George R.R. Martin to skip Comic-Con

George R.R. Martin is clearing the decks tofinishThe Winds of Winter.

With HBOs Game of Thrones expected to move into previously uncharted narrative territory next year, the author told his readers Monday night that hes skipping the World Fantasy Convention in Saratoga and the mega Comic-Con fan event in San Diego this year. Martin has typically participatedeither as a moderator or guestin the HBO shows Comic-Con panel. Plus, his publisherRandom House typically has a party at the event, with Martin as the guest of honor. Martin previously opted out of writing an episode of Thrones for season 5, which premieres April 12.

I have too much to do, Martin explainedon his blog. Too many things on my plate. Son of Kong foremost amongst them. (Son of Kong being a pet termMartinuses forTWOW).

But then Martin added something interesting:Should I complete and deliver Winds of Winterbefore these cons roll round, I reserve the right to change my mind.We almost certainlyshouldnt read too much into this. Butthisseems to suggest Martin sees the light at the end of the tunnel for his sixth A Song of Ice and Fire novel as the first of these fan events is only four months away.

One chip in Martins corner is that the serialized and segmented format of his books (which rotateperspectivebetween various characters usingpoint-of-view chapters)tend to lend themselves to different possible stopping points. His last book, 2011sA Dance with Dragons, was originally supposed to end deeper into his saga. So, in theory, Martin could choose to turn in whateverhe has completed and then save the rest for his final planned book, A Dream of Spring.

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George R.R. Martin to skip Comic-Con