The concept of an author's mortality is usually a taboo subject, strictly off-limits in polite conversation. However, for the devoted and increasingly desperate fandom of A Song of Ice and Fire, it has become a grim, recurring topic of speculation. It has been over a decade since readers last visited Westeros in print, and the silence surrounding the next instalment has been deafening.
Recently, however, the creator of this vast universe decided to break that tension with a bit of dark humour. George R.R. Martin isn't amused with fans speculating that he would die before finishing The Winds of Winter, but he is certainly willing to joke about it.
