Winds of Winter update: Excerpt revealed in 'A Game of Thrones: Enhanced Edition'
George R.R. Martin's "Winds of Winter" is perhaps the most highly anticipated novel in recent history. The author, as well as his publishers, has kept his lips sealed about the upcoming sequel. However, an excerpt of the upcoming book was revealed in a special edition launched on Apple iBooks.
"A Game of Thrones: Enhanced Edition" was launched on Apple's iBooks on Thursday, Sept. 29. The e-books are in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the novels. In the edition, readers can explore Westeros and a few of the great houses through interactive character maps, detailed annotations, glossary terms, house summaries, etc.
"We're now entering a new period in the history of publishing," Martin said. "The digital book gives readers the ability to experience all this rich secondary material that had not been possible before. These enhanced editions available only on iBooks include sigils and family trees and glossaries. Anything that confuses you, anything you want to know more about, it's right there at your fingertips. It's an amazing next step in the world of books," he added.
Recent reports are saying that the delayed publication is because the author has not been prioritizing the book. This could be mere speculation, however. To note, the author missed several events to focus on writing.
Though little is known about the upcoming novel, many are expecting great storylines from the author. The are crossing fingers for the success of their favorite characters; however, Martin made it pretty clear from the start that the novels will not have happy ending.
Previously, Martin teased his audience at his alma mater, Northwestern University, that perhaps "A Song of Ice and Fire" will be bittersweet.
On the other hand, Martin's novels won't be closing its doors any time soon to those who want to explore it. The author admitted that he has a ton of fake history that relates to his novels.
Martin revealed during an interview with Variety at the Emmys, "I do have thousands of pages of fake history of everything that led up to Game of Thrones. So there's a wealth of material there and I'm still writing more."
Martin has yet to announce the publication date for the upcoming book. Stay tuned for more updates on Martin's "Winds of Winter."
