George R. R. Martin's long-delayed novel The Winds of Winter has not been finished and is not secretly scheduled for release this year, the author's US publisher Bantam has confirmed after a supposed 'leak' claiming otherwise spread rapidly online last week.
The frenzy began when an anonymous post on the message board 4chan claimed that Martin had quietly completed the sixth instalment of his A Song of Ice and Fire saga and was now working with Bantam on a plan to publish the book later in 2024. After more than a decade of waiting, fans were understandably tempted to believe it. Screenshots were shared, YouTube videos appeared and social media feeds filled with speculation dressed as certainty.
