Critically-acclaimed author George R.R. Martin was invited by his alma mater, Northwestern University, on November 4 to speak before a recognition event, and he took it as an opportunity to discuss the surprise success of his fantasy novel series “A Song of Ice and Fire.”
Martin, who graduated with honors at Northwestern University, says that the success of “Game of Thrones,” the HBO TV adaptation of his fantasy novel series, has already caught up to him. He adds that it is, in fact, the reason why there is now a great pressure on him to release the sixth book of the fantasy novel series titled “The Winds of Winter.”
The author continues to remain mum about the release date of the book. He explained that for him to be able to come up with a specific release date for his book, he needs to write faster. But unfortunately, he admitted that he cannot, notes the Christian Post.
There is really nothing that would make Martin write the next book a bit faster because he likes to write on his own pace.
In fact, in a recent interview, Martin said that his writing usually begins in the morning by re-reading all the things he had written the day before just so he could get some momentum.
If what he has written the day before is not very good, he will spend the whole day rewriting it. But during good or great writing days, he could sit in front of his computer and finish five or six pages, details the Christian Today.
A major surprise
While fans are anxiously waiting for the release of “The Winds of Winter,” the master novelist pulled a big surprise when he recently released “A Knight of Seven Kingdoms” instead.
“The Winds of Winter” is the sixth book of “A Song of Ice and Fire,” which will wrap up with the seventh and final book titled “A Dream of Spring.”
“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” on the other hand, is actually a prequel novella to “A Song of Ice and Fire.” The new book comes with three titles, namely: “The Hedge Knight,” “The Sworn Sword,” and “The Mystery Knight.”
As a prequel to “A Song of Ice and Fire,” the new novel will take readers to the times when the Targaryens still held the Iron Throne. Martin revealed that the book also tells the story of Ser Duncan the Tall, also known as Dunk, and Egg, his young squire, who later became King Aegon V Targaryen, the father of Daenerys.
The story of Dunk and Egg is actually comparable to that of Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne. Ser Duncan was a young, naïve but a really courageous knight and he lorded over his rivals both with his height and his fighting experience.
Egg, on the other hand, is a diminutive squire whose real name is hidden from all that he and Dunk encounter. Their duo cannot just be found in Westeros, but they were both destined to greatness amid powerful foes, royal intrigue, and outrageous exploits.
The latest book from George Martin is now available for $18 for its hardcover edition and $14.99 for its kindle edition.
Longer wait
As early as July this year, there have been reports that the sixth book in the fantasy novel series of critically-acclaimed author George R.R. Martin, “A Song of Ice and Fire,” will come out anytime from October this year to March next year, just before Season 6 of the very popular “Game of Thrones” premieres in HBO in April.