The Winds of Winter: Everything We Know About the Next Game of Thrones Book

George R.R. Martin's The Winds of Winter, the sixth book in the highly anticipated A Song of Ice and Fire series, remains one of the most eagerly awaited works of fiction. Following the 2011 release of A Dance with Dragons (Book 5), its creation has spanned over a decade, coinciding with the broadcast of HBO's Game of Thrones (Seasons 2-8) and its prequel, House of the Dragon (Seasons 1-2).

While Martin continues his work, we've compiled a summary of everything currently known about The Winds of Winter, encompassing his comments on its length, projected release, storyline, and key differences from the television adaptation.

Jump to:

• When will it come out?
• How long will it be?
• Story details
• Book vs. TV series

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Winds of Winter Release Date

Currently, there's no official release date or timeframe for The Winds of Winter. Initial hopes for completion by October 2015 and a March 2016 release (ahead of Game of Thrones Season 6) were not met. Subsequent optimistic predictions in January 2017 (before year's end), and a 2021 target in 2020, also proved inaccurate. Martin's last public estimate appears to be in 2021.

In October 2022, Martin reported being approximately 75% complete with the manuscript. However, progress updates in November 2023 indicated the completion of 1,100 pages—a figure consistent with his December 2022 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. A December 2024 interview acknowledged the possibility that he might not complete The Winds of Winter within his lifetime.

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Winds of Winter Length

The Winds of Winter is anticipated to be around 1,500 pages. As of November 2023, Martin stated he'd written approximately 1,100 pages, with "hundreds more pages to go." He's previously indicated that the final two A Song of Ice and Fire books will collectively exceed 3,000 pages. A 1,500-page Winds of Winter would surpass the length of its predecessor, A Dance with Dragons (slightly over 1,000 pages in its original hardcover edition).

Winds of Winter Story

(This section avoids spoilers beyond character names.)

The Winds of Winter will continue the narratives of A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons (Books 4 and 5), which featured parallel storylines and different character perspectives. Martin has suggested a dramatic opening:

“There were a lot of cliffhangers at the end of A Dance with Dragons. Those will be resolved very early. I’m going to open with the two big battles that I was building up to, the battle in the ice [Stannis Baratheon vs. Roose Bolton near Winterfell] and the battle at Meereen—the battle of Slaver’s Bay [Daenerys Targaryen vs. Yunkai slavers].”

The paths of Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister will converge, although they remain largely separated for much of the book. The Dothraki will feature prominently, and significant events will unfold at The Wall. Martin has also mentioned an "interesting take on unicorns." He's described the overall tone as darker, with "a lot of dark chapters" and characters facing difficult circumstances.

Winds of Winter Characters

As of 2016, Martin didn't plan to introduce new point-of-view characters. Confirmed POV characters include:

• Tyrion Lannister
• Cersei Lannister
• Jaime Lannister and/or Brienne of Tarth
• Arya Stark
• Sansa Stark
• Bran Stark
• Theon Greyjoy
• Asha Greyjoy
• Victarion Greyjoy
• Aeron Greyjoy/Damphair
• Barristan Selmy
• Arianne Martell
• Areo Hotah
• Jon Connington

Daenerys Targaryen is almost certainly another POV character. Davos Seaworth, Samwell Tarly, and Melisandre are potential additions. Jeyne Westerling will appear (possibly not as a POV character).

Winds of Winter: Book vs. TV Show

Due to the books' greater scope and complexity, The Winds of Winter will significantly diverge from Game of Thrones. Martin has stated that characters' fates will differ; some who died in the show will live in the books, and vice versa. New characters and expanded roles for existing ones (absent from the show) are also expected.

A 2022 blog post by Martin emphasizes these differences, highlighting the inclusion of POV characters exclusive to the books (Victarion Greyjoy, Arianne Martell, Areo Hotah, Jon Connington, Aeron Damphair) and the contrasting portrayals of characters like Yarra and Euron Greyjoy. He also mentions the importance of characters like Lady Stoneheart, Young Griff, and others absent from the show. The ending, too, is expected to deviate substantially. Martin's comments suggest a richer and more nuanced narrative than the show's final season.

A key difference, teased by Martin in 2016, involves a major plot twist impossible to replicate in the show, involving a character dead in the show but alive in the books.

A Dream of Spring and Other Future Works

A Dream of Spring, the planned seventh and final book, is also anticipated to be 1,500 pages or longer. Martin has hinted at a bittersweet conclusion. No release date is available.

Beyond A Song of Ice and Fire, Martin is working on a second volume of Targaryen history (potentially titled Blood & Fire), additional Dunk and Egg novellas (relevant to HBO's upcoming Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), and continues his involvement with the Wild Cards shared universe, as well as producing House of the Dragon and AMC's Dark Winds.