Read the First Excerpt from Game of Thrones Sequel ‘The Winds of Winter’ by George R.R. Martin

When it comes to Game of Thrones, nobody is more enthusiastic about new information than the book fans. The fans who have read through thousands of pages and still not been satisfied with an ending in over two decades. It has been three years since we have heard anything about when The Winds of Winter will be released. While we still don’t have that information (SORRY!) but we do have an excerpt from this writer’s personal favourite character – Tyrion!

Check it out below:

TYRION

Somewhere off in the far distance, a dying man was screaming for his mother. “To horse!” a man was yelling in Ghiscari, in the next camp to the north of the Second Sons. “To horse! To horse!” High and shrill, his voice carried a long way in the morning air, far beyond his own encampment. Tyrion knew just enough Ghiscari to understand the words, but the fear in his voice would have been plain in any tongue. I know how he feels.

Many thanks to Entertainment Weekly who shared the quotes. They also report that the whole chapter will be available in March through Random House’s A World of Ice and Fire app.The chapter will feature Tyrion and be available even in the free version of the app, along with new location descriptions and character profiles.

The release date for Winds of Winter has yet to be determined but I’m willing to be that 2015 will be the year. Martin likes to take his time writing the books but he has a new motivation to complete the books faster now that the TV series is already up to Book 3. The last Game of Thrones book,  A Dance with Dragons, the fifth in the series, was published in 2011. While we eagerly await a release date you can be sure that the exclusive chapter in March will be a big tease!

Game of Thrones Season 4 will premiere on Sunday, April 6, at 9:00 p.m. EST/PST on HBO.

George R.R. Martin Delays ‘A Song of Ice and Fire Encyclopedia’ Because He Can’t Stop Writing

Many fans of the A Song of Ice and Fire series visit Young Adult Book Reviewer for updates on George R.R. Martin’s book writing progress. Unfortunately fans, more bad news on the writing front – George can’t stop writing The World of Ice and Fire Encyclopedia and so its release date is going to be delayed. The companion book is now set for a 2014 release but the good news is that it will now be  a multi-volume “lushly illustrated retelling” of Westerosi history.

According to Martin’s publisher, HarperCollins UK, Martin was given a 50,000 word limit for the encyclopedia that will also have contributions from Westeros.org creators Linda Antonsson and Elio M. García. However, Martin reportedly ended up writing five times as much as he was supposed to, including some information not previously detailed in the books. They have since decided to shift the focus of the book away from its original encyclopedia format and commissioned more artwork for the final product, which accounts for the delay.

The trilogy Martin originally planned in the early ’90s is now a seven-volume behemoth, and that number grows larger with every second that Martin writes. In fact, the reason that A Feast For Crows and A Dance with Dragons took so long to complete is because they were originally conceived of as one book, but the size of the original manuscript proved difficult for publishers to work with. The books were split into two so that they were more manageable to read as a physical copy. (Can you imagine the ebook for the book if it had been published together?)

I think it’s so incredible that Martin has been so detailed and meticulous in creating this world – exactly the kind of stuff we’d love to see from J.K. Rowling – but something does have to give because we’re all eagerly after The Winds of Winter but Martin is allegedly spending more time than he should on the encyclopedia. But who are we to complain about more material!

We love you Martin, but please send your babies out into the world for us to enjoy!