The Many-Faced God Smiles: George R.R. Martin Finally Unveils Plans for The Winds of Winter's Ending

George R.R. Martin gave fans a tiny sliver of an update, the kind that both excites and mildly tortures you: he still knows exactly how A Song of Ice and Fire ends. The part you won‌t love? The Winds of Winter still isn‌t close.

What happened

At a recent signing, a fan asked Martin about the books and then shared the exchange on Reddit. User u/ZeroOnePhi posted about meeting him (and getting an Elden Ring copy signed, which is the most on-brand item you could hand George right now). The short version: The Winds of Winter is not arriving any time soon, but Martin said he knows how the story ends. That pretty clearly suggests he has the big beats locked for both The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, even if the pages aren‌t done.

Also very Martin: he didn‌t spill anything else. He guards spoilers like they‌re dragon eggs.

How he‌s framed the ending for years

Martin has long said he knows the fates of the major players and has for ages; the real grind is getting everyone to their finish lines in a way that makes sense. He‌s also been upfront about the tone he‌s chasing.

"I‌ve said before that the tone of the ending that I‌m going for is bittersweet."

That was to Observer, and he‌s pointed to The Lord of the Rings as a tonal touchstone. He wants that ache at the end. He‌s even admitted he isn‌t totally sure he can stick the landing the way he imagines it, and says it will ultimately be on readers to decide how it plays.

He‌s also said the book ending will be at least somewhat similar to HBO‌s Game of Thrones finale in spirit. Not a carbon copy, but expect an open-ended flavor that invites debate about what certain character endings really mean. Translation: prepare for arguments, again.

The wild part: readers cracked parts of it

Years back, Martin told The Telegraph that some fan theories nailed it and that at least two readers had pieced together the extremely subtle, buried clues he planted in the early novels. He wrestled with the idea of changing course once he realized that, then decided that would break the story because the foreshadowing is already baked in. So he‌s sticking to the original plan. Good news for narrative integrity; bad news if you were hoping for a twist purely to zag on Reddit.

Where the books stand

The series timeline so far, plus what‌s left:

• A Game of Thrones — 1996
• A Clash of Kings — 1998
• A Storm of Swords — 2000
• A Feast for Crows — 2005
• A Dance with Dragons — 2011
• The Winds of Winter — TBA (in the works for nearly 15 years)
• A Dream of Spring — TBA

So, that‌s the latest non-update: the destination is set, the road is long, and the vibe at the end will be bittersweet and a little open to interpretation. If you‌ve got your own Winds of Winter predictions, drop them below. I‌ll bring the tinfoil; you bring the evidence.