It was planned as a literary trilogy, but since George R.R. Martin put his artistic quill to paper back in 1991, A Song of Ice and Fire – the series’ moniker for Game of Thrones – has continued to expand exponentially. With only five books printed since the first publication in ’96, Martin’s creative behemoth is moving frustratingly slow for eager fans. Although, the author admitted to Mashable that he is well aware of balancing supply and demand.
“So I need to write faster. The last two books took a really long time, so I’m hoping this one [the Winds of Winter] will go a little faster. But I make no promises. I found out long ago that when you look at the overall task, the cathedral you have to build, it looks so daunting that you just give up and sit down and play a video game.”
The book he is referring to, The Winds of Winter, is the sixth and penultimate instalment in the franchise, which will pick up directing where 2011’s A Dance with Dragons left off. To put the trajectory of Martin’s work into perspective, the television show has managed to film three whole seasons during the ongoing literary hiatus. However, while Martin didn’t specify exactly when the sixth book will be ready for print, given the immense nature of the books in terms of scale, we can readily anticipate that the next instalment will bode a wealth of content to keep us ticking over.
In the realm of television, though, Game of Thrones marches on resiliently and continues to draw upon Martin’s richly imaginative reserves. About to lift the curtain on its third season, it would seem this particular medium is gaining creative ground on Martin’s source material. But fear not, for showrunner David Benioff has planned a two season arc in adapting the excellent third book A Storm of Swords, so the author still has plenty of creative breathing space. For now.
Game of Thrones has quickly mutated into a cultural phenomenon following the introduction of the television show in 2011 and packaged in with this hype is a restless demand for new material. The worlds of Westeros and Essos are some of the most splendidly imagined vistas I’ve ever read, so let’s hope Martin holds true to his vow and that we’ll be visiting the Seven Kingdoms sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile, send a raven! Because Winter finally arrives this Sunday with the third season of Game of Thrones on TV.
