'Winds of Winter': How George RR Martin can release the book early

George RR Martin had finished a fair bit of “Winds of Winter” way back in 2011, the year in which he released the fifth novel of “A Song of Ice and Fire” series titled “A Dance with Dragons.” And yet after nearly seven years, the release date of the next book is nowhere in sight. Now, the author appears to hint at a way he can get the book out early.

In a recent post on his blog, Martin hinted at the possibility of his fantasy book series turning into a longer series than the original seven he had planned. Given the vast volume of books that he writes, it is possible that he is contemplating about splitting his upcoming book to make it easier to publish.

A Reddit thread discusses this exact possibility. The thread starter points out that Martin has done this before. While he was writing “A Feast for Crows,” the novel was so large he had to split the book into two. Now, the author can do the same with the upcoming book.

The fan suggests that the upcoming book should only focus on the point of views of Samwell Tarly, Aeron, Arianne, Jon Connington, Cersei, Tyrion, Victarion Greyjoy, Barristan Selmy, Quentyn Martell, Theon and Asha. This approach will allow Martin to focus on the four big battles currently on the horizon, as well as their aftermath.

“Winds of Winter,” as the name suggests, will be a bleak novel. Many deaths are expected, on account of the ongoing war for the Iron Throne and the expected invasion of the White Walkers in the north.