Fans have come to expect an annual Comic-Con visit from A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin. After all, he’s attended every year since 2010, and is always an entertaining guest on whatever panels he hosts or sits in on.
Sadly, that streak is coming to an end this year, as Martin has announced that he is cancelling many of his upcoming convention appearances, including opting out of Comic-Con in July.
What happened?
Don’t worry, he’s fine. In fact, the reason he’s not attending is pretty much the best case scenario.
“I have too much to do,” he wrote on his blog. “Too many things on my plate [The Winds of Winter] foremost amongst them.”
So basically, Martin has to stay home because he really, really needs to finish that book.
THANK GOD.
I feel you. While Comic-Con is certainly going to be just a little less perfect without Martin, the fact that he’s making time in his schedule to get more writing done is fantastic news; especially considering we recently got word that Winds of Winter will not be released in 2015.
That being said, Martin did add that, “Should I complete and deliver WINDS OF WINTER before these cons roll round, I reserve the right to change my mind.”
Hah. Good one George.
When do you think we’ll be able to read it?
If Martin can really get cracking in the next few months, we might be lucky enough to see it before the 2016 season of the show (which debuts next spring). Let’s not get too optimistic though.
Remember that George R.R. Martin is a slooowww writer, and this isn’t a recent development. There was a five year gap in between A Storm of Swords, the third book, and A Feast for Crows, the fourth. Then, there was a six year gap in between Crows and the most recent installment, A Dance with Dragons.
2016 seems pretty optimistic to me at this point, especially given the rumors that Martin is considering adding another book to the series.
Will this effect HBO’s Game of Thrones panel?
Doubtful! I think we can still expect to see Game of Thrones and friends to show up in Hall H at Comic-Con this year. They’ll just be one beard shorter than their previous visits.
