Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin recently attacked his own fans as “internet assholes” for trying to hold him to his promise regarding the release of The Winds of Winter.
Martin previously promised A Song of Ice and Fire fans that the next installment in the saga, The Winds of Winter, would be completed by summer 2020.
He explained that the book would be completed by the World Science Fiction Convention, which took place between Wednesday, July 29th and Sunday, August 2nd in 2020.
Martin wrote, “But I tell you this — if I don’t have THE WINDS OF WINTER in hand when I arrive in New Zealand for worldcon, you have here my formal written permission to imprison me in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid, until I’m done. Just so long as the acrid fumes do not screw up my old DOS word processor, I’ll be fine.”
Despite this being a clear promise that the book would be completed, Martin is now claiming he’s never made any promises about the book and is attacking those who are attempting to hold him to his promises.
In his most recent blog post on his website, Martin revealed he did complete quite a bit of work on The Winds of Winter in 2020.
He wrote, “What was good about 2020? Besides the election? Well… for me… there was work. I wrote hundreds and hundreds of pages of THE WINDS OF WINTER in 2020.”
“The best year I’ve had on WOW since I began it. Why? I don’t know. Maybe the isolation. Or maybe I just got on a roll. Sometimes I do get on a roll,” Martin continued.
However, he noted that he was nowhere near completion, “I need to keep rolling, though. I still have hundreds of more pages to write to bring the novel to a satisfactory conclusion.”
After giving this update, he then discussed his hopes for 2021 which involved attacking people who were holding Martin to his promise that the book would be completed in 2020.
The author wrote, “I will make no predictions on when I will finish. Every time I do, assholes on the internet take that as a “promise,” and then wait eagerly to crucify me when I miss the deadline. All I will say is that I am hopeful.”
Martin then detailed he will be working on other projects aside from The Winds of Winter as well.
He revealed, “I have a zillion other things to do as well, though. My plate is full to overflowing. Every time I wrap up one thing, three more things land on me. Monkeys on my back, aye, aye, I’ve sung that song before. So many monkeys. And Kong.”
YouTuber Gary Buechler of Nerdrotic reacted to Martin’s update saying, “George, those assholes on the internet are your fans, who have made you through a publishing company a very rich man.”
Buechler continued, “Those assholes have been waiting eagerly for your book, not to crucify you. You are a writer of science fiction and fantasy, make believe, pretend. It’s not like you are going to the salt mines, buddy. There’s a lot of people out there who are really struggling and I don’t think they want to hear how hard it is to write a book that is going to make you millions of dollars.”
“There are writers out there who would kill to be in your position. And George we are just busting your balls. You’re the one who made a promise that we could lock you up on the Isle of White in New Zealand if you didn’t have the book finished last summer,” Buechler added.
What do you make of Martin’s update and him calling his own fans “internet assholes?”