George R.R. Martin Says To Expect A New Book (Or Two) In 2018

Two-thirds of being a “Game of Thrones ” fan involves feverishly anticipating what’s in store for Westeros, especially now that the HBO series is ahead of George R.R. Martin’s books. On Saturday, the author delivered promising news on that front. 

In a post on his LiveJournal , where all the best ideas are publicized, Martin said to expect the “Song of Ice and Fire” series’ next written installment in 2018. Regarding the forthcoming book, “The Winds of Winter,” Martin had this to say:

I’ve seen some truly weird reports about WOW on the internet of late, by ‘journalists’ who make their stories up out of whole cloth. I don’t know which story is more absurd, the one that says the book is finished and I’ve been sitting on it for some nefarious reason, or the one that says I have no pages. Both ‘reports’ are equally false and equally moronic. I am still working on it, I am still months away (how many? good question), I still have good days and bad days, and that’s all I care to say. Whether WINDS or the first volume of FIRE AND BLOOD will be the first to hit the bookstores is hard to say at this juncture, but I do think you will have a Westeros book from me in 2018... and who knows, maybe two. A boy can dream...

Initially meant for publication after the “Song of Ice and Fire” series was done, “Fire and Blood” is Martin’s history of House Targaryen, a bloodline that is supposed to end with Iron Throne seeker Daenerys. 

As optimistic as Martin sounds via LiveJournal, we’ve reached the “believe it when you see it” stage. In 2015, he missed two separate deadlines for finishing “The Winds of Winter.” At the start of 2017, he said he thought the book would be out this year, possibly in time for the seventh season of “Game of Thrones ,” which premiered last week . Now we’re looking at a 2018 launch for this penultimate “Ice and Fire” entry, maybe. 

But who are we kidding? You know we’ll wait for you, George. “Game of Thrones” will likely conclude its final season airing in 2018 or 2019 before the ink can dry on “Winds of Winter” follow-up “A Dream of Spring,” which is meant to finish the seven-part book series. At least we know something is coming in 2018.