We know that fans are frustrated about the wait for what will be the final book in George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series; however, one fan took their frustration a bit too far at this year’s Worldcon event, calling out the author in front of his peers and fans with a blunt statement about the progress of the book.
At the annual Seattle convention, Martin joined fellow authors Brandon Sanderson, Robin Hobb, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Ryan Cahill, for a special panel discussing their works. The panel was a celebration of the authors and their many amazing works, but one fan used the panel as an opportunity to try to humiliate Martin with a pointed question about his mortality and what it would mean for The Winds of Winter.
During the event on August 15, which marked the first time Martin and Sanderson shared the stage at a panel together in over a decade, Martin was confronted by a “fan” who bluntly told Martin that he’s “not going to be around for much longer” and proceeded to then suggest he hand the franchise over to Sanderson to finish the books.
“Here’s the thing, George, you’re not going to be around for much longer, and this is a tough question I wanted to ask,” the fan began. “This is more directed at Brandon. How would you feel about someone else taking over and finishing the books?”
In since-released footage of the moment uncovered on Reddit, which was posted by the fan behind the question, we can see that the room erupted in boos with Martin’s fellow authors and panelists quickly coming to Martin’s defense. At one point, it sounds as though Sanderson himself shuts down the very thought of his taking over The Winds of Winter, with one panelist heard saying, “Not me.”
The fan has since released a video acknowledging the backlash, in which they claim the question “wasn’t meant to be rude.”
“I am not a heckler, please do not label me as that. It was not a question intended to be rude. And it was not a question saying rush and finish the books, it was a question saying who would he, if he passes, [like to finish Winds of Winter] on his behalf. That’s a bad question to some people, I guess.”
While the fan's intentions might not have been to be rude and frustrations over the long wait for The Winds of Winter are understandable, moments like this highlight just how important it is to approach creators with respect. Martin, after all, deserves the same courtesy as the stories he’s spent decades building. And it's not as though he's abandoned the book.
George R.R. Martin is still working on The Winds of Winter, but knows fans are frustrated
Martin is well aware of the discourse over the final book in his Game of Thrones series. Just this April, Martin called the book “the curse of my life” in an interview with TIME, and he acknowledged that the book is 13 years late. In the interview, he assured fans that he is still working on the book, but also made it clear that the book, at times, has to take a back seat for more pressing matters such as deadlines connected to ongoing Game of Thrones projects at HBO.
"That's the curse of my life here. There's no doubt Winds of Winter is 13 years late. I'm still working on it. I have periods where I make progress and then other things divert my attention...I have a deadline for one of the HBO shows. I have something else to do.”
The prior month, Martin reiterated his intentions to complete the book, telling Collider that his writing was coming along “pretty well,” while admitting he did wish it would come faster.
"I have to finish the books. That's the one thing I'm completely in control of. There's no budget limitations. There's no other executives on the studio side that I have to please, or other writers with different views. The books are what I'm going to make them. And, I think the one I'm writing is coming pretty well, but I wish it would come faster."
Martin even addressed fans’ frustrations over the wait for The Winds of Winter in a May blog post. As he announced a new project, Martin acknowledged that fans would be annoyed by the announcement, as they’re annoyed by “everything I announce here that is not about Westeros or The Winds of Winter.” In the blog, Martin expressed feelings that fans had given up on him and clearly felt defeated by the backlash from fans.
“You have given up on me, or on the book. I will never finish Winds, if I do, I will never finish A Dream of Spring. If I do, it won’t be any good. I ought to get some other writer to pinch hit for me… I am going to die soon anyway, because I am so old,” he wrote before going on to stress that he indeed cares deeply about the project. “I care about Westeros and Winds as well. The Starks and Lannisters and Targaryens, Tyrion and Asha, Dany and Daenerys, the dragons and the direwolves, I care about them all. More than you can ever imagine.”
Martin has also hinted that the wait will be worth it, telling Stephen Colbert in 2022 that the book would be the biggest book in the entire franchise. At the time, he also alleged that the book was about 75% completed at the time, so we can only hope that in the years since, he’s inched closer to completing what is sure to be one of the biggest books in the world when it finally hits shelves, whenever that might be.