We’re still waiting on the sixth and seventh books to be written but it’s already been hinted that an eighth book might be on the way too.
George RR Martin’s editor Anne Groell has hinted that his epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire known to TV fans as Game of Thrones, might be consisting of eight novels instead of seven.
Speaking in a Q&A with fans on Suvudu Universe, the editor said that the series was meant to originally be a trilogy before she managed to sway the author into writing more.
“I remember when he called me, years and years back, to confess that his little trilogy was…well…no longer a trilogy” she said.
“He predicted four books. I said Seven Books for Seven Kingdoms. Then he said five books. I said Seven Books for Seven Kingdoms. Then he went to six. I said… Well, you get it.
“Finally, we were on the same page. Seven Books for Seven Kingdoms. Good. Only, as I recently learned while editing The World of Ice and Fire (another awesome thing you must buy when it comes out!), there are really technically eight kingdoms, all having to do with who has annexed what when Aegon the Conqueror landed in Westeros. So, maybe eight books for Seven Kingdoms would be okay”.
The editor admitted that “seven is what we currently have under contract” and that they’re currently working on the sixth book, The Winds of Winter.
His UK publisher Jane Johnson, also has hinted that there may be more in store for fans, saying, “I know there’s been some speculation that A Song of Ice and Fire may run to more than the seven books we currently have under contract, but in all honesty only George knows how many books there will be in the series and he’s not saying: indeed at this stage of the writing, with the many branching pathways of the characters’ stories still to intersect, he may not know.
“As an editor I can say that it feels as if there’s a lot to tie up in just two more novels – albeit very long novels – but if George continues to kill off characters in his usual ruthless fashion it could easily be over in the planned seven books!”
Sadly, there is no publication date yet for The Winds of Winter, so we guess a reread is in order!
(Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
