George R.R. Martin’s Latest Book Update Is Great, But Not the Story Game of Thrones Fans Want the Most Right Now
George R.R. Martin is working on a new book, and that update is an exciting one — though it’s not the story Game of Thrones fans want the most right now. It’s been a big year for the Game of Thrones franchise, with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms debuting in January and House of the Dragon Season 3 dominating the summer. The latest update about Martin’s writing projects gives fans more to look forward to, and it bodes well for the HBO universe’s future. Unfortunately, it’s still not the story readers really want.
It’s also not the most interesting point in its own series, though it takes us a step closer to that narrative. With more A Song of Ice and Fire content on the horizon, we can’t exactly complain. But Martin’s current project will undoubtedly make fans desperate for more books in his fantasy world, the sequel they’ve been begging for and a later Dunk and Egg story included.
George R.R. Martin Is Working on the Next Dunk and Egg Novella
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner Ira Parker revealed that George R.R. Martin is working on a writing project that can further fuel the show: the fourth Dunk and Egg novella. The adventures of Dunk and Egg are what the newest Game of Thrones spinoff pulls material from, and only three are currently published. Martin has spoken in the past about plans to write more, and it seems he’s tackling the fourth one. He also knows where the fifth is going, as Parker told THR, “Book four, which George is working on, takes place in a very cool location. And five is the last story point of Egg as a boy.“
This update could lead to more seasons of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, but the prospect of returning to Westeros on the page is just as thrilling. We’ll take any new additions to the Song of Ice and Fire universe, though the one story Game of Thrones fans wants remains more interesting. It’s possible writing these novellas will help Martin get back into the flow of exploring this world. That’s what we’re hoping will happen, anyway.
GRRM’s Writing Update Is Great, but It’s Not the Story That Game of Thrones Fans Really Want
A fourth Dunk and Egg novella is undoubtedly exciting, but it’s not the story Game of Thrones fans want right now; that’s very much still The Winds of Winter. It’s been 15 years since A Dance With Dragons came out, and The Winds of Winter has faced multiple delays since. It even hit a wild milestone this summer, with readers realizing that it’s been in the works for longer than it took to publish all five of the prior Song of Ice and Fire novels. Martin has been transparent about his struggles finishing the book, and fans at least have Game of Thrones‘ ending offering some level of closure. However, they’re still eager to see where the author takes the characters and story — and how his choices compare to the show’s.
So, even though we can’t wait to see more of Dunk and Egg, there’s a little disappointment to be experienced by anyone still hoping for The Winds of Winter. And Parker’s revelations about Martin’s writing also suggest we’ll be waiting a while for Dunk and Egg’s most interesting story to be written. Fortunately, previous comments from the showrunner suggest Martin will get to it eventually.
The Latest Dunk and Egg Update Means We’ll Be Waiting a While for Their Most Interesting Story, Too
In addition to wanting The Winds of Winter, there’s another story I’d love to see Martin tackle — but this latest update suggests it won’t happen any time soon. The author covers what becomes of Dunk and Egg in The World of Ice and Fire, and the end of their story is easily one of the most intriguing parts of it. The Tragedy at Summerhall is shrouded in mystery, but it sees Egg trying to bring back dragons. It also ends in a massive fire and leaves certain character’s fates ambiguous. Knowing this, it’ll be fascinating to get a more direct account of what unfolds during this incident. But if Martin is keeping Egg a child through his fifth novella, anything covering his adulthood will be a while off.
That doesn’t mean we’ll never see it, as Parker told The National that Martin shared plans for “10 to 12 more little outlines for books, for novellas, taking Dunk and Egg all the way through their life.” It just means we have plenty of time to speculate about the Tragedy at Summerhall in the likely long wait before it arrives on the page or screen. There’s more than enough theorizing about The Winds of Winter to keep us occupied as well. And the fourth Dunk and Egg novella gives us something to look forward to in the near future. Perhaps we should enjoy their more lighthearted adventures while we can.
