'Game of Thrones' Author George R.R. Martin Shares Advance Chapter From 'Winds Of Winter'

"Game of Thrones” creator and “A Song of Ice and Fire” author George R.R. Martin has treated fans to a new advance chapter from his highly anticipated novel “Winds of Winter.” The excerpt is from the point of view of Dornish Princess Arianne Martel. He read the chapter while making an appearance at the Sasquan science-fiction convention in Spokane, Washington last week.

According to Venture Capital Post, the chapter is taken from the point of view of Arianne Martell. In the novels, she is the eldest daughter of Prince Doran Martell, the reigning monarch of the southern kingdom called Dorne. She is the heiress to the kingdom and was betrothed to Viserys Targaryen as part of a secret pact.

The excerpt from “Winds of Winter” speaks about Arianne venturing out of her home in Sunspear. She is on a mission to find out what happened to Prince Rhaegar’s son, Aegon Targaryen. She sails to the Stormlands to find answers, accompanied by her cousin Elia Sand and her sworn shield Ser Daemon Sand.

In the TV series produced by HBO, Princess Arianne has not appeared as a central character like she has in the books. The TV series is based on the novels, but the showrunners have already taken liberties in the casting and the storyline. Instead of Arianne, Prince Trystane Martell (Toby Sebastian) has played a bigger role in the TV show.

Trystanne is the betrothed of Princess Myrcella Baratheon, and with the omission of Arianne in the series so far, he is speculated to entirely replace her role. Arianne’s absence so far has gained mixed reactions from fans of the books and the series.

Prince Aegon Targaryen has also been missing in the TV show so far. In the last published book titled “A Dance With Dragons,” he had already met Tyrion Lannister as well as Lord Varys. In the TV show, Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) has made his way all the way to the side of Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) without ever meeting Aegon.

With the characters’ absence in the show, the advance chapter from “Winds of Winter” is not likely to pose spoilers for the TV series. George R.R. Martin employed the same strategy when he shared an advance chapter back in April featuring Alayne. In the series, Alayne, or Sansa Stark, has already moved on to a very different storyline.

The release date for “Winds of Winter” has not been announced, but Martin insists that he is doing his best to get the book published. Meanwhile, Season 6 of “Game of Thrones” is expected to air in spring 2016 on HBO.