George R. R. Martin has given an update on The Winds of Winter – and it sounds like the next A Song of Ice and Fire novel is no closer to being finished.
The book is set to be the next installment in the long-running series from which HBO's Game of Thrones was adapted – the show eventually overtook the books, so fans are understandably anxious to see how Martin's intended version of events play out (especially considering how controversial Game of Thrones season 8 turned out).
"The main thing I'm actually writing, of course, is the same thing... I wish I could write as fast as [The Last Kingdom author Bernard Cornwell] but I'm 12 years late on this damn novel and I'm struggling with it," the author told Bangcast (via IGN).
"I have like 1,100 pages written but I still have hundreds more pages to go," he added. "It's a big mother of a book for whatever reason. Maybe I should've started writing smaller books when I began this, but it's tough. That's the main thing that dominates most of my working life."
The author revealed that he has written 1,100 pages of the novel, which sounds promising until you realize that's how many pages he had written in December 2022 – so almost a full year ago (last year, he said on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he had around 1,100 to 1,200 pages written). Gulp.
Of course, there's always a chance that those pages have changed over the course of the year, meaning Martin has in fact made progress, but that remains to be seen.
For everyone eager to get back to Westeros, though, the good news is House of the Dragon season 2 is on the way. The show was able to continue filming amid the WGA writers' strike and SAG-AFTRA actors' strike, but still doesn't have a firm release date just yet.
Martin wrote several Game of Thrones episodes, and, earlier this year, he revealed which ones he's especially proud of. "I scripted four. And yes, 'Blackwater' is my own favorite of those, although I thought 'The Lion and The Rose' turned out very well, too and I have a soft spot for that one," he wrote on his website.
House of the Dragon season 2 is expected to release in summer 2024. While you wait, check out our guide to all the best Netflix shows to fill out your watchlist.
