'Winds of Winter' Release Date, Update: Book Might Not Be Launched This Year

The wait for "Winds of Winter" is about to get longer.

While author George R.R. Martin emphasizes that his number one priority is the long-awaited seventh installment in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, he also has several projects in the works.

One of these is of course "Fire and Blood," the spinoff series centered on the exploits of the Targaryen family that will be released in two volumes.

In a recent post on his website Not A Blog, Martin was asked by a fan if they can expect new releases set in the world of "A Song of Ice and Fire" this year.

He wrote that the first volume of "Fire and Blood" is planned for 2018 and is almost complete. The second volume, which he says he "hardly begun" writing, is targeted for release after he publishes "Winds of Winter."

This was taken to mean that "Winds of Winter" will not see the light of day this year, or at least, Martin is not confident that he will be able to complete it in time for a 2018 launch.

That means there will be a new round of waiting for the book. Unfortunately, the new season of "Games of Thrones" being delayed to 2019 will not help them get by this test of patience. Thankfully, fans will have "Fire and Blood" to accompany them.

Martin says that the spinoff will feature "sidebars" that he originally wrote for "The World of Ice and Fire" companion book including full versions of stories like "The Princess and the Queen," "The Rogue Prince," and "The Sons of the Dragon."

At the moment, Martin is tight-lipped about when "Winds of Winter" will be published, but he promises that he will be the first to break the news about its completion.