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), its creation has spanned over a decade, coinciding with the entire run of HBO's Game of Thrones 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 its length and publishing timeline, its characters, and its divergence from the television adaptation.
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
There is currently no official release date or timeframe for The Winds of Winter.
Initial hopes, expressed by Martin and his publishers, targeted completion by October 2015 for a March 2016 release, timed with Game of Thrones Season 6. This deadline, and subsequent ones (end of 2015, end of 2017, and a 2021 completion goal), have unfortunately not been met. Martin's most recent public estimate regarding the book's publication seems to have been in 2020.
In October 2022, Martin reported being approximately 75% complete with the manuscript. A year later, in November 2023, he stated that 1,100 pages were finished—a figure consistent with his December 2022 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. A December 2024 interview saw Martin acknowledge the possibility of never completing The Winds of Winter within his lifetime. AnswerSee ResultsWinds of Winter Length
The Winds of Winter is anticipated to be approximately 1,500 pages long. As of November 2023, Martin had written around 1,100 pages, indicating "hundreds more pages to go." He's previously stated that the final two books in the series will collectively exceed 3,000 pages. A 1,500-page Winds of Winter would surpass the current longest book in the series, A Dance with Dragons, which was just over 1,000 pages in its original hardcover edition.
Winds of Winter Story
(This section avoids spoilers beyond mentioning character names.)
The Winds of Winter will continue the storylines from A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons (Books 4 and 5), which followed different character groups but ran concurrently. Martin has indicated a dramatic opening:
“There were a lot of cliffhangers at the end of A Dance with Dragons. Those will be resolved very early. I’m going to open with the two big battles that I was building up to, the battle in the ice [between Stannis Baratheon's and Roose Bolton's forces near Winterfell] and the battle at Meereen—the battle of Slaver’s Bay [between Daenerys Targaryen and the slavers of Yunkai].”
The paths of Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister will intersect, though they remain largely separated for much of the book. The Dothraki will have a significant role, and substantial events will unfold at The Wall. Martin has also teased an "interesting take on unicorns." He's described the overall tone as "dark," with characters facing significant challenges.
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Winds of Winter Characters
As of 2016, Martin didn't plan to introduce new point-of-view characters. Confirmed POV characters, based on released previews and public readings, 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 is also highly likely to return as a POV character. Other potential POV characters include Davos Seaworth, Samwell Tarly, and Melisandre. Jeyne Westerling's appearance in the prologue has been confirmed.
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Winds of Winter: Book vs. TV Show
Due to the expanded scope of the books, The Winds of Winter will significantly diverge from Game of Thrones. Martin has confirmed that characters who died in the show may live in the books, and vice versa. New characters and characters absent from the show will play crucial roles. He elaborated in a 2022 blog post:
"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."
He highlighted key differences, including characters unique to the books (Victarion Greyjoy, Arianne Martell, etc.) and significant variations in existing characters. He also teased a major plot twist involving a character deceased in the show but alive in the books.
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 longer. Martin anticipates a bittersweet conclusion. There is no release timeframe.
Beyond A Song of Ice and Fire, Martin is working on a second volume of his Targaryen history, additional Dunk and Egg novellas, and continues his involvement with Wild Cards, House of the Dragon, and AMC's Dark Winds.
For further information on A Song of Ice and Fire, see our guide on reading the books in order.
