Summary
George R.R. Martin’s name may be eternally linked withGameof Thronesand all its glory, but nowadays, it’s just as synonymous with a very different legacy:TheWinds of Winter. This time though, it seems fans’ complaints about his unfinished Magnus opus are indeed getting under his skin.
For thirteen long years, fans waited and hoped; and for as many years, they were repeatedly heartbroken when George R.R. Martin failed to tenderTheWinds of Winter,the long-promised sixth entry in his best-selling fantasy series,A Song of Ice and Fire. This is the saga that spawned HBO’sGame of Thronesand its prequel,Fire & Blood.Originally, Martin intended to complete and releaseThe Winds of Winterahead of the show’s sixth season in 2016. In May 2015, he even assured readers of a year-end publication. 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.The Winds of Winterremains unfinished and has become a thing of legend among fans of Martin’s realm of Westeros.
Speaking to TIME on YouTube, Martin poured out his frustration at fans he referred to as “fanatics” who overestimate his dedication to other non-The Winds of Winteraffairs. But that was not before the author admitted his lack of punctuality. This comes a week after Martin invoked the wrath of some fans for his involvement inthe de-extinction of Direwolvesat the expense of completingThe Winds of Winterand also for teasing something big on his blog and failing to release an update on the book, despite the author specifically warning against such anticipation.
There’s no doubt that Winds of Winter is 13 years late. I’m still working on it. I have periods where I make progress, and then other things divert my attention, and suddenly I have a deadline for one of the HBO shows, I have something else to do. But the two things are not connected. I open a bookstore, and people say, “Why is George R.R. Martin opening a bookstore? He could be writing Winds of Winter.” I don’t actually work in the bookstore. I own it. I hired people to do it. If you go into the bookstore, yes, a lot of my books are there, which I’ve signed, and a lot of books by other people. I’m not going to ring up your register. I have a theatre. I’m not the projectionist. They seem to overestimate how much time I’m putting into these things.
George R.R. Martin’sThe Winds of WinterMight Be Intentionally Delayed
Game of Thrones Season Finale Might Have Something To Do With It
Martin’s comments are proof that he recognizes the burden thatThe Winds of Winterhas become on his career. But it doesn’t detract from the glaring truth that 13 years is a really, really long time to finish a novel — a page daily and he could have been done four years ago. Include the false promises stashed mid-year, and it starts to feel like there’s more toThe Winds of Winter’s delay than lateness. Does he even want to finish it? Or has he finished it already and wants it released posthumously, a la Robert Jordan’sThe Wheel of Time?
The corollary “why?” to both questions finds its answer in thedisastrous finale that wasGame of ThronesSeason 8. Who knows, fans’ reactions might have left such a sour taste in dear Martin’s buds that he dreads the “what could have been” inThe Winds of Wintermore than the “what was” in theGame of Thronesfinale.
Some inThe Winds of Winterwaiting community are beginning to, or have already moved on. At 76 years old,Martin’s timeline to finishThe Winds of WinterandA Dream of Spring— the latter likely not even a page old — is narrowing. But if Martin wishes not to see his legacy reduced to some lazy author who spent a lifetime trying and failing to finish a book, he may need to seriously reconsider his strategy withThe Winds of Winter. Otherwise, it risks becoming the highest-profile case of literary vaporware in modern history, or worse — or worse,GTA 5and6might hit the shelves before it.
