‘Game of Thrones’: George R.R. Martin Has Given up on Giving Dates for His Books

Game of Thrones kicked off its final season Sunday night on HBO meaning that soon, fans will know exactly who will end the series sitting on the Iron Throne. However, when it comes to the popular book series by George R.R. Martin the HBO show is based upon, that ending is much further off. There are still at least two more books to the A Song of Ice and Fire epic, but if fans were hoping to get an idea of when to expect the next book in the series, they’re going to be out of luck.

Martin told Entertainment Tonight recently that he no longer gives dates for when people can expect the next book, largely because they’re unhappy when the date comes and goes with no book.

“I have no date,” Martin said. “I’ve given up giving dates because I give one and then I miss it, and everybody gets mad. It’ll be done when it’s done. It’s been going very well lately so, knock wood.”

The next expected book in the series is The Winds of Winter. It will be the sixth novel in the series. As it has currently been eight years since the release of the previous book, A Dance With Dragons, fans have understandably been wondering when they might get that next volume — even if it isn’t going to be the and. A seventh book, A Dream of Spring, is also expected. Fortunately, while Martin won’t give any specific dates, he did indicate that writing was going well lately, something that he joked in a previous interview was because he’s been “chained” to the typewriter.

“My loyal staff — I have a couple of them with me — have chained me to the typewriter. They’re making me eat healthy food,” Martin said with a laugh. “It’s horrible!”

Of course, even with the television series coming to an end before the book series does, there still could be plenty of Game of Thrones mythology to enjoy with five spinoffs in development, including an already greenlit prequel series.

“It hasn’t started shooting yet, but they’re getting very close to that. They have a great director and an amazing cast,” Martin said of the S.J. Clarkson-directed project. “I’ve been following along closely. I have my fingers crossed. It’s different. It’s definitely very different. It’s set thousands of years in the past. You’re looking at a whole different era of Westeros. No dragons, no Iron Throne, no King’s Landing. It will be interesting to see what the fans make of that.”

Game of Thrones airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.