As 2023 approaches, so does the 12th year without the publication of The Winds of Winter. It will have been four years since the Game of Thrones TV show ended, which had to rely on plot outlines for the unwritten novel and its follow-up A Dream of Spring. George RR Martin, who last confessed he was 75 per cent of the way through writing what will be a very big book, has admitted his latest struggles alongside dropping a massive plot details tease.

In a post-Christmas post, Martin wrote: “Another Christmas has come and gone, and the New Year looms just ahead. Where the hell does all the time go? I did take a few days off for the holidays, I confess. Shame on me, I guess. But now I am back in the salt mine, working… working on so many bloody things, my head may soon explode. Yes, WINDS OF WINTER, yes, yes. And HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, season two. And several of the other successor shows that we’re developing with HBO. (Some of those are moving faster than others, as is always the case with development. None have been greenlit yet, though we are hoping… maybe soon. A couple have been shelved, but I would not agree that they are dead. You can take something off the shelf as easily as you can put it on the shelf. All the changes at HBO Max have impacted us, certainly). We are also still developing the Wild Cards tv series for Peacock, based (largely) on FORT FREAK. And I have Wild Cards books to edit. Oh, and did I forget WINDS OF WINTER? No, of course I didn’t. But if I ever did, I know you folks will remind me.”

In a post just before Christmas, Martin wrote about Casterly Rock, the home of the House Lannister, inspired by the Rock of Gibraltar.

He teased: “Casterly Rock will not remain forever offstage, I hope. I have two more novels to go, and my plan is to have one or more of my viewpoint characters visit the Rock in THE WINDS OF WINTER or A DREAM OF SPRING, so I can show you all the wonders and terrors and treasures of House Lannister first hand. Meanwhile, feel free to ponder… could Casterly Rock stand against dragons? We know it can be taken by apes.”

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