With theGame of Thronesfinal season still in production, fans of George R.R. Martin’s book series A Song of Fire and Ice, which the show is based on, got some shocking news today. The author revealed that there will be a newGame of Thronesbook coming this year. But it is not the long-awaited sixth bookThe Winds of Winter. Instead, fans will be treated to the first volume ofFire & Blood, a two-volume companion book that provides a written history of House Targaryen. Here’s what he had to say about the book below.
“Yes, most ofFire & Bloodconsists of the ‘sidebars’ I originally wrote forThe World of Ice & Fire. Abridged versions of some of those pieces appeared asThe Princess and the Queen,The Rogue Prince, andThe Sons of the Dragon, but these are the full versions, together with some chapters that have never appeared anywhere.”
The World of Ice & Firethat the author mentions is a 2014 companion novel, and it seems that the pieces he wrote aboutDaenerys Targaryenand her family will now be used for thisFire & Bloodbook. The author added that the first volume ofFire & Blood, “should be completed soon,” although the second, “is hardly begun.” There is some encouraging news, though, since George R.R. Martin indicated that the second volume ofFire & Bloodwon’t be released until afterThe Winds of Winter.
Still, since the author said thatFire & Bloodis the only book he has planned for 2018, then it seems fans won’t be gettingThe Winds of Winteruntil at the very earliest, 2019. HBO confirmed last month that thefinal seasonofGame of Throneswon’t air until 2019, so there is a possibility that the release ofThe Winds of Wintercould very well coincide with the final season of the hit series. There is no confirmation that both sixth book and the final season will both be released at around the same time, but even if that does happen, there is no timetable released for the final book,A Dream of Spring, which may not be ready until beyond 2020.
While HBO has offered no plot details for the final season, there have been some interesting details to surface thus far. A video taken near a set in Belfast, Ireland revealed amassive spoiler, that the set being used for the Northern stronghold Winterfell, has essentially fallen, with the entire city set ablaze. When this scene takes place during the season is unclear, and there is no indication that this fire killed any members of the Stark Family. You can head on over toGRRM LiveJournaland take a look at the comments section for George R.R. Martin’s latest updates on hisGame of Thronesbook series.
