After over a decade of anticipation, fans of George R.R. Martin continue to ask the very same question: Is The Winds of Winter completed? The simple answer is no. Martin recently acknowledged in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he's 13 years late in releasing the sixth book of his globally highly regarded series.
George R.R. Martin admitted that there has been a long delay and accepted that there is uncertainty over the period taken but clarified that the completion of the book is a priority. However, doubt prevails as the fans have become restless regarding HBO's decision to expand the Game of Thrones franchise without a definitive authorial conclusion.
He humorously tackled the criticism, saying,
“A lot of people are already writing obituaries for me… Maybe they’re right. I don’t know. I’m alive right now!”
The author appears to be cognizant of the impatience but keeps going with the monumental task at his own speed.
Let's look at the reasons behind the delay, why it occurred, its implications for the franchise, and what's ahead for Westeros.
Why has The Winds of Winter taken over 13 years?
The delay in completing The Winds of Winter is due to many reasons. First, George R.R. Martin is known to be a very meticulous writer. He describes himself more as a "gardener" than an "architect," shaping his story organically as he goes, which can lead to heavy rewrites.
Adding to that, A Song of Ice and Fire's narrative complexity—the sheer tangle of many interconnected stories and a broad spectrum of characters—adds an entire book's worth of writing. A term Martin came up with to describe particularly vexing knots in the plot is a "Meereeneese knot."
Fans on Reddit humorously suggested that Martin is "57.3% done," with some speculating that rewrites could bring progress as low as 33%.
More importantly, Martin's engagement with HBO's Game of Thrones spinoffs and house projects like House of the Dragon has distracted him from his books.
Critics, such as Redditor u/fakehandslawyer, vented, in part:
“finish the books first George. At least a book.”
The impact of the delay of The Winds of Winter on the Game of Thrones franchise
This is where the absence of The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring left HBO to forge its own conclusions for the Game of Thrones series, which was severely criticized for the last seasons of the show.
The veiled crowning of Bran Stark to the Iron Throne remains a topic of debate that one hopes Martin's books will eventually rectify. Still, with those delays, HBO has expanded the franchise with spinoffs: House of the Dragon and rumored projects like a sequel to Jon Snow.
According to Martin, the network's drive for continuity may make his book's ending complicated. Some fans fear that the books, when published, may contradict the established on-screen canon, which may cause narrative confusion.
This tension has led the public to discuss whether Martin's ending will suffice for Warner Bros.'s grand plans of making a Game of Thrones movie.
In fact, u/bluesformeister13 quipped that Martin's delays may render the episodes irrelevant, saying,
"He can make the shows irrelevant in the sense that if they’re bad, his books are done and it won’t matter if the shows good or bad."
Is the completion of The Winds of Winter in sight?
Martin claimed, in October 2022 that The Winds of Winter was about 75% complete. Fans speculate he might be getting close to 90% now, but doubts remain. Discussions on Reddit involve hope and skepticism.
Many users, such as u/4square425, humorously remarked,
"It'll be 2060 and Martin will be at 99.999% completion”
Martin's recent statements that The Winds of Winter remains his priority are encouraging, yet not enough to remove the burgeoning restlessness.
As one Redditor succinctly put it,
“If he was actually writing a couple hours every day his books would 100% be finished by now."
While most stay critical, others begin to see the funny side, as fans are now fantasizing about surprise book drops and spin-offs by 2030!
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House of the Dragon and other Game of Thrones series are available on HBO Max, with Martin's The Winds of Winter still awaiting its long-overdue completion.
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