George R.R. Martin Jokes He Might Never Finish The Winds Of Winter In New Interview
No one is more notorious for being unable to finish his work than George R.R. Martin with his Game of Thrones novels. Fans have been waiting for years for him to complete the series, even after the T.V. show had its ending, but George R.R. Martin seems to want to do anything and everything other than write the finale of his most popular work. Now, he’s hinting in an interview that he may never finish The Winds Of Winter.
Fans have been waiting for the next installment of A Song of Ice And Fire from George R.R. Martin for more than thirteen years. Every few months that pass, the author seems to give a new excuse as to why he is unable to complete the epic fantasy.
At the beginning of the year, he took to his blog to blame “toxic fans” for his inability to work.
"Toxicity is growing," George R.R. Martin wrote. "It used to be fun talking about our favorite books and films, and having spirited debates with fans who saw things different… but … it is no longer enough to say "I did not like [this] book … or [this] film, and here's why."… [people] would rather talk about the stuff they hate than the stuff they love, and delight in dancing on the graves of anyone whose film has flopped"
In September, he said he had mounting stress levels and spent too much time working on TV Shows to finish the one project everyone’s been waiting for from him, saying, “The first half of my year was pretty miserable.” He then cited the death of a friend as paralyzing his work efforts before saying, “Nor did I find much solace in my work.”
“Writing came hard, and though I did produce some new pages on both The Winds of Winter (yes) and Blood & Fire (the sequel to Fire & Blood, the second part of my Targaryen history), I would have liked to turn out a lot more.”
Now, he spoke with The Hollywood Reporter to hint he may not get the book finished before he dies.
He told them, “Unfortunately, I am 13 years late. Every time I say that, I’m [like], ‘How could I be 13 years late?’ I don’t know, it happens a day at a time.”
He elaborated, “But that’s still a priority. A lot of people are already writing obituaries for me. [They’re saying] ‘Oh, he’ll never be finished.’ Maybe they’re right. I don’t know. I’m alive right now! I seem pretty vital!”
Martin’s made the claim he’s written around 1,100 pages of The Winds of Winter, but that the book will require at least 1,500 to be complete. However, fans have seen nothing of this effort and with a book that long, it would make sense to split it into two and release a part of it to at least keep enthusiasm for the epic fantasy alive, if it were indeed complete to that length.
It appears that Martin continues to make excuses and isn’t likely to be finishing the book before he passes. He is 76 years old as of this writing, and yet another year has gone by without seeing a completion to what he started with A Game Of Thrones.
What do you think of George R.R. Martin joking about never finishing The Winds Of Winter? Become a paid member to leave a comment and support our journalism.
If you enjoy great fantasy fiction with great worldbuilding and a classic D&D feel, read The Adventures of Baron von Monocle six-book series and support Fandom Pulse!
