This week, there have been alleged leaks about the long-awaited fantasy book, The Winds of Winter, George R.R. Martin’s next installment in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. A tweet with a screenshot suggested that the book would be released later this year.
The anonymous poster said, “Okay, I’ve been sitting on this for months and I really can’t anymore. I’m a production assistant at Bantam Spectra, been here for years.” It went on to explain that the book would be releasing “around fall” because “they want those holiday sales.”
Fans have been waiting nearly 15 years for this novel, so the leak caused a lot of conversation online. However, according to Entertainment Weekly, Bantam Books, the U.S. publisher of Martin’s series, is debunking the claims. "The online chatter you are seeing regarding a supposed leak is false," a representative told them.
Martin gave an update on the book when speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in January. The author said, "I do think if I can just get some of these other things off my back, I could finish The Winds of Winter pretty soon," he said. "It's been made clear to me that Winds is the priority, but… I don’t know. Sometimes I’m not in the mood for that. I’m so far behind on everything."
He went on to say, "I was going to kill more people. Not the ones they killed [on the show]. They made it more of a happy ending. I don’t see a happy ending for Tyrion. His whole arc has been tragic from the first. I was going to have Sansa die, but she's been so appealing in the show, maybe I'll let her live."
Anyone who is interested in more Game of Thrones content can check out House of the Dragon on HBO Max. The third season is releasing this summer. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is also on HBO Max. The second season will be releasing in 2027.
