Well, Game of Thrones fans, it's time to arrest George R.R. Martin.
As the author of the sprawling A Song of Ice and Fire book series has kept fans waiting nearly a decade for The Winds of Winter, the sixth installment of a planned seven, it's come to light that he hasn't lived up to his end of a bargain struck in a blog post dated May 21, 2019.
"As for finishing my book… I fear that New Zealand would distract me entirely too much. Best leave me here in Westeros for the nonce," he wrote to fans last year, explaining why he wouldn't be visiting the country just yet. "But I tell you this — if I don't have The Winds of Winter in hand when I arrive in New Zealand for worldcon, you have here my formal written permission to imprison me in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid, until I'm done."
The kick-off date of CoNZealand, the 78th World Science Fiction Convention, of which Martin is serving as (virtual) toastmaster: July 29, 2020.
And what do you know? No book in sight.
While the wait for Martin's next book continues to balloon, at least fans can take heart in the fact that they've got a beloved TV adaptation to turn to, courtesy of HBO and co-creator David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Airing on the cable network for eight seasons from 2011 to 2019, the series that introduced Martin's work to a much wider audience eventually surpassed its source material in its endeavor to end the story. And though the events of that final season remain a source of contention among fans who were left less than satisfied, at least they got an ending, right?
As readers wait to see if Martin's penned ending to the series he kicked off 24 years ago diverges from that of its adaptation—talk about a real chicken or egg conundrum—let's celebrate the anniversary with a look at our picks for the best book-to-TV transitions out there.