‘Winds Of Winter’ Release Date: George R.R. Martin Says Book May Come Out ‘This Year’

Fans have been waiting patiently for George R.R. Martin to finish writing “Winds of Winter,” the sixth book in the “Song of Ice and Fire” series. But it looks like the long wait will finally come to an end this year.

One fan recently reminded Martin on his blog that he hasn’t provided an update regarding the release timeline. The author replied, “Not done yet, but I’ve made progress. But not as much as I hoped a year ago, when I thought to be done by now. I think it will be out this year. (But hey, I thought the same thing last year).”

Earlier, Martin expressed enthusiasm that both “Game of Thrones” and “Westworld” from HBO have been nominated for the Golden Globe award for best drama series. “Being an HBO guy, I'm thrilled that to see that both ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Westworld’ have been nominated for the big prize,” he wrote earlier.

However, Martin acknowledged that the first season of “Westworld” was a true masterpiece, so he tipped his hat to the sci-fi show. “Though Westworld is going to be some tough competition. (In fact, I would figure WW for the favorite),” he concluded.

But should neither shows win the category, Martin wouldn’t feel bad, just as long as “Stranger Things” takes the award home. “As an science fiction and fantasy geek, I am also delighted to see that "Stranger Things' made the list,” he said. “Three out of five finalists being genre shows... and during this golden age of television... is another sign of just how far we've come.”

Unfortunately for Martin, none of the shows he mentioned won the award. In the end, “The Crown” from Netflix took home the prize for best picture. The lavish series tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy) from the 1940s to modern times and was initially released on Nov. 4, 2016.