George R.R. Martin says finishing ‘Game Of Thrones’ books is “the curse” of his life
Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has said writing the long-awaited next instalment in his A Song of Fire and Ice series is “the curse” of his life.
It’s been over a decade since the latest book in the series, A Dance With Dragons, was released in 2011, and over the years there’s been a lot of speculation as to when the sixth book might come out, having originally been slated for release in 2015.
Last month, fans got a rare update from the author, who said: “The books are what I’m going to make them. And, I think the one I’m writing is coming pretty well, but I wish it would come faster.”
A more recent interview has given readers another window into the ongoing delay. Speaking to Time, Martin said: “That’s the curse of my life. 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 and suddenly I have a deadline for one of the HBO shows, I have something else to do.”
The most famous adaptation of Martin’s books is the HBO series Game Of Thrones, which took its name from the first book in the series and ran from 2011 to 2019. The prequel series House Of The Dragon began in 2022, and another prequel series, A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms, is set to premiere later this year.
Addressing fans frustrations, he continued: “I swear, I opened a bookstore and people say, ‘Why is George R.R. Martin opening a bookstore when he should be writing Winds of Winter?’ “ he added. “I don’t actually work in the bookstore, you know.”
Clarifying his involvement in Sante Fe’s Beastly Books, which is next door to the Jean Cocteau Cinema he bought in 2013, he said: “I have a theatre – I’m not the projectionist. They seem to overestimate how much time I’m putting into these things.”
After recent news about the dire wolf being brought back from extinction, and the subsequent jokes that the species – which died out approximately 10,000 years ago – made its return before a new book was out, he said the event “did not seriously infringe on the writing of Winds of Winter”.
George R.R. Martin holds the first new dire wolf born in 10,000 years pic.twitter.com/5JPepJK8k1
— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) April 8, 2025
Martin was among the first to meet a trio of dire wolf pups, which prior to their “de-extinction” re-entered the popular imagination after being selected by him as the emblem of House Stark in Game Of Thrones.
Somewhat frustrated by the jokes about the photo-op with the wolves interfering with his writing, he said: “People make it seem like it’s one or the other. And it’s not.”
Back in February 2021, he said he’d written “hundreds of pages” the previous year, while two months later, he said he was “hugely behind” on the book. In December 2022, he revealed he’d written about 1,200 pages at that point.
Last year, meanwhile, Martin admitted that Winds Of Winter and a mooted seventh book, A Dream Of Spring, may both never be finished. He said: “[Winds Of Winter] is still a priority. A lot of people are already writing obituaries for me: ‘Oh, he’ll never be finished!’ Maybe they’re right. I don’t know. I’m alive right now! I seem pretty vital!”
And, later this month, a medieval bar named Milk Of The Poppy – after the painkiller Martin invented for his books – is set to open in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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