Fans and readers of the fantasy novel series “A Song of Ice and Fire” by critically-acclaimed author George R.R. Martin are not happy that the sixth book of the series “The Winds of Winter” has yet to be released until this time.
But fans and viewers of the HBO hit series “Game of Thrones” were the ones who were ultimately disappointed that the book has not come out before the premiere of Season 6 as they were left with hardly any spoiler about the upcoming season. Over the past five seasons of “Game of Thrones,” fans simply had loads of spoilers from the first five books of the novel series.
The fifth book titled “Dance of Dragons” was released in 2011, right after the airing of the Season 1 of “Game of Thrones.
Since late 2014, the reports about the release date of the sixth book would happen anytime from October 2015 to March 2016 or just about the time before the Season 6 premiere of “Game of Thrones” on HBO.
However, at the start of 2016, it has become clear that “The Winds of Winter” will not come out before the sixth season of “Game of Thrones” nor will it do so during the course of the Season 6 airing on HBO.
Eventually, word came out that the book would come out after Season 6 of “Game of Thrones,” which dismayed show fans all the more.
No specific release date still
Although Martin has yet to come out with a specific release date for “The Winds of Winter,” sources privy to the author’s timeline for the book are saying that it will definitely come out before the Season 7 premiere of “Game of Thrones” next year.
Critics now believe that it could still take about a year or less from today before the book hits the shelves next year.
Some are actually predicting that the book could be released anytime from December this year to March next year because that would be a smart move for the publisher, economically-speaking.
However, they also believe that the book could already be available to buy on Amazon beginning late this year, notes Amazon Adviser.
Up until today, nothing official has been said by George Martin about his highly-anticipated book. He just said that the book will be done when it’s done.
A major deviation from the book
Martin has also been telling fans of “Game of Thrones” that they should not feel bad that “The Winds of Winter” has not been released yet because there are already some plots of the show that have deviated from the storylines in the book.
Martin revealed one major deviation that involves Stannis Baratheon and his daughter Shireen. In the TV series, fans and viewers of “Game of Throne saw that Stannis and his daughter Shireen perished in Season 5 of the show.
On the insistence of Melisandre, played by Carice Van Hauten, Stannis, played by Stephen Dillane, sacrificed Shireen, played by Kerry Ingram, to the Red God and she was burned alive in the stakes.
However, the sacrifice did not help Stannis gain victory against the Boltons just outside of Winterfell.
Season 5 eventually saw the brutal death of Stannis after Ramsay Bolton, played by Iwan Rheon, and his army handily defeated a tired and weary Baratheon forces. But it was not Ramsay who killed Stannis but Brienne of Tarth, played by Gwendoline Christie.
In the fifth book “Dance with Dragons,” both Shireen and her father Stannis are still alive. Martin previously confirmed that Shireen will lose her life in “The Winds of Winter,” but it is still not clear if Stannis would also lose his life in the sixth book, notes the International Business Times of Australia.
Now that it’s official that “The Winds of Winter” would not be released before, during, and even shortly after Season 6 of “Game of Thrones,” the pressure is now off on George Martin.