Either way, there is one saving grace which will leave fans hopeful.

George RR Martin has been named the Master of Ceremonies at Worldcon, a science fiction convention which takes place annually.

This year, it takes place in New Zealand, and an airline even offered Martin free air fare to their country so he can finish The Winds of Winter in peace.

However, in a blog post, Martin replied to this, saying: “If I don’t have THE WINDS OF WINTER in hand when I arrive in New Zealand for Worldcon 2020, you have here my formal written permission to imprison me in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid, until I’m done.