George R.R. Martin “feeling fine” after testing positive for COVID

Last week, A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin announced that he was cancelling his trip to San Diego Comic-Con, which was held last weekend. He cited concerns over COVID, which has been on the rise lately.

…and then he showed up anyway! Martin took part in a panel about House of the Dragon, HBO’s upcoming Game of Thrones successor show. That was a lot of fun, but his original instinct may have been the better one, because he’s now posted a video announcing that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Martin says he skipped all of the parties at SDCC, didn’t go on the convention floor, and cancelled his in-person autograph signings. He’s vaccinated and double-boosted and wears a mask in public, but things slip through. “I was as startled as any of you because I did not think I really had any symptoms, or very very minor symptoms, I was sniffling a little,” Martin said. “And that’s pretty much still where I am…Mostly I feel fine.”

This means that Martin had to miss last night’s premiere of House of the Dragon in Los Angeles, but c’est la vie. He’s planning to “take my pills, rest a lot, sleep a lot, drink plenty of fluids and get over this.” And when he’s back home in Santa Fe, he’ll be “resuming work on the book that I know you’re all waiting for.”

George R.R. Martin hints at House of the Dragon season 2

House of the Dragon premieres on August 21 on HBO and HBO Max. The show is set some 200 years before Game of Thrones and tells the story of a brutal civil war fought between rival factions of the Targaryen dynasty. It’s based on Martin’s book Fire & Blood.

House of the Dragon hasn’t officially been given a season 2 order yet, although HBO executive Casey Bloys has said that it has “a pretty good shot” at getting one. This is HBO’s premiere series of 2022, so it would have to really tank to not return.

In fact, we’ve heard that writing has already begun on the second season, which Martin seemed to confirm when talking about how regretful he is that he couldn’t attend the season 1 premiere in Los Angeles. He mentions other people who are going to be there, including showrunner Ryan Condal and another person who is “one of the great season 2 writers on the show.”

So get well soon to Martin, and long may House of the Dragon fly.

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