Heaven help me, but I feel my hopes rising just the tiniest bit. George R.R. Martin, the author of the Song of Ice and Fire series, will be a guest at New York Comic-Con this October, according to the con's website. Martin, as many fans know, has been working on the sixth book in his series, The Winds of Winter, for a long time; 14 years, to be exact. He's been working on it so long that HBO was able to adapt everything he'd written so far to TV as Game of Thrones before he was finished, and then continue on after it ran out of source material. Game of Thrones ended six years ago, but Martin continues working on his book.
Martin has eschewed public appearances at major cons like this one for years as he concentrates on writing Winds. When he does appear at some kind of public-facing event, it's usually something very close to home. His appearing at NYCC does not mean that he is finished with The Winds of Winter, and I'm probably setting myself up for a fall by even begin imagining it might...and yet, it could be a good sign.
If Martin really does finish writing Winds, he'll announce it first on his blog, or so he's long maintained. The last book in his Song of Ice and Fire series, A Dance With Dragons, came out in 2011. Martin knows he's taken a very long time writing Winds, and knows that there are a lot of fans out there who are tired of waiting. It's entertaining to think how people would react if the good news finally came down. Jubilation? Disinterest? Confusion? Maybe we'll find out later this year. Why not dream big?
In the interest of not letting my imagination run completely away with me, it's also possible Martin is going for something less momentous, like to be on a panel with the cast and crew members of the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel show A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, although I don't see any of their names on the guest list as of yet.
New York Comic Con will go down on October 9-12, 2025 at the Javits Center in New York City, as always. NYCC is one of the biggest events of its kind and always attracts some big names. In addition to Martin, other notable guests include Nicholas Hoult, who will presumbly do a victory lap after Lex Luthor in Superman next month. Also present will be Simu Liu, James McAvoy, Bryce Dallas Howard, Charlie Cox, and many more.
Read more about George R.R. Martin:
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.