The Big Lead

George R.R. Martin Needs to Stop Doing Podcasts And Finish Writing 'Game of Thrones'

By Liam McKeone

George R.R. Martin, who has not finished 'Winds of Winter'
George R.R. Martin, who has not finished 'Winds of Winter' / Amy Sussman/Getty Images
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In today's edition of Unusual Pairings, George R.R. Martin joined Chris Long's podcast to talk about the NFL and MLB amongst a variety of other topics. Martin is an interesting guy and Long is a great host, so I encourage you to listen to the full pod. But I really only have one question after seeing Martin's name pop up on the timeline for the first time in a while:

What are you doing, man?

The world, much less this blogger, has been waiting in anticipation for the final Game of Thrones books for YEARS. Martin has always been a fan of the slow burn-- the first book in the series released in 1996, after all-- but the longest gap in publishing prior to this was six years between A Feast For Crows (2005) and A Dance With Dragons (2011). We're now running on nine years from when Martin last released a book.

And you know what everyone could really use right now? A new Game of Thrones book! We're still less than a year removed from the pitiful excuse for television that was the final season of the television adaption of A Song of Ice and Fire. Simply sending this podcast link into our Slack chat ignited anew a series of complaints and criticism. We're all still hot and bothered by that. It's okay to admit it.

The ONLY thing that could make anyone feel even remotely better about how that ended is a new book. I would be crying out about this in normal times, much less now, when each day can be a challenge to get through.

Now that you, like the rest of us, have nothing to do except stay inside with your computer and your thoughts, it's time to lock down and bang it out. Refrain from podcasting and other distractions. We're so desperate for more Game of Thrones content that doesn't involve David Benioff and D.B. Weiss that it could be the worst of the bunch and we'd still eat it up. You'd make approximately a billion dollars if you released the book tomorrow, and that might even be on the low end.

So, please, George. I beg you. I implore you. Finish Winds of Winter.