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The George R.R. Martin profile in yesterday\u2019s Hollywood Reporter is full of fun tidbits about the author, including his excitement over A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms<\/em>, his thoughts on whether or not that Jon Snow Game of Thrones<\/em> sequel series will ever happen\u2014and a tiny drop of tea about his feud with House of the Dragon<\/em> showrunner Ryan Condal. But anytime Martin sits down for questions, the inevitable subject will always arise: what\u2019s the latest on The Winds of Winter<\/em>?<\/p>\n First things first. Martin is still smarting over that fan who asked him at last year\u2019s WorldCon if he\u2019d allow another author to finish the long-awaited next A Song of Ice and Fire<\/em> book, given Martin\u2019s advancing age (he\u2019s 77). It was insulting back in August, and it still is now: \u201cI really didn\u2019t need that shit. Nobody needs that shit.\u201d<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s clear that Martin shares his fans\u2019 awareness of the ruthless passage of time. He told THR he has 1,100 pages\u2014yes, that\u2019s the same number he cited back in 2022 and 2023, though it sounds like the content of those pages has shifted somewhat.<\/p>\n \u201cI will open the last chapter I was working on and I\u2019ll say, \u2018Oh fuck, this is not very good.\u2019 And I\u2019ll go in and I\u2019ll rewrite it. Or I\u2019ll decide, \u2018This Tyrion chapter is not coming along, let me write a Jon Snow chapter.\u2019 If I\u2019m not interrupted though, what happens\u2014at least in the past\u2014is sooner or later, I do get into it,\u201d he told THR.<\/p>\n Even without interruptions, it\u2019s slow going. During the pandemic, Martin retreated to an isolated cabin for some focused writing time; though he told THR that resulted in lots of new material, it also opened the door to second-guessing. \u201cI wrote a Tyrion chapter I just loved. Then I looked at it and said: \u2018I can\u2019t do this, it will change the whole book. I\u2019ll make this into a series of dreams. No! That doesn\u2019t work either \u2026\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n But he is still very determined. Giving up on The Winds of Winter<\/em> is not an option. \u201cIt would feel like a total failure to me. I want<\/i> to finish,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n However, that WorldCon fan\u2019s question also re-entered the interview here. Martin isn\u2019t going to engage another writer to finish the book. That will not happen.<\/p>\n But what if Martin does die\u2014or become incapacitated in some way\u2014before he completes the story? Well, then, \u201cMy work won\u2019t be finished,\u201d he said, and offered Charles Dickens\u2019 unfinished last novel as a point of comparison: \u201cIt\u2019ll be like The Mystery of Edwin Drood.<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n Let\u2019s hope it doesn\u2019t come to that! And while you wait (and wait) for the next Winds of Winter<\/em> update, check out A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms<\/em>\u2014premiering January 18 on HBO and HBO Max.<\/p>\n Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what\u2019s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n