George R.R. Martin: Game of Thrones Novels May Never Be Finished

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According to George R.R. Martin, the story of his Game of Thrones world will end when he dies. It’s been almost 15 years since the last published novel, A Dance With Dragons, in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. Martin believes that if he doesn’t live long enough to finish writing The Winds of Winter, the epic Game of Thrones story will remain unfinished.

Martin started writing stories at a young age, even selling them to friends for a small price. He earned his first award, The Alley Award for Fan Fiction, before he was 18, recognizing his story Powerman vs. the Blue Barrier. He’s received many accolades since then, but he’s most known for A Game of Thrones, the first book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series. This series became incredibly popular with the HBO television show of the same name, which was a ratings success from 2011 to 2019 and has since expanded into spin-offs, video games, and board games.

Game of Thrones’ Original Tale Will Likely Be Left Unfinished

Image via Bantam Books

At 77 years old, George R.R. Martin is understandably frustrated that he may never finish his sprawling fantasy series. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he admitted he’s reluctant to abandon The Winds of Winter, the sixth book he began writing in 2010. He stated that not finishing would feel like a personal failure, and that he’s determined to complete it. He’s already written over 1,100 pages – making the manuscript longer than A Dance With Dragons, the longest book in the series so far, which ranges from 1,016 to 1,040 pages.

Image via Bantam Spectra

Even if George R.R. Martin eventually finishes The Winds of Winter, there’s still one more book, A Dream of Spring, to complete the main A Song of Ice and Fire series. Although HBO produces the TV show, Martin owns the rights to the books themselves and intends to keep it that way, even after he’s gone. He doesn’t want his series to end up like Charles Dickens’ The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which was left unfinished when Dickens died in 1880. He stated his work would remain incomplete if he were to pass away before finishing it.

Image via Warner Bros.

The recent comment suggests fans might still get another complete Game of Thrones book, even if George R.R. Martin can’t finish it. Martin joked that he didn’t expect to live to 77, but doesn’t plan on stopping writing anytime soon. He acknowledged some minor health issues – “My lower back hurts sometimes, and I don’t like to stand for long” – but insisted he’s doing well, playfully suggesting the headline, “George R.R. Martin Is Not Dying.”

Although the book series isn’t finished – only five out of seven books have been published – fans have gotten a glimpse of where the story might go through the HBO television show, on which George R.R. Martin worked as a producer and writer. Many fans were unhappy with the show’s final seasons, particularly after it moved beyond the existing books, and Martin has indicated his planned ending is much bleaker. He intends for popular characters like Tyrion Lannister, and possibly Sansa Stark, to meet darker fates. As he explained, Tyrion’s story has always been a tragedy, and that won’t change.

It appears television will likely be how George R.R. Martin’s stories continue, with two spin-offs already released and at least five more in the works. Martin has publicly enjoyed one of these, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which premiered on HBO on January 18th and is based on his Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas. However, for fans of the books, it seems the completion of the TV series may signal the end of the A Song of Ice and Fire series altogether.

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2026-01-30 20:34