Game of Thrones author George RR Martin rubbishes 'absurd' rumour about Winds of Winter

Game of Thrones author George RR Martin has rubbished “absurd” rumours that the final two books in the Song of Ice and Fire saga are finished.

The rumour started after Ian McElhinney, who played Ser Barristan Selmy on the HBO adaptation for five seasons, told a fan convention that books six and seven – titled The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring – were complete,

McElhinney claimed that Martin was holding them back until after the show finished, thanks to a deal with Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss.

“George has already written books six and seven, and as far as he’s concerned there only are seven books,” the actor said.

“But he struck an agreement with David and Dan, the showrunners on the series, that he would not publish the final two books until the series has completed.

“So if all goes well, in another month or two we might get books six and seven, and I’m intrigued to know how Barristan, for instance, ends up going through those final two books.

“George, I talked to him during season one and he did say to me that Barristan had a very interesting journey. But unfortunately I didn’t get to play all of that, so we’ll have to wait and see.”

Martin has since said that the claims are untrue and that the final two books are certainly not finished.

“No, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring are not finished,” Martin’s blog post reads. “Dream is not even begun; I am not going to start writing volume seven until I finish volume six. It seems absurd to me that I need to state this. The world is round, the Earth revolves around the sun, water is wet… do I need to say that too?

“It boggles me that anyone would believe this story, even for an instant. It makes not a whit of sense. Why would I sit for years on completed novels? Why would my publishers — not just here in the US, but all around the world — ever consent to this? They make millions and millions of dollars every time a new Ice and Fire book comes out, as do I.

“Delaying makes no sense. Why would HBO want the books delayed? The books help create interest in the show, just as the show creates interest in the books.

“So… no, the books are not done. HBO did not ask me to delay them. Nor did David and Dan. There is no ‘deal’ to hold back on the books. I assure you, HBO and David and Dan would both have been thrilled and delighted if The Winds of Winter had been delivered and published four or five years ago… and no one would have been more delighted than me.”

Game of Thrones has almost come to an end. The Independent‘s critic described the most recent episode, “The Bells”, as “out-of-tune” and criticised the episode’s writing, asking: “What is the logic here?”

Meanwhile, Varys actor Conleth Hill called his character’s demise “frustrating” and that the “last couple seasons weren’t my favourite”. Lena Headey has also spoken cautiously about her character’s death, revealing the reason why she initially felt “mixed” about the scene.

You can find a ranking of every character – from worst best – here. Flick through the below gallery for our ranking of every episode.

The final season of Game of Thrones continues every Sunday. The show is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK.