"Winds of Winter: Latest Updates on Next Game of Thrones Book"

The Winds of Winter, the eagerly awaited sixth installment in George R.R. Martin's epic A Song of Ice and Fire series, continues to be one of the most anticipated works in modern fiction. Since the release of the fifth book, A Dance with Dragons, in 2011, fans have been eagerly awaiting the next chapter in this fantasy saga that inspired HBO's Game of Thrones. In the 13 years that have passed, HBO has completed Seasons 2-8 of Game of Thrones and launched the first two seasons of its spinoff, House of the Dragon.

As George R.R. Martin diligently works on this long-awaited novel, here's a comprehensive overview of everything known about The Winds of Winter, including insights into the book's length, expected publication timeline, narrative details, and how it will differ from the television series.

Jump to:

• When will it come out?
• How long will it be?
• Story details
• Book vs. TV series

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Winds of Winter Release Date

Currently, there is no confirmed release date or window for The Winds of Winter. Initially, Martin and his publishers hoped to have the manuscript ready by the end of October 2015, aiming for a March 2016 release ahead of Game of Thrones Season 6. However, this deadline was not met, and subsequent targets set for the end of 2015 and the end of 2017 also passed without a completed manuscript. In 2020, Martin expressed intentions to finish the initial draft by 2021, a goal that did not materialize. The last public update on the book's progress was in October 2022, when Martin reported being about 75% done with the manuscript. By November 2023, he had completed 1,100 pages, a figure unchanged from his December 2022 statement on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In a December 2024 interview, Martin acknowledged the possibility that he might not finish The Winds of Winter within his lifetime.

Winds of Winter Length

The Winds of Winter is expected to span approximately 1,500 pages, making it the longest book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series to date. As of November 2023, Martin had written about 1,100 pages and mentioned having "hundreds more pages to go." He has also stated that the final two books in the series will collectively exceed 3,000 pages. For comparison, the current longest book in the series, A Dance with Dragons, was just over 1,000 pages in its original hardcover edition.

Winds of Winter Story

Note: This section contains no spoilers beyond character names expected to appear in The Winds of Winter.

The narrative of The Winds of Winter will pick up from where A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons left off, continuing the parallel storylines of the fourth and fifth books. Martin has promised a dramatic opening, resolving the cliffhangers from A Dance with Dragons by diving straight into two major battles: the battle in the ice between the forces of Stannis Baratheon and Roose Bolton near Winterfell, and the battle at Meereen, known as the battle of Slaver's Bay, involving Daenerys Targaryen and the slavers of Yunkai.

Martin has teased that the paths of Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister will cross "in a way," but for most of the book, they will remain apart, each playing significant roles. Tyrion, having decided to embrace life, is working toward survival amidst the ensuing battle, while Daenerys has fully accepted her Targaryen heritage. The Dothraki are set to return "in a big way," and significant events are expected at The Wall. Martin has also hinted at an "interesting take on unicorns" to be introduced in the story. He has cautioned readers that the book will be dark, reflecting the harshness of winter, as he has long promised that "winter is coming."

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Winds of Winter Characters

As of 2016, Martin confirmed he was not planning to introduce new point-of-view (POV) characters in The Winds of Winter. Here is a list of characters confirmed to have chapters from their perspective:

• Tyrion Lannister
• Cersei Lannister
• Jaime Lannister and/or Brienne of Tarth
• Arya Stark
• Sansa Stark
• Bran Stark
• Theon Greyjoy
• Asha Greyjoy
• Victarion Greyjoy
• Aeron Greyjoy/Damphair
• Barristan Selmy
• Arianne Martell
• Areo Hotah
• Jon Connington

While not officially confirmed, it is highly likely that Daenerys Targaryen will also be a POV character. Other potential POVs include Davos Seaworth, Samwell Tarly, and Melisandre. Additionally, Robb Stark's wife, Jeyne Westerling, will appear in the prologue, though it's unclear if the chapter will be from her perspective.

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Winds of Winter: Book vs. TV Show

The Winds of Winter will diverge significantly from the television adaptation, Game of Thrones, due to the broader scope and larger cast of the book series. Martin has stated that some characters who died in the show will survive in the books, and vice versa. New characters not seen in the series will play important roles, and characters who appeared differently on-screen will have distinct narratives in the novels.

In a 2022 blog post, Martin elaborated on these differences:

"What I have noticed more and more of late, however, is my gardening is taking me further and further away from the television series. Yes, some of the things you saw on HBO in Game of Thrones you will also see in The Winds of Winter (though maybe not in quite the same ways)… but much of the rest will be quite different."

Martin highlighted the complexity and size of the novels compared to the show, mentioning several characters and plot points that will appear in the books but were omitted or altered in the series. He also teased a major twist involving characters, one of whom was dead by the end of Season 5 in the show but remains alive in the books.

These revelations should be encouraging for fans who felt the rushed pace of Game of Thrones' final season compromised the depth of character development and narrative arcs.

A Dream of Spring and Other Future Works

A Dream of Spring, the planned seventh and final book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, is also expected to be around 1,500 pages or more. Martin has hinted that the ending will be as much bittersweet as it is happy. However, there is no set timeline for its release.

In addition to The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, Martin is working on a second volume of his Targaryen history, tentatively titled Blood & Fire, and additional stories in his Tales of Dunk and Egg series, which will serve as the basis for HBO's upcoming spinoff, Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Martin continues to edit the Wild Cards shared-universe sci-fi series he created in 1987 and is a producer for two active TV series: House of the Dragon and AMC's Dark Winds.

For more on A Song of Ice and Fire, explore our guide on how to read the Game of Thrones books in order.