Game of Thrones author George RR Martin doesn't know if he'll ever finish The Winds of Winter, the next book in the A Song of Ice and Fire high fantasy series.
The 13-year wait for The Winds of Winter has been increasingly discouraging for fans, with sporadic updates from Martin ranging from hopeful to regretful to downright bleak, as is the case with this latest update.
Speaking with THR, Martin for the first time expressed doubt that he will ever finish writing the next entry in the series.
“Unfortunately, I'm 13 years late,” he said. “Every time I say that, I'm [like]'How can I be 13 years late?' “I don't know, it happens one day at a time.”
He added: “But that's still a priority. Many people are already writing obituaries for me.” [They’re saying] 'Oh, it will never end.' Maybe they are right. I don't know. I'm alive right now! I look pretty vital!”
Fortunately, Martin offered a small sliver of encouragement by saying he will never retire, joking that he's “not a golfer.”
There is some question about the impact that the negative reaction to the end of HBO's Game of Thrones television show has had on Martin's writing. The author revealed a couple of years ago that the books are moving “further and further away” from the TV show, so it's entirely possible that the long delay is related to that.
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