George R.R. Martin should be behind bars right now — so says the Game of Thrones author himself.
In May 2019, Martin promised to finish writing The Winds of Winter before the start of the 2020 World Science Fiction Convention or “you have here my formal written permission to imprison me in a small cabin on White Island, lake of sulfuric acid, until I’m done.” Today, July 29th, marks the kick-off of the virtual edition of Worldcon and still the long-awaited book hasn’t arrived.
Based on an update provided just this past March, Martin seemed poised to meet his self-imposed deadline. “I am off by myself in a remote isolated location, attended by one of my staff, and I’m not going in to town or seeing anyone,” the Game of Thrones author said of his promising quarantine writing sessions. “Truth be told, I am spending more time in Westeros than in the real world, writing every day. Things are pretty grim in the Seven Kingdoms… but maybe not as grim as they may become here.”
However, it looks as though the lockdown hasn’t been as fruitful as GRRM expected. The Winds of Winter, the long-awaited sixth novel in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series, continues to be in a state of perpetual development. And, judging by social media, his readers are ready to grab a pair of Martin-sized handcuffs.
Worldcon, where Martin is currently serving as “toastmaster”, technically runs until Sunday, August 2nd, so the argument could possibly be made that the author still has a few days to turn in The Winds of Winter and save face. Fans will have to wait and see whether it’s really time to take a trip out to White Island.
— bobo (@BobbyDumDum) July 29, 2020
