Some of us procrasti-bake. Some of us procrasti-clean. But if you’re George R.R. Martin, you procrasti-write-another-book-instead-of-the-other-novel-everyone-is-waiting-for.
In a blow to Game of Thrones fans, George R. R. Martin has announced that The Winds of Winter, AKA the long-awaited sixth book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, will not be released this year. We’re sad too. However, he has written an ‘imaginary history’ of the Targaryen dynasty, and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t a little curious.
Fire and Blood is the first of a two-part book series that explores the kingdom of Westeros, and it clocks in at an epic 989 pages. It’s basically a big prequel about where our girl Daenerys (and her whole clan) came from. And if the sneak-peak the author posted on his website is anything to go by, it’s accompanied by some impressive black and white illustrations by artist Doug Wheatley.
Martin is keen to stress that this isn’t your conventional narrative-novel, but he does promise, “Battles, bloodshed, betrayals, love, lust, horror, religious wars, politics, incest, historical revisionism, all the fun stuff.” So the ushe GoT stuff, I guess.
It’ll be released on November 20, though Martin is tight-lipped about whether Fire and Blood will be adapted into a prequel series by HBO. Oh well—seeing as the current GoT screenwriters have sailed beyond the timeline of the OG books, we’re hoping they reign it in with this one.
You can write your letter of outrage (or admiration) on Martin’s website here. Seriously, will this guy ever put us out of our bloody misery?
Image credit: HBO