George R.R. Martin is still working on Winds of Winter, as he has been for more than a decade at this point. The creator of Game of Thrones is still reticent to offer a detailed update lest he spoil the story by mistake, but he does say that A Song of Ice and Fire is moving "further and further away from the television series."
Writing on his blog, Martin talked about what he called the "inevitable" departure from the series, saying that certain things that happened on the HBO Show "will not happen in the books." That includes new characters, who he says the major players will be encountering "in lands far and near."
What's more, not all of those major characters are guaranteed to survive, Martin says, though he reserves the right to change his mind.
"One thing I can say, in general enough terms that I will not be spoiling anything: not all of the characters who survived until the end of GAME OF THRONES will survive until the end of A SONG OF ICE & FIRE, and not all of the characters who died on GAME OF THRONES will die in A SONG OF ICE & FIRE. (Some will, sure. Of course. Maybe most. But definitely not all) ((Of course, I could change my mind again next week, with the next chapter I write. That's gardening))," Martin writes.
Fans have feverishly speculated on how Winds of Winter will differ from the show ever since its divisive finale. Martin has hinted at various points that he reserves the right to go in a different direction from the series, but this is the strongest indication yet that the books will be a dramatic departure from HBO's depiction of the events in and around King's Landing.
In the meantime, more Game of Thrones projects are underway, including a Jon Snow sequel series reportedly pitched by Kit Harington. And with San Diego Comic-Con later this month, there will no doubt be plenty more Game of Thrones news where that came from.
As for the Winds of Winter, the wait continues.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.