The last book in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Dance With Dragons, came out in 2011. That's also the year that HBO debuted Game of Thrones, its TV series based on Martin's work. Since then, Game of Thrones aired eight hugely successful seasons of television. The prequel show House of the Dragon has aired two seasons with a third on the way. But Martin still isn't finished writing The Winds of Winter, the sixth book in his series.
Why is it taking so long? Many explanations have been proffered. Part of it is that Martin's profile blew up hugely thanks to Game of Thrones and he now has a lot of other things on his plate, including some of those Game of Thrones prequel shows; he's been open about what a difficult experience it can be working with a team to adapt one of his works. Part of it is that this is just the way he writes; he moves slowly, feeling it out as he goes.
Some fans think that Martin has written nothing and just spends his time doing anything besides working on The Winds of Winter. That's a theory I don't buy. For one, several advance chapters from the book have been released over the years. For another, he's never stopped talking about his progress, sharing when it's going well and when he's hit a wall. I think the simplest explanation is the right one: George R.R. Martin is writing The Winds of Winter, but it's very, very slow going.
Speaking recently to Collider, Martin reiterated that he intends to get the job done. "I have to finish the books," he said. "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."
I think he speaks for most of the fans there. There is the question of whether it's wise for an author to obsess so much over getting a book perfect that they simply never complete it. At that point, what's worse: releasing an imperfect version of a thing people want to read, or never releasing anything at all? That's the kind of question this story inspires.
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