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Even The Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski is giving George R.R. Martin a kicking over The Winds of Winter still being worked on 15 years after writing initially began on the sixth novel in the A Song of Ice and Fire series.
When asked at the Opole book festival (H/T Redanian Intelligence) about whether he plans to write more books in The Witcher series, Sapkowski replied, "I’ll tell you right now: I will write something else. Relax. No need to fear. And unlike George R. R. Martin, whom, by the way, I know personally, when I say I’ll write something, I will."
While the personal connection between Martin and Sapkowski hints at a slightly more tongue-in-cheek tone than it reads on paper, The Witcher author does have his own theories as to why The Winds of Winter is still stuck in a seemingly perpetual limbo – and, of course, it involves Game of Thrones overtaking the original source material.
"I totally understand him. Because if someone had pulled a stunt like that on me, filming a series based on my books, and then getting ahead of what I intended to write, I’d also be wondering whether there’s any point in writing anymore," Sapkowski said. "If it’s already been done, right? Makes no sense."
Sapkowski's next novel, Crossroad of Ravens, explores Geralt's early life at Kaer Morhen and is set for release internationally in September.
The Witcher season 4 is also set to hit Netflix at some point in the near future, with Liam Hemsworth taking over the role of Geralt from Henry Cavill for both its fourth and fifth seasons.
Martin, meanwhile, has recently offered an update on The Winds of Winter's progress, describing it as a "curse."
"That's the curse of my life here. There's no doubt Winds of Winter is 13 years late. I'm still working on it. I have periods where I make progress and then other things divert my attention," Martin told Time.
For more, check out everything we know so far about The Winds of Winter. Then discover the new TV shows heading our way, including a series based on Martin's Dunk and Egg novellas.
