George R.R. Martin posts new excerpt from 'The Winds of Winter'

'Winds' is the upcoming book in the 'Song of Ice and Fire' series on which the HBO TV series 'Game of Thrones' is based. Check out which character the excerpt focuses on.

“Game of Thrones” fans, George R.R. Martin knows you’ve been waiting a long time for the next book in his “A Song of Ice and Fire” book series, so he’s giving you something to read in the meantime.

Martin recently posted an excerpt from “Winter” on his website.

(Warning: spoilers follow!)

The author wrote of the excerpt on his Livejournal blog, “For all of you who have been howling for another taste of THE WINDS OF WINTER ... My faithful minions have just translated the first Alayne chapter from WordStar and uploaded it to my website. Yes, I know, I'd said there would be no more sample chapters, but (1) it had been more than a year since Mercy, (2) lots of you were asking, and (3) Anne Groell and my friends at Bantam twisted my arm.  I hope you enjoy it. But whether you love it or hate it, please go to Westeros or Tower of the Hand or one of the other bulletin boards to talk about it. Not here.  (I [would] have put it up yesterday, but I did not want it mistaken for an April Fool's joke.)”

Check out the sample here.

Martin recently discussed his progress on “Winds” on his Livejournal. A release date has not yet been set for the book, but the author wrote that he won’t be attending the upcoming Comic-Con or World Fantasy Convention because he has “too many things on my plate. Son of Kong foremost amongst them” (“Son of Kong” is reportedly Martin’s nickname for “Winter.”)

“Should I complete and deliver WINDS OF WINTER before these cons roll round, I reserve the right to change my mind,” Martin added. 

Fans have been concerned for some time whether the HBO TV adaptation of Martin’s books will catch up and/or surpass the point which Martin has reached in his story. The author is planning “Winds” and another book, “A Dream of Spring,” in the series, but the TV adaptation is burning quickly through plot. Co-showrunner David Benioff recently spoke on the matter, saying, “Luckily, we’ve been talking about this with George for a long time, ever since we saw this could happen, and we know where things are heading,” co-showrunner David Benioff said in response to a question about the show going beyond the books, according to Vanity Fair. “And so we’ll eventually, basically, meet up at pretty much the same place where George is going; there might be a few deviations along the route, but we’re heading towards the same destination. I kind of wish that there were some things we didn’t have to spoil, but we’re kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. The show must go on… and that’s what we’re going to do.”