George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice & Fire book world has expanded into a massive HBO television universe following Game of Thrones, but there are still more novels in the works. Following the cultural phenomenon of the original TV show, the world has been expanded with the prequel show House of the Dragon. With its success, even more Game of Thrones spinoffs are in the works, focusing on other eras of Martin’s vast history. The author has been actively involved in each show’s production while also growing the world through his writing.

As of now, there are five main series A Song of Ice & Fire novels, with the most recent releasing in 2011. For readers, the wait for the next volume has been a strenuous test of loyalty, especially given that the entire Game of Thrones TV series has come and gone, providing its interpretation of the book series’ ending. Readers were provided some supplementary material with Fire & Blood in 2018, which provided a more detailed historical account of the Targaryen dynasty, laying the foundation for shows like House of the Dragon and the upcoming series about Aegon’s Conquest.

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The Winds Of Winter

The Infamously Delayed Next Volume Of A Song Of Ice & Fire

The Winds of Winter has become arguably the most discussed unreleased book of the 21st century, as readers have been waiting nearly thirteen years for the next volume of the beloved series. Following the disastrous Game of Thrones ending, an air of cynicism surrounds the book, with many audiences suggesting that the book might never come out. However, official word from George R.R. Martin states that the book is still happening and that there’s an immense hurdle for him to overcome with its completion. With the amount of plot threads to wrap up, the difficulty is understandable.

The common claim is that Game of Thrones began to suffer when it ran out of source material, but book readers will cite that season 5 was the true beginning of the end. Game of Thrones season 4 completed the material covered in A Storm of Swords, the novel series’ third volume, then season 5 began to deviate significantly from the novels. A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons are strange books, as they introduce several new plot premises like the Greyjoy uncles, Dornish schemes, and another Aegon, yet barely push the central narrative along.

In terms of expanding his world, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons are incredible novels that have led to a decade of engaging theory crafting for The Winds of Winter. So, at the same moment, chronologically, while the two most recent books expanded on the story, Game of Thrones began to condense the material to work toward a swift ending. Because of this, The Winds of Winter has a far more complicated task of weaving everything together, which should hopefully be more satisfying than what the HBO show provided.

George R.R. Martin’s updates on The Winds of Winter haven’t been too promising. Over the past decade, he’s tried to be transparent about his progress, even suggesting potential completion dates, though it’s generally backfired with outcries from readers upset about him not holding true to the expectations he set. The best course is just to sit tight and wait until a release date is announced and to enjoy the excellent television set in his world in the meantime.

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A Dream Of Spring

A Dream Of Spring Will Conclude A Song Of Ice & Fire

With all the commotion regarding The Winds of Winter, it’s easy to forget that there’s still meant to be another novel after it. A Dream of Spring has been the planned final volume for decades, meaning even after book six finally releases, there could still be years before the ending. Though, one could infer from the titles that The Winds of Winter will cover a significant portion of the saga’s climax. Aside from the few chapters that are available, anything about The Winds of Winter is speculative, but its length suggests it could wrap up many of the notable narratives.

A Song of Ice & Fire needs to conclude two central narratives: the invasion of the Others and the conflict over King’s Landing. Of course, there are dozens of character and location subplots that need to be factored in, but it seems possible for at least one of those major conflicts to culminate in The Winds of Winter. Given the book’s title, the Others narrative could take precedence, leaving A Dream of Spring to see forces come to a head in King’s Landing, then put together the pieces left of Westeros and move civilization forward, like in the Game of Thrones ending.

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Fire & Blood (Part 2)

The Next Volume Of Targaryen History Has 10 Kings To Examine

The premise of Fire & Blood is to explore the Targaryen dynasty in the form of a fictional historical text, often with varying perspectives, creating an element of unreliable narration on some of the more minor details. These lapses have become one of the most fascinating parts of House of the Dragon, which shows the truthful, detailed account of events depicted in the book. House of the Dragon’s story is only a select portion of Fire & Blood, though, which examines the rulership of Aegon the Conqueror down to Aegon III.

From Aegon III to the fall of the Targaryen dynasty after Aerys II, the Mad King, there are still over 100 years of history to explore in a Fire & Blood sequel. The planned sequel text has ten monarchs to examine, including Baelor I, Aegon V, and pivotal events like the Blackfyre Rebellions and Robert’s Rebellion. There’s a ton of ground here for Martin to cover that could be the basis for more Targaryen-based prequel TV shows, though it would be frustrating to see more books released before The Winds of Winter.

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The Tales Of Dunk & Egg Novellas

Dunk & Egg’s Stories Aren’t Over Yet

The next Game of Thrones spinoff, which is currently in pre-production and should premiere in late 2025, is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The title refers to the book of the same name, which compiles three novellas set roughly 100 years before Game of Thrones. These novellas are also known as the Tales of Dunk & Egg, referring to the two main characters: Ser Duncan the Tall and Aegon V (Egg). George R.R. Martin has another slew of novellas planned for this saga, which he hopes to continue with before the TV series catches up.

The fourth Dunk & Egg novella, which George R.R. Martin plans to write after The Winds of Winter (via Martin’s blogpost from 2014), has used the working title The She-Wolves of Winterfell and will see the duo venture to the North. In Winterfell, they’ll encounter a conflict between Northern women likely tied to House Stark’s lineage. A popular theory suggests that Ser Duncan the Tall will meet Old Nan and have a romantic relationship with her, making him Hodor’s great-grandfather.

Other Dunk & Egg novella working titles that have been mentioned are The Village Hero, The Sellsword, The Champion, The Kingsguard, and The Lord Commander (via Martin’s blogpost from 2015). He also specifies that he’s planning several more in between, which altogether could extend Dunk & Egg’s stories to an A Dance with Dragons-length text. There’s a lot for Game of Thrones fans to look forward to, though much of it still hinges on The Winds of Winter.