They argued: “I think by now the overall flow of the series is clear; whereas many authors follow the rising action [to] climax path on a book by book basis (and not to say GRRM doesn’t as well), ASOIAF has also developed a clear trend of building and building the overall tension over multiple books as plot threads develop and interweave.

“And then having them all explode in a single, action-packed book; a book to plant the seeds of what’s to come, a book to water them, and a book to harvest and reap the rewards of what’s been anticipated before you clear the board and begin to set the stage for a new climax.

“This is what ASOS did after two books of building and building and from what bits and pieces we know about TWOW so far, it’s very likely that it will do the same.”

In fact, the theorist reckons this is the main reason that The Winds of Winter has been delayed for so long, as Martin is fine-tuning his next masterpiece.