‘The Winds of Winter’: George RR Martin to delay the sixth book of ‘ASOIAF’ and here’s why

“The Winds of Winter” is long overdue, and this saddens the fans of the “A Song of Ice and Fire” book series. Thus, when George RR Martin made a promise that the book will be out by July or August this year, everyone was jumping for joy.

The promise of release

Martin made his latest promise of “The Winds of Winter” release in May 2019, and he did it after the New Zealand Airlines offered him a free ticket to fly in their country so he can finish the sixth book in the “ASOIF” series. The 71-year-old author declined the offer and said that although he already knows that NZ will be a great setting for him to finish his book, he wants the airline to offer the tickets to others because he can buy his own any time.

He added that he loves New Zealand, and the views can really help him write, but still, he refused to accept the tickets. After stating his reason, the author vowed to finish “The Winds of Winter” soon.

“If I don’t have THE WINDS OF WINTER in hand when I arrive in New Zealand for Worldcon, you have here my formal written permission to imprison me in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid, until I’m done,” he wrote on his Not a Blog blog page in an entry titled “Than You, New Zealand.” “Just so long as the acrid fumes do not screw up my old DOS word processor, I’ll be fine.”

Another delay coming up

However, it seems that George RR Martin will really be sent to a small cabin so he can complete “The Winds of Winter” because he is likely to break his promise again for the nth time. He might delay the book because he needs to make some necessary adjustments to the story’s ending.

Fans already know the ending of “Game of Thrones,” a TV series that was based on the “ASOIAF” books, and since it already concluded, the ending of “The Winds of Winter” is affected. The show surpassed the “TWOW” storyline, and Martin’s version will be very different from “GoT.” As he is rewriting the ending, the book might not be published on the promised date.

“People know an ending - but not the ending. The makers of the TV show had overtaken me, which I didn't expect,” the author told German newspaper Die Welt and translated via Reddit.

Finally, because “GoT” presented a different story, he might review the storylines and redo some scenes. The revisions will surely delay the planned publishing date; thus, fans will have to wait further.