'A Song of Ice and Fire' Fans Can Anticipate Winds of Winter Novel Launch to Come in 2018?

By Denise See, Christian Post Contributor Friday, February 24, 2017

"A Song of Ice and Fire" fans are getting antsy as author George R. R. Martin has yet to finish work on novel "The Winds of Winter." And while Martin has repeatedly missed deadlines, recent rumors indicate that the book's release may happen on his 70th birthday.

This is not necessarily good news because Martin's 70th birthday does not come until next year, Sept. 20. The 68-year-old author, however, has given no hints alluding to a birthday release, which means readers are advised to take this news with a grain of salt.

However, should there be any truth to the rumor, that means "Game of Thrones" season 7 will take place prior to the release of "The Winds of Winter." With season 8 - the HBO series' final season - set to premiere next year on an unknown date, it remains to be seen if "The Winds of Winter" will ever make it to print before "Game of Thrones" concludes.

At the end of January 2017, Martin published an entry in his LiveJournal blog and it included a small update on the status of "The Winds of Winter." In the post, the author revealed that he was still not finished writing the upcoming installment in the novel series - news that was certainly not welcomed warmly by many fans.

Earlier last month, Martin also gave a mini update to a fan who commented on a LiveJournal post of his. After being asked for details about the novel's status, the author replied that he believes "The Winds of Winter" will be released this year. However, he quickly followed it up by saying that he was also under that same impression the year prior - and that did not turn out well.

As for what "The Winds of Winter" holds, storywise, there has been some talk of Lyanna Mormont dying and the Tyrells taking control of King's Landing. However, confirmations have yet to be made.