The many delays in the release of “Winds of Winter” would have aggravated the fans of most series – not just in literature but in all kinds of entertainment in general – but it looks like George R. R. Martin is lucky enough to have some quite patient fans.
The author still hasn’t released the newest book in his most iconic series, and while there are no official reports about the expected release date, some recent rumors have given hope to his fans. According to a store listing in Amazon’s French version, the book could be scheduled for March 2017.
This, however, has not been confirmed by Martin nor his publisher, and Amazon haven’t made a statement about the situation either. It’s possible that this was just an erroneous listing, or even an intentionally misleading one posted by someone who wanted to stir up some controversy in the writer’s fan base.
In any case, it’s interesting to follow the reactions of Martin’s fans once the “leak” came out, as many of them actually seemed happy to know when the book is coming out, and had no issue with the prospect of waiting for it that long. That’s nearly half a year of waiting, but with all the rumors we’ve been hearing about the contents of “Winds of Winter”, it could definitely turn out to be worth it.
George R. R. Martin himself has been quite secretive about his work, and he has been reluctant to even share any general bits of information about it, let alone tiny details. This hasn’t stopped his fans from trying to get something out of him, however. But knowing how the writer has communicated with his audience in the past, we don’t expect to hear anything out of him until the book is actually ready for publishing.
Martin does seem to be taking his work on “Winds of Winter” quite seriously, for what it’s worth, as he has reportedly cancelled some appearances at public events in order to concentrate on his writing more effectively. While there’s no doubt that some of his fans must have been disappointed to miss out on seeing him in person, everyone is probably just pleased that he’s putting more effort into finishing the latest book.
Plus, we still got to see some of the important plot points unfolding in the latest season of “Game of Thrones”. Obviously, the book is going to reveal even more details that the screen representation missed, but those who were really eager to find out how things end up still had a chance to do that.
Some fans claim that this has actually made things difficult for them, as they now have to actively avoid watching “Game of Thrones”, or reading anything at all about the show, including discussions by other fans. That’s pretty much the only way to avoid spoiling some details about the book right now, and it must be a difficult time for those who prefer to read the books first.
At least the craze around “Game of Thrones” has died down a bit now, and things are mostly back to normal. If “Winds of Winter” really is being prepared for a March 2017 release, it shouldn’t take much longer before fans of the series can finally feel free to read online discussions about the TV show.
In the meantime, it seems that many have been having fun engaging in speculation about the book itself, and we’ve been seeing some increasingly interesting theories in the community.