George RR Martin gives an update on Winds of Winter – and no, it's still not done

Daenerys in Game of Thrones — (Image credit: HBO)

A Song of Ice and Fire scribe George RR Martin has given an update on his forthcoming novel The Winds of Winter – and no, it's not finished just yet.

The books, of course, have been adapted into the wildly successful Game of Thrones HBO show, with the prequel Fire and Blood forming the basis for House of the Dragon, which is currently airing its second season.

Martin, writing on his Not a Blog page, shared an update that he'd be meeting with his British publishers soon. But, he cautioned, this isn't a sign that the novel is done.

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"Last year, when I mentioned seeing my Voyager editor in London, the internet went nuts, throwing up all sorts of theories about how this meant that WINDS OF WINTER was done and a huge announcement was at hand. Uhhhh… sorry guys, but no. That's not how it works," he wrote.

Later in the post, he added: "It does NOT signify that some momentous announcement is at hand. It doesn't signify anything, actually… except a desire to touch base, catch up, renew old contacts or make some new ones… and enjoy a nice meal. So calm down, please. When WINDS OF WINTER is done, the word will not trickle out, there WILL be a big announcement… where and when I cannot say."

He also gave an update on the Game of Thrones stage play set to open in London, which will be another prequel to the events of the main novels and TV show. "HARRENHAL was our first title, since it is set during the fateful Harrenhal tourney, but now we are leaning toward THE IRON THRONE," he revealed. "It's coming along well, I am told. Young Ned, Young Robert, Lyanna, Rhaegal, Howland Reed… should be fun. And jousting. On stage. The dream is to open somewhere on London's West End in 2025… but there's still a lot of work to do."

House of the Dragon season 2 continues on HBO in the US and Sky and NOW in the UK. You can check out our deep dives on the show below:

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film section. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.