George R.R. Martin addresses the 'eight books' rumor as 'Game of Thrones' fans buzz

After Martin's editor created waves by suggesting that his 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series could stretch from seven books to eight, Martin himself spoke out.

“A Song of Ice and Fire” author George R.R. Martin spoke out about his book series after his editor said she was “begin[ning] to wonder” if an eighth book would be necessary to conclude his series. (Martin had previously said he planned on seven.)

Martin told Entertainment Weekly that he was still planning on seven novels but that people should “get back to me when I’m halfway through Book Seven and then maybe I’ll tell you something more meaningful.”

As he pointed out and as his editor had mentioned, Martin had originally planned to write the “Fire” series as a trilogy.

“My plan is to finish in seven,” Martin told EW. “But my original plan was to finish in three. I write the stories and they grow. I deal with certain things and sometimes I find myself not at the end of a story. My plan right now is still seven. But first I have to finish Book Six.”

A release date has not yet been announced for Martin’s sixth book, though Martin’s editor Anne Groell told fans, “When I have a date, you will have a date.”

The wildly popular HBO series “Game of Thrones,” which is based on Martin’s series, is currently airing its fourth season, which is based on the second half of the third book in the “Fire” series.