Author George RR Martin has practically confirmed that it will be a 2017 release date for the sixth installment of the epic "A Song of Ice and Fire" novel - "The Winds of Winter". However, the "Game of Thrones' creator provided no clue on the exact release timing but hinted of more heartbreaking deaths to come.
GRRM, according to WinterIsComing.net, will have one more book event to attend to and that's it. After the Guadalajara International Book Fair, Martin intends to withdraw from the public view and focus on the task at hand - complete The Winds of Winter that many believe is already in a final manuscript form save for some polishing.
"This is my last scheduled event for 2016. My appearance schedule for 2017 is very limited, and will remain so until WINDS is completed. So if you want to meet me or get a book signed, this will be the last chance for a good few months," the blog post quoted the ASOIAF creator as saying.
While seemingly confirming that his latest book will come out in the early months of 2017, Martin did not commit on the notion that the volume will hit the book shelves ahead of the Game of Thrones Season 7 premiere. Showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have earlier indicated that next chapter of GoT will open at the start of summer 2017 or HBO airing between May and June.
However, a report by GoT fan site Wiki of Thrones is suggesting that GRRM has already revealed what readers can expect from The Winds of Winter. The revelation came as early as 1999, the report added.
Martin apparently dropped the clue that by the end of ASOIAF chapter six, all main characters will be no more. Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Queen Mother Cersei, Daenerys Targaryen and the rest of the surviving Starks will all perish.
"No one will be alive by the last book. In fact, they all die in the fifth. The sixth book will be just a thousand-page description of snow blowing across the graves," Martin was reported by Wiki of Thrones as saying.
But it remains to be seen if the vision shared by GRRM years ago will hold true as Benioff and Wise are known to occasionally deviate from ASOIAF when warranted.
Martin also implied that the Rhaegar-Lyanna love story, which led to the birth of central character Jon Snow, deserves a separate book, which the GoT creator said he intends to work on when time comes. It's unclear if the doomed lovers will be further seen in Game of Thrones Seasons 7 and 8 or they will be part of "A Dream of Spring" - the follow up to The Winds of Winter.