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George RR Martin at peace with Game of Thrones finishing before A Song of Ice and Fire: 'To hell with it'

Just don't ask Martin if he's finished The Winds of Winter yet...

Daisy Wyatt
Sunday 23 August 2015 12:41 BST
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Game of Thrones author George RR Martin often has to defend his books from criticism
Game of Thrones author George RR Martin often has to defend his books from criticism (Getty Images)

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George RR Martin has confirmed he has no qualms about Game of Thrones ending before he’s even finished The Winds of Winter.

The author, who has written TV scripts since 1984, said he was no longer worried about the hit HBO show reaching its climactic ending before he’s been able to write the final scene of his Song of Ice and Fire book series.

“There was a period when I was worried about that,” he told the Sasquan science-fiction convention in Spokane, Washington.

“Then I said, to hell with that. Worrying about it isn’t going to change in one way or another. I still sit down at the typewriter, and I have to write the next scene and the sentence….I’m just going to tell my story, and they’re telling their story and adapting my books, and we shall see.”

Game of Thrones producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss have said they hope to continue the award-winning drama to eight seasons, with Martin having already shared the ending of the saga with the two showrunners.

“The show is moving forward like a locomotive, or sometimes a jet locomotive. They’re writing 60-page scripts, I’m writing 1,500 page novels. So who the hell knows?”, he said.

As to the question every fan wants to know about whether The Winds of Winter is finished, Martin is tired of being asked.

“Don’t ask me when the book is going to be done - I’ll ask my minions to lop your head off,” he joked.

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