With 2026 a Month Away, Will GRRM’s Winds of Winter or Doors of Stone End Fantasy’s Longest Wait?

Every fantasy fan knows the feeling: you stare at the same two empty spaces on your shelf year after year and start to wonder if the books are secretly mythic artifacts that only appear to the worthy. Right now, George R.R. Martin's 'The Winds of Winter' and Patrick Rothfuss' 'The Doors of Stone' are locked in a delay-off that has lasted since, yes, 2011. Fourteen years. Oof.

Two epic holdouts, one eternal wait

Both series dropped their last entries in 2011. Since then, we've had TV adaptations, conventions, side projects, streams, blog posts, and a lot of 'still working on it' updates. The short version:

- Martin is juggling a mountain of other projects and admits he’s still cracking pieces of the story, but says roughly three-quarters of 'Winds' is written and he’s actively working on it.

- Rothfuss has been upfront about multiple, painstaking revisions on books two and three, the pressure of expectations, and mental health challenges that make shipping the final draft a bigger lift.

Why the brakes slammed on

Martin’s reason is the obvious one: he’s busy. A lot. TV spinoffs, producing, appearances, and the rest of the Westeros industrial complex. The man still insists he’s in the trenches with 'Winds' and has a big chunk done, but solving the last pieces is slow.

Rothfuss’ situation is a different kind of complicated. He talked on his website about going from leisurely hobbyist to massive bestseller overnight, and how that whiplash wrecked his sense of deadlines. He also said he’s revisited and reworked the material a ton, which tracks with him being a perfectionist. On stream (shared to Reddit), he added that he feels a real obligation to stick the landing for the fans who love this story.

'I had never written to a deadline before. I went from 14 years of being a hobby writer to suddenly being a bestseller, and it was a huge mental adjustment.'

If you’ve ever tried to finish anything creative while the internet hovers, you get it. The pressure is real, and he’s acknowledged that his mental health has factored in too.

The Kingkiller on-screen saga keeps tripping over itself

Here’s where it gets oddly industry-insidery. Rothfuss’ 'The Kingkiller Chronicle' has bounced around Hollywood for a decade, and the pattern is: big announcement, a couple years of silence, then a fizzle. That usually means there are rights issues, creative resets, or both.

• 2007: 'The Name of the Wind' hits shelves.
• 2011: 'The Wise Man's Fear' arrives.
• 2013: 20th Century Fox starts developing a Kingkiller TV series. Two years later, it falls apart and the rights revert to Rothfuss.
• After that: Lionsgate takes a swing.
• 2017: Showtime announces plans for a Kingkiller series. It doesn’t materialize.
• 2018: Sam Raimi boards to direct a film with Lindsey Beer writing the script.
• Today: No real updates. 'The Doors of Stone' is still TBA.

Given the lack of movement and the unfinished third book, that planned film trilogy is not close. It might happen someday, but I would not hold my breath.

Okay, so which book gets here first?

If you’re making me pick, I’m taking 'The Winds of Winter' in this unintentional race. Martin has said he’s got roughly three-quarters done and keeps plugging away, which at least sounds like a runway to the finish. Rothfuss is still deep in perfection mode, and with the added weight of expectation and his own well-being to manage, 'The Doors of Stone' feels further out.

Reading the tea leaves, it also wouldn’t shock me if Martin actually closes out his series before Rothfuss delivers Kingkiller’s final book. Not a guarantee, just where the momentum looks pointed right now.

Your turn

Which one lands first on your shelf: 'The Winds of Winter' or 'The Doors of Stone'? Call your shot.