 hitherto withheld from public view.
Perhaps it could very well be a piece of news fast-tracking theAegon’s Conquest, a series about the brutal genesis of Targaryen dominion over Westeros, that is yet to be officially greenlit by HBO. News about the integration of thenewly de-extinct direwolves into theGame of Thronesfranchise is also not far-fetched. Or he couldn’t have possibly already finishedA Dream of Spring. Could he?
