George R. R. Martin has some bad news for fans of the Game of Thrones novels. Martin announced that the next novel in the series will not be released before the next season airs on HBO.
The sixth book, The Winds of Winter, was expected to be released before the sixth series aired on HBO, which is currently scheduled for April 2016. According to the author, he missed two deadlines which will not make that projected release date impossible.
Martin opened up about the issues on his blog, saying that he didn't want to disappoint fans.
"THE WINDS OF WINTER is not finished," writes Martin. "Believe me, it gave me no pleasure to type those words. You're disappointed, and you're not alone. My editors and publishers are disappointed, HBO is disappointed, my agents and foreign publishers and translators are disappointed... but no one could possibly be more disappointed than me. For months now I have wanted nothing so much as to be able to say, 'I have completed and delivered THE WINDS OF WINTER" on or before the last day of 2015.'"
"As the suspicion grew that I would not make it after all, a gloom set in, and I found myself struggling even more. The fewer the days, the greater the stress, and the slower the pace of my writing became," elaborated Martin.
He ended his post by saying that audiences will still be able to enjoy both the new episodes on HBO and his novel.