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George R.R. Martin can't believe he's 13 years late to finish the final Game of Thrones book either

"How could I be 13 years late?’ I don’t know," the author said in a recent interview

Published on Fri Dec 06 2024

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Yes, George R.R. Martin knows that you’re still waiting for that final book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series — and he swears that he’s working on it. As long as he doesn’t die during the process.

“Unfortunately, I am 13 years late,” the writer told The Hollywood Reporter, adding, “Every time I say that, I’m [like], ‘How could I be 13 years late?’ I don’t know, it happens a day at a time.”

Nonetheless, he continued, the book is “still a priority. A lot of people are already writing obituaries for me. [They’re saying] ‘Oh, he’ll never be finished.’ Maybe they’re right. I don’t know.” Lest that sounds as if he’s surrendered to the fate of an unwritten book, don’t worry; he went on to say, “I’m alive right now! I seem pretty vital!”

As a result, Martin is still working on the book, he says, with retirement not an option because he’s “not a golfer.” As to when we can expect the book, that’s a whole other question — and one that everyone seems to have stopped trying to answer some time ago. If you really need to know how the story ends, there’s always the final season of Game of Thrones, even if it left many longterm fans upset in its wake. Otherwise… well, there’s no chance it could take another 13 years, right…?

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Graeme McMillan: Popverse Editor Graeme McMillan (he/him) has been writing about comics, culture, and comics culture on the internet for close to two decades at this point, which is terrifying to admit. He completely understands if you have problems understanding his accent.