George R.R. Martin hinted at the battles, betrayals, marriages and mayhem to come in his highly anticipated book The Winds of Winter, the upcoming installment of his Game of Thrones-inspiring series,A Song of Ice and Fire. (Heres the requisite spoiler alert for those who want to know nothing about whats in store.)
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I think were gonna start out with a big smash with the two enormous battles, Martin told Entertainment Weekly, ostensibly speaking about encounters between the armies of Ramsay Bolton and Stannis Baratheonin the North, and the Yunkais attack on Meereento overthrow Daenerys Targaryen.
Martin also teased some ramped-up goings-on at The Wall, the big return of the Dothraki and a meeting between two fan favorites: Daenerys and Tyrion Lannister.Well, Tyrion and Dany will intersect, in a way, but for much of the book theyre still apart, Martin said. They both have quite large roles to play here. Tyrion has decided that he actually would like to live, for one thing, which he wasnt entirely sure of during the last book, and hes now working toward that endif he can survive the battle thats breaking out all around him. And Dany has embraced her heritage as a Targaryen and embraced the Targaryen words. So theyre both coming home.
Martin did not answer the most important question, though: When will The Winds of Winter be out? Martins publisher remains quiet, but his editor did at least hint at the possibility of an eighth book in the series. Martin will, however, release a comprehensive history of the Seven Kingdoms, The World of Ice and Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the World of Game of Thrones, in October.
Until then, check out the preview chapter from The Winds of Winter, which Martin offered up back in March, relive the greatest moments from Game of Thrones fourth season and try your best to laugh with Martin about his notoriously slow writing process.