The Winds of Winter, the long-anticipated sixth installment in George R.R. Martin's epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, continues to captivate fans worldwide. Since the release of the fifth book, A Dance with Dragons, in 2011, readers have eagerly awaited the continuation of this saga, which inspired HBO's Game of Thrones. In the 13 years since, HBO has aired Seasons 2-8 of Game of Thrones, along with the first two seasons of its spinoff, House of the Dragon. Here, we delve into everything known about The Winds of Winter, from its length and expected release timeline to key story elements and differences from the TV series.
Jump to:
- When will it come out?
- How long will it be?
- Story details
- Book vs. TV series
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Winds of Winter Release Date
As of now, there is no confirmed release date or window for The Winds of Winter. Originally, Martin and his publishers hoped to complete the manuscript by the end of October 2015 to release the book in March 2016, ahead of Game of Thrones Season 6. However, this deadline was pushed back to the end of 2015, then to the end of 2016, and later to 2021, none of which were met. In October 2022, Martin indicated he was about 75% done with the manuscript. By November 2023, he reported having completed 1,100 pages, the same figure mentioned in a December 2022 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In a December 2024 interview, Martin acknowledged the possibility that he may never finish The Winds of Winter in his lifetime.
Winds of Winter Length
The Winds of Winter is expected to span around 1,500 pages. As of November 2023, Martin had written approximately 1,100 pages and indicated there were "hundreds more pages to go." The final two books in the series are anticipated to exceed 3,000 pages combined. If The Winds of Winter reaches 1,500 pages, it will be the longest book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series to date, surpassing A Dance with Dragons, which was just over 1,000 pages in its original hardcover release.
Winds of Winter Story
This section contains no spoilers, only mentioning characters expected to appear in The Winds of Winter.
The Winds of Winter will pick up where A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons left off, continuing the parallel narratives of these books. Martin has promised a dramatic start, resolving the cliffhangers from A Dance with Dragons by opening with two major battles: the battle in the ice between Stannis Baratheon and Roose Bolton at Winterfell, and the battle at Meereen in Slaver’s Bay, involving Daenerys Targaryen and the slavers of Yunkai.
Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister's paths will intersect "in a way," according to Martin, though they will remain largely separate throughout much of the book. Both characters will have significant roles, with Tyrion working to survive and Daenerys embracing her Targaryen heritage. The Dothraki will return prominently, and significant events are expected at The Wall. Martin has teased an "interesting take on unicorns" and warned that things will "get worse before they get better," emphasizing the dark tone of the upcoming book.
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Winds of Winter Characters
As of 2016, Martin confirmed he would not introduce new point-of-view characters in The Winds of Winter. Here is a list of characters expected to have chapters from their perspective, based on released preview chapters, blog posts, and public readings:
- Tyrion Lannister
- Cersei Lannister
- Jaime Lannister and/or Brienne of Tarth
- Arya Stark
- Sansa Stark
- Bran Stark
- Theon Greyjoy
- Asha Greyjoy
- Victarion Greyjoy
- Aeron Greyjoy/Damphair
- Barristan Selmy
- Arianne Martell
- Areo Hotah
- Jon Connington
While not confirmed, Daenerys Targaryen is highly likely to be a point-of-view character again. Other potential POV characters include Davos Seaworth, Samwell Tarly, and Melisandre. The prologue will feature Robb Stark's wife, Jeyne Westerling, though it is unclear if it will be from her perspective.
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Winds of Winter: Book vs. TV Show
The Winds of Winter will diverge significantly from the Game of Thrones TV series due to the books' larger scope and additional characters. Martin has stated that characters who died in the show will live in the books, and vice versa. New characters will be introduced, and those not seen on-screen will play crucial roles. In a 2022 blog post, Martin elaborated on these differences:
What I have noticed more and more of late, however, is my gardening is taking me further and further away from the television series. Yes, some of the things you saw on HBO in Game of Thrones you will also see in The Winds of Winter (though maybe not in quite the same ways)… but much of the rest will be quite different.
Martin highlighted the complexity of the novels, mentioning additional viewpoint characters and secondary figures that will impact the story. He also teased a major twist in The Winds of Winter that was impossible to include in the TV show, involving characters, one of whom was dead by the end of Season 5 but still alive in the books.
A Dream of Spring and Other Future Works
The seventh and final book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Dream of Spring, is also expected to be around 1,500 pages. Martin has hinted that the ending will be bittersweet rather than purely happy. There is no set release date for this concluding volume.
In addition to The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, Martin is working on a second volume of his Targaryen history, tentatively titled Blood & Fire, and more stories in his Tales of Dunk and Egg series, which is the basis for HBO's upcoming spinoff, Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Martin also continues to edit the Wild Cards series and serves as a producer for House of the Dragon and AMC's Dark Winds.
For those eager to dive deeper into the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, check out our guide on how to read the Game of Thrones books in order.
