'Winds of Winter': A timeline of George RR Martin's progress

A running list of the 'Game of Thrones' author's updates

Illustration of Game Of Thrones author George R.R. Martin
The writer recently called referred to the book as 'the curse of my life'
(Image credit: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Alamy / Getty)

The final book in George R.R. Martin's "Game of Thrones" book series, "The Winds of Winter," is one of the most highly anticipated fantasy novels ever. Fans have been awaiting its release for over a decade now. Martin has periodically fed his fanbase breadcrumbs of updates, but a completed project remains as far off now as it was when HBO's "Game of Thrones" TV show first blew up.

Martin may not be finished with the finale of his series, but he has taken on some interesting side quests in the meantime, including a number of "Game of Thrones" spinoff shows. Earlier this year, he published a peer-reviewed physics paper that he coauthored for the American Journal of Physics, and most recently, he helped debut the news about a de-extinction project featuring a creature most famously known for being on the sigil of House Stark. Will a completed version of "The Winds of Winter," ever be published or will his epic fantasy series remain unfinished? Here are the status updates fans have gotten so far; some more promising than others.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.