George R.R. Martin Thinks "Winds Of Winter" Will Be Out In 2017

But he also said: "I thought the same last year."

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Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has said he thinks the next instalment of his A Song of Ice and Fire series will be finished and released this year.

It has been five and a half years since the fifth book was published, and speculation about the release of the sixth – The Winds of Winter – has been unwavering ever since.

After a fan wrote to Martin on his blog suggesting that an update would put an end to all the questions, the author responded:

You really think statements like that would make a difference? Ah, you sweet summer child. I have years of experience with this that tells me otherwise.

But okay, I will try it your way.

Not done yet, but I've made progress. But not as much as I hoped a year ago, when I thought to be done by now.

I think it will be out this year. (But hey, I thought the same thing last year).

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Rumours began to build that The Winds of Winter was almost finished towards the end of 2015, at which point Martin was forced to issue a statement in January last year in which he said he had no idea when it would be finished.

“I am going back to my stance from last March, before all this. It will be done when it’s done. And it will be as good as I can possibly make it,” he wrote.

HBO

At the time many fans were disappointed, as it meant the sixth season of Game of Thrones – HBO's adaptation of the books – would be aired before the sixth book. This meant that for the first time the show would cover events that were yet to happen in the books.

However, with a summer 2017 air date set for Game of Thrones' seventh and penultimate season, it seems almost certain that the books will fall even further behind.