A Song of Ice and Fire readers have been (im)patiently waiting for the next book in the series since A Dance with Dragons hit shelves all the way back in 2011, and author George R.R. Martin has now shared a (relatively) optimistic update on his progress.
During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Martin confirmed that he is "three quarters of the way done" with The Winds of Winter.
"I am making progress with The Winds of Winter, but it's still not done yet. I think it's going to be a very big book," Martin said. "I think I'm about three-quarters of the way done. The characters all interweave. I've actually finished with some of the characters, I've got their whole story, but not others. So I have to finish all that weaving. Still gonna take me awhile."
Martin is constantly bombarded by fans wondering when they can expect to delve back into the fantasy saga, and while this is a positive sign that he is at least approaching the finish line, it sounds like we still have a ways to go before the book is in our hands.
"I do know one thing for certain," added the writer. "We're going to deliver it, and it's going to be published, and the next day I'll get the first tweet asking, 'Where's A Dream of Spring?'"
Martin has shared several excerpts from the novel over the years, but nothing too revealing. While these final two books are expected to mirror the later seasons of HBO's Game of Thrones to a degree, the author has previously confirmed that there will be some significant differences - especially when it comes to the ending.
Will Bran Stark still end up on the Iron Throne? Will Jon Snow kill Daenerys after she breaks bad and burns an entire city to ashes? We'd bank on at least one major change to the conclusion of the show, but we'll just have to wait and see.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.