May 12--We may be in the height of spring, but for "Game of Thrones" fans, they're still hoping for "The Winds of Winter." That is, of course, referring not to this season, but to the sixth installment of George R.R. Martin's "Song of Fire and Ice" series.
Premiering three weeks ago, the sixth season of the widely popular HBO show has now diverged from the books, even as Martin announced that he is still working on the latest installment. On his blog on Tuesday, the author gave fans a sample chapter of the new book, which may or may not placate the hordes of readers clamoring for him to finish.
Interestingly, the chapter follows a character never written into the show, Princess Arianne. Readers of the books will recall her as a princess of Dorne -- which, incidentally, is one of the show's most maligned plotlines. (In fact, just today, a Kickstarter campaign was launched seeking $20 million "to write, produce, and distribute a 'Dorne Replacement'" for the fifth and sixth seasons of the show.)
The choice to release this particular chapter seems to be signaling to fans that Martin has a bone to pick with the showrunners.
"You want to know what the Sand Snakes, Prince Doran, Areo Hotah, Ellaria Sand, Darkstar, and the rest will be up to in 'Winds of Winter'? Quite a lot, actually," he said in his post.
The release of this chapter does not mean we're any closer to a release date for the new book, unfortunately. Martin has read this excerpt at conventions in the past, and says in his post that he is still working on "The Winds of Winter."
jbhernandez@tribpub.com
Twitter @joeybear85
