While George R.R. Martin is yet to disclose conclusive details about his much-anticipated novel, he did quash many of these rumors by officially addressing some of them on his blog.
According to Martin's recent blog post, the author clarified that even though he is aiming for 2017 release of "The Winds of Winter, he does not have a date yet, nullifying the rumor about its October release. He further confirmed via his blog that the book is still in progress and he is hoping to finish it this year, immediately adding that he also wanted the same last year.
Meanwhile, in a recent report by The Independent, Bantam Books is all set to release a series of short stories called "Book of Swords" which is reportedly set for October launch. The book is a set of 15 stories based on "golden age of sword and sorcery" and will also feature one of the stories written by Martin that takes place in "Game of Thrones" Westeros.
The famous author announced his contribution in the upcoming book, edited by his long-time co-worker Gardner Dozois, through his official blog. He also revealed that this story is a product of one of his writing sprees gone out of control.
The story is titled "Sons of the Dragon" and will be based on Targaryen Kings, Aenys I and Maegor the Cruel. The avid fans will know that Aenys' reign was cut short due to his death under mysterious circumstances and was instantly succeeded by his younger half-brother.
As "The Winds of Winter" release date remains elusive, the fans will be excited to know that new reading material is in the offing. The last time Martin released a book from "A Song of Ice and Fire" series was six years ago, titled "A Dance with Dragons." Since then, his loyal fans have been waiting for the author to finish the next one.