George R.R. Martin goes full mad Targaryen over Game of Thrones rumors
Naturally.
- Best New Journalist 2019 Australian IT Journalism Awards
George R.R. Martin has set the internet alight in more ways than one.
The internet is ablaze with Game of Thrones rage -- and George R.R. Martin is adding his own to the storm.
The writer of the epic fantasy series has taken to his blog a la Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network to address rumors he has been sitting on his long-awaited next books The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring.
"All of a sudden this crazy story about my finishing The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring years ago is popping up everywhere," he wrote on May 13.
He cleared that up quickly, though: "The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring are not finished. Dream is not even begun; I am not going to start writing volume seven until I finish volume six."
He also addressed rumors that HBO and Game of Thrones TV series showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss wanted him to delay the novels.
"Why would I sit for years on completed novels? ... Delaying makes no sense. Why would HBO want the books delayed? The books help create interest in the show, just as the show creates interest in the books.
"There is no "deal" to hold back on the books."
Martin's fifth and latest book in the series, A Dance with Dragons, was published in 2011. He's since released a few prequels in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, but admitted finishing The Winds of Winter has been a bit of a struggle.
Game of Thrones the TV series is currently sitting on a pyre in the seven kingdoms of the internet following a mixed response to the events in episode 5 of the final season, aired Sunday on HBO. A clinical psychologist analysed why the character arc of Daenerys Targaryen did not go down well, a fate which apparently many a subtle detail had foreshadowed in previous seasons. A record number of viewers took in the spectacle of the episode, which you can relive in our recap. Or not, depending on your own reaction to the episode.
