George R.R. Martin is working on next Game of Thrones book in self-isolation

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George R.R. Martin is spending a lot more time in Westeros. The 71-year-old author has been writing The Winds of Winter – the sixth installment in the A Song of Ice and Fire series – for over a decade and is now cracking on with the next Game of Thrones (opens in new tab) novel in self-isolation. 

Martin shared a new blog post titled ‘Strange Days’ (opens in new tab) in which he muses on the current state of the world as the coronavirus pandemic ensues. “I am aware that I am very much in the most vulnerable population, given my age and physical condition,” he wrote. With that in mind, the writer is taking every precaution. “I feel fine at the moment,” he continued. “I am by myself in a remote isolated location, attended by one of my staff, and I’m not going into town or seeing anyone.”

This downtime, however, has meant that he’s finding distraction by getting stuck into The Winds of Winter. “Truth be told, I am spending more time in Westeros than in the real world, writing every day.” For a tiny glimpse of what to expect from this next installment, Martin writes: “ Things are pretty grim in the Seven Kingdoms… but maybe not as grim as they may become here.” The Winds of Winter will be the penultimate book in the long-standing A Song of Ice and Fire series, with the final installment currently titled A Dream of Spring. 

Of course, the multi-award winning HBO adaptation is over. It overtook the books and created its own ending (opens in new tab) – one that many fans were less than happy about. Meanwhile, the prequel series House of the Dragon (opens in new tab), which takes place hundreds of years before Game of Thrones and chronicles how House Targaryen brought ruin upon Westeros, is expected to arrive in 2022.

As we all wait for Martin’s next book, you can catch up with the previous novels or revisit the Seven Kingdoms onscreen with a Game of Thrones rewatch. In the meantime, check out the craziest fan theories (opens in new tab) we’re still thinking about after season 8.