George R.R. Martin's The Winds of Winter, the sixth book in the highly anticipated A Song of Ice and Fire series, remains one of the most eagerly awaited works of fiction. Following the 2011 release of A Dance with Dragons (Book 5), the wait has spanned over a decade, encompassing the entire run of HBO's Game of Thrones (Seasons 2-8) and the first two seasons of its prequel, House of the Dragon.
While Martin continues his work, we've compiled a comprehensive overview of everything known about The Winds of Winter, encompassing his comments on length, publishing timeline, characters, and key differences from the television adaptation.
Jump to:
- When will it come out?
- How long will it be?
- Story details
- Book vs. TV series
A Song of Ice and Fire Box Set
50 Contains the set of 5 books. $85.00 save 46% $46.00 at Amazon
Winds of Winter Release Date
There is no official release date or window for The Winds of Winter.
Initial hopes, expressed by Martin and his publishers, targeted completion by October 2015 for a March 2016 release, timed to precede Game of Thrones Season 6. This deadline, and subsequent ones (end of 2015, end of 2017, completion of initial work by 2021), have passed without the manuscript's completion. Martin's last public estimation regarding the book's publication appears to have been in 2020.
In October 2022, Martin reported being approximately 75% complete. Despite this, progress over the following year appeared minimal, with Martin announcing 1,100 completed pages in November 2023—the same figure mentioned in December 2022 on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and again in a December 2024 interview where he acknowledged the possibility of never completing the book in his lifetime. AnswerSee ResultsWinds of Winter Length
The Winds of Winter is projected to be around 1,500 pages. As of November 2023, Martin stated he had written approximately 1,100 pages, with "hundreds more pages to go." He has previously indicated that the final two A Song of Ice and Fire books will collectively exceed 3,000 pages. A 1,500-page Winds of Winter would surpass the length of its predecessor, A Dance with Dragons (just over 1,000 pages in its original hardcover edition).
Winds of Winter Story
This section avoids spoilers beyond mentioning characters appearing in The Winds of Winter.
The Winds of Winter will continue the narratives of A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons (Books 4 and 5, which followed different characters but ran concurrently). Martin has indicated that the book will open with two major battles: the conflict between Stannis Baratheon and Roose Bolton near Winterfell, and the battle in Meereen's Slaver's Bay.
Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister's paths will intersect, although they remain largely separated for much of the book. Martin has highlighted Tyrion's renewed will to survive and Daenerys' embrace of her Targaryen heritage as key plot points. The Dothraki will return significantly, and substantial events will unfold at The Wall. Additionally, Martin has promised an "interesting take on unicorns." He has also described the overall tone as "dark," with "a lot of dark chapters," emphasizing that "winter is the time when things die."
Winds of Winter Characters
As of 2016, Martin did not plan to introduce new point-of-view characters. Confirmed POV characters include:
- 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
Daenerys Targaryen's return as a POV character is highly likely. Other potential POV characters include Davos Seaworth, Samwell Tarly, and Melisandre. Jeyne Westerling's appearance in the prologue has also been confirmed.
Winds of Winter: Book vs. TV Show
Given the book series' larger scope, significant differences from Game of Thrones are expected. Martin has stated that characters' fates will diverge considerably between the book and show. New characters will be introduced, and those absent from the show will play crucial roles.
In a 2022 blog post, Martin elaborated: He noted that while some events from the show will appear in the book (though potentially differently), many will be unique to each. He highlighted several characters with POV chapters in the books but absent from the show (Victarion Greyjoy, Arianne Martell, Areo Hotah, Jon Connington, Aeron Damphair) and many significant secondary characters whose stories will impact the main plot. He also emphasized differences between book and show versions of existing characters (Yarra Greyjoy vs. Asha Greyjoy, Euron Greyjoy, etc.). He also stated that not all characters surviving the show will survive the books, and vice-versa. New characters will be introduced. A major plot twist, involving a character dead in the show but alive in the books, is also teased.
This divergence should appeal to fans who felt the final season of Game of Thrones rushed character development and narrative threads.
A Dream of Spring and Other Future Works
A Dream of Spring, the planned seventh and final book, is also expected to be 1,500 pages or more. Martin has hinted at a bittersweet ending. There is no release date.
Beyond A Song of Ice and Fire, Martin is working on a second volume of his Targaryen history, additional stories in the Dunk and Egg series (which informs the upcoming Knight of the Seven Kingdoms spinoff), and continues his involvement with Wild Cards, House of the Dragon, and AMC's Dark Winds.
