Game of Thrones: George RR Martin Debunks Rumor He Finished Last Two Books

CBR

By Mira Jacobs

Published May 14, 2019

The author of the series that inspired Game of Thrones wants fans to know he hasn't been sitting on two finished books waiting for the show to end.

George R.R. Martin, author of the bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novels that inspired HBO's Game of Thrones, has a few choice words regarding the rumors that have been circulating about his progress on completing the series.

After a remark made by the actor Ian McElhinney, who played Ser Barristan Selmy in the show's earlier seasons, some outlets reported that Martin had already finished writing The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, his working titles for the last two books of A Song of Ice and Fire. Furthermore, McElhinney claimed Martin had agreed to delay publication on the books until after Game of Thrones had wrapped up.

Martin tackled the rumor himself by posting an entry to his personal blog, Not a Blog, with the subject line "Idiocy on the Internet." Although he made no mention of McElhinney, he was blunt about the falsehood of the idea that he had finished the books and was dismissive of websites that had picked it up, saying the story "makes not a whit of sense."

"Why would I sit for years on completed novels?" Martin asked. "Why would my publishers — not just here in the US, but all around the world — ever consent to this? They make millions and millions of dollars every time a new Ice & Fire book comes out, as do I. Delaying makes no sense."

Fans of Martin's writing may be disappointed to hear there won't be new books waiting for them as soon as Game of Thrones has ended, as it's been nearly eight years since the last one was published. However, it's at least clear the author still intends to finish the series. He even referenced his own frustrations with the long wait between books: "I assure you, HBO and David & Dan [David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, showrunners of Game of Thrones] would both have been thrilled and delighted if THE WINDS OF WINTER had been delivered and published four or five years ago… and NO ONE would have been more delighted than me."

Airing Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO, Game of Thrones stars Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister, Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Maisie Williams as Arya Stark and Kit Harington as Jon Snow.