'The Winds of Winter' won't be before end of 2015; publisher says complex book needs 'immense amount of concentration'

George R.R. Martin, author of the ''Song of Ice and Fire'' fantasy series that is the basis of the television series ''Game of Thrones'', gestures during his masterclass at the Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) in Neuchatel July 10, 2014 PHOTO: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

'The Winds of Winter', the sixth book of the George RR Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series, is unlikely to be released this year, based on comments from publishers and Martin himself.

As reported in this article from the Guardian, there are currently no plans to publish the latest volume of the series this year. Jane Johnson of Harper Collins (Martin's publisher) explained that 'Winds' is a very lengthy and complex book that takes "an immense amount of concentration to write". As per Martin's wishes, an exact release date has yet to be scheduled.

Martin recently posted a comment explaining his stance on scheduling issues on his official blog. "I certainly hope that 'The Winds of Winter' is not on the schedule of ANY of my publishers. I have spent years trying to persuade them all not to schedule my books until they are completed and delivered. Scheduling, and then having to reschedule and postpone, just pisses people off. I'd rather not schedule at all until the date is real and certain," he said.

The author did not give any indication as to when he expects 'Winds' to be finished except to indicate that it will be announced without fanfare when it is completed. "When it is done, I will say that's it is done, on whatever day I happen to finish," he added.

The last two books of 'Fire and Ice' are expected to be over fifteen hundred pages in length each. While the previous installment of the series took more than six years for Martin to complete, the author indicated that he expects the next two books to be completed a bit faster than his previous pace.

For now, fans must content themselves with an excerpt from 'The Winds of Winter' posted here. Also something to look forward to is the start of 'Game of Thrones' season five which is scheduled to premiere this April.

 

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