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There have been a few rumors going around the internet recently that have gained some serious traction regarding the last two Game of Thrones books. The writer of those books, George R.R. Martin, wants everyone to know that he has no time for rumors because he is too busy not finishing those final two books.
In a scathing blog post entitled “Idiocy on the Internet” posted to his Not a Blog blog, Martin blasts “internet journalism” and an “obscure website trolling for traffic.”
His beef? Some websites wrote about Ian McElhinney, who played Ser Barristan Selmy on Game of Thrones, stating at a fan convention that The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring were already completed, but showrunners made Martin agree to not publish the books until after the series finishes airing on HBO.
According to Entertainment Weekly, here’s what McElhinney said during a panel in April at Epic Con in St. Petersburg, Russia…
“George has already written Books 6 and 7, and as far as he’s concerned there only are seven books. But he struck an agreement with David and Dan, the showrunners on the series, that he would not publish the final two books until the series has completed. So if all goes well, in another month or two we might get Books 6 and 7, and I’m intrigued to know how Barristan, for instance, ends up going through those final two books. George, I talked to him during Season 1 and he did say to me that Barristan had a very interesting journey. But unfortunately I didn’t get to play all of that, so we’ll have to wait and see.”
Pretty amazing set of statements from someone who hasn’t worked on the show since Season 5, huh?
And here’s what Martin had to say about the rumored statements…
All of a sudden this crazy story about my finishing THE WINDS OF WINTER and A DREAM OF SPRING years ago is popping up everywhere. No, I am not going to provide links. I don’t want to reward purveyors of misinformation with hits.
I will, however, say for the record — no, THE WINDS OF WINTER and A DREAM OF SPRING are not finished. DREAM is not even begun; I am not going to start writing volume seven until I finish volume six
It seems absurd to me that I need to state this. The world is round, the Earth revolves around the sun, water is wet… do I need to say that too? It boggles me that anyone would believe this story, even for an instant. It makes not a whit of sense. Why would I sit for years on completed novels? Why would my publishers — not just here in the US, but all around the world — ever consent to this? They make millions and millions of dollars every time a new Ice & Fire book comes out, as do I. Delaying makes no sense. Why would HBO want the books delayed? The books help create interest in the show, just as the show creates interest in the books.
So… no, the books are not done. HBO did not ask me to delay them. Nor did David & Dan. There is no “deal” to hold back on the books. I assure you, HBO and David & Dan would both have been thrilled and delighted if THE WINDS OF WINTER had been delivered and published four or five years ago… and NO ONE would have been more delighted than me.
He also added the wise words of wisdom, “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.” Except for his blog, of course.
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