George R. R. Martin’s The Winds of Winter has turned into the literary world’s version of a white whale — everyone knows it exists somewhere out there, but no one’s sure when (or if) it’ll ever show up. It’s been over 14 years since A Dance with Dragons came out, and at this point, readers are convinced that the wait might just outlive Westeros itself.
The author has teased that even he doesn’t quite know which story he wants to write next after this one. But Martin has not left us completely in the dark. Over interviews, blog posts, and long musings about fantasy writing, he has dropped some serious breadcrumbs. Fans can try to piece together what kind of ending The Winds of Winter will have from those clues.
So, what has the man revealed about how his epic saga will close? Let’s go through the hints.
1. George R. R. Martin Wants Us to Expect a Bittersweet Ending
George R. R. Martin has never been shy about speaking out. He very well knows what kind of story he wants to tell. He’s said time and again that he’s aiming for an ending inspired by Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. He once said (via Entertainment.ie),
I think you need to have some hope… we all yearn for happy endings in a sense. Myself, I’m attracted to the bittersweet ending. People ask me how Game of Thrones is gonna end, and I’m not gonna tell them … but I always say to expect something bittersweet in the end.
That word, “bittersweet,” is the biggest clue of all. From that word alone, we know that we are not getting the kind of finale where everyone dies in a blaze of glory. Nor is it one where rainbows appear and everything turns peaceful. Instead, it’s something closer to real life. We may get triumphs that are mixed with scars that never quite heal.
He elaborated further in another interview, saying (via Observer),
It ends with victory, but it’s a bittersweet victory. Frodo is never whole again, and he goes away to the Undying Lands… that’s the kind of tone I will be aiming for.
He even mentioned The Scouring of the Shire. It is a chapter he didn’t understand as a kid but grew to appreciate.
So if anyone’s expecting a simple happy ending in The Winds of Winter, well, let’s just say they probably haven’t been paying attention. As one could joke, if Martin ever gave us a purely happy ending, fans might think he’d been replaced by a Faceless Man.
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2. George R. R. Martin Passed On the “Big Ideas” to the Showrunners
Before HBO’s Game of Thrones started galloping past the books, George R. R. Martin actually sat down with the showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss to discuss how the story might end. Benioff said in an interview (via The Hollywood Reporter),
Last year we went out to Santa Fe for a week to sit down with Martin and just talk through where things are going. If you know the ending, then you can lay the groundwork for it. So we just sat down with him and literally went through every character.
Martin himself confirmed this meeting, saying,
I can give them the broad strokes of what I intend to write, but the details aren’t there yet. I’m hopeful that I cannot let them catch up with me.
Spoiler: they did catch up.
But that discussion laid the foundation for Game of Thrones to wrap up in a way that, at least in spirit, aligned with Martin’s grand design. Of course, he has since hinted that while the show’s ending and his ending might share some DNA, they’ll diverge in crucial ways.
In other words, the showrunners got the structure of the story, but the flesh, blood, and beating heart of the books—those are still Martin’s to build. And if there’s one thing fans know, it’s that GRRM loves to make his characters bleed before they shine.
Funny enough, Martin giving out “broad strokes” is kind of like him handing a map to someone—with half the roads missing and dragons flying over the rest.
3. Resurrection Will Come With Consequences
One of the most haunting patterns in A Song of Ice and Fire is that death doesn’t always mean goodbye. But unlike most fantasy stories, Martin treats resurrection as something heavy, not heroic. He’s repeatedly hinted that when characters return from death, they don’t come back whole.
“Death is not always the end,” should be the motto of Martin’s books. For sure, we know that the line between life and death in Westeros is blurry—and intentionally so. That’s where the mystery deepens, especially around Jon Snow. Fans have noticed that Martin rarely talks about Jon in interviews. He’ll discuss Tyrion, Daenerys, Sansa, and even Littlefinger—but Jon? Almost never.
This silence is suspicious. Once, when discussing why he split A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, Martin explained his point of view. He said that Dance was meant to focus on Daenerys and the Wall. He was brushing over the character’s supposed death at the end of the book. It almost felt like he was deliberately avoiding giving anything away.
Many readers believe that Jon’s fate will play a massive role in the bittersweet conclusion Martin keeps hinting at. The idea of resurrection with consequences fits neatly into that. Just look at Lady Stoneheart. She is proof that coming back doesn’t mean returning the same.
If Jon’s story continues in the book beyond death, it’s safe to assume it’ll come at a cost. The cost might be physical, emotional, or even moral. After all, in Martin’s world, death might be reversible, but therapy definitely isn’t.
4. George R. R. Martin Already Knows How It All Ends
Even though George R. R. Martin claims he hasn’t written the ending yet, he’s said multiple times that he knows how the story will wrap up—at least in broad strokes. He said (via L.A. Times),
I haven’t written the ending yet, so I don’t know, but no. That’s certainly not my intent. I’ve said before that the tone of the ending that I’m going for is bittersweet.
He’s also mentioned that he has major “endpoints” already fixed in his head and even “backup” catastrophic versions, just in case inspiration leads him down darker paths. This kind of chaos can only be managed by a storyteller.
A storyteller of his caliber could make the whole thing very meticulous and unpredictable at once. Still, it does not matter how many fan theories come to life online. The only person who knows exactly who sits (or doesn’t sit) on the Iron Throne in the end is Martin himself.
5. The Books Won’t Copy the HBO Finale
After the divisive Game of Thrones finale, Martin clarified something clearly. He stated that while the show offered an ending, it wasn’t the ending. On his blog, he posted something called “An Ending,” subtly reminding everyone that his version is still on the way.
He praised the showrunners and HBO for pulling off such an ambitious adaptation, but made it clear that his books are their own beast. He said (via Vanity Fair),
The Winds of Winter is very late, I know, I know, but it will be done. I won’t say when… but I will finish it, and then will come A Dream of Spring.
And about the million-dollar question—whether his books will end the same way as the show—his answer was as confusing as it was cheeky:
The same ending as the show? Different? Well… yes. And no. And yes. And no. And yes. And no. And yes.
Classic George R. R. Martin.
He also pointed out a crucial difference: the medium itself.
They had six hours for this final season. I expect these last two books of mine will fill 3000 manuscript pages between them before I’m done… and if more pages and chapters and scenes are needed, I’ll add them.
In short, the show had time limits. The books don’t. Which means more layers, more perspectives, and definitely more heartbreak.
If the HBO finale felt rushed to some, Martin’s ending will likely be the slow-cooked version—still painful, but far richer in flavor. And let’s face it, when it comes to George R. R. Martin, waiting for a meal this long better mean it’s worth the feast.
6. George R. R. Martin Has Signalled That Some Characters Have Bigger Roles Than We Think
George R. R. Martin has always insisted that his characters sometimes surprise even him. Nowhere is that clearer to us than in the early chapters of A Game of Thrones. While talking about how some characters “take over” the story, he shared a story about Catelyn Stark that changed his own plans entirely.
He explained, “There was a crucial point where an assassin tries to kill Bran in his bed and he’s defeated, and they get this very unusual dagger.” Catelyn was not supposed to leave Winterfell at all. GRRM wanted her to send a messenger to Ned instead. But then Martin sat down to write. But then Martin sat down to write. Something in his gut told him otherwise. He said (via Tumblr),
I thought, ‘Catelyn wouldn’t do it. Someone had tried to kill her child. She wouldn’t send a letter and take this minor character as the messenger. That was something she was going to do herself.’
And just like that, a major storyline shifted. Catelyn’s decision to travel south set off a domino effect that shaped the rest of the series. Martin admitted,
That threw me for a bit of a loop because, in my original thought, she was remaining at Winterfell… But some part of me knew the character better than the part that had done that initial plotting.
He doesn’t believe in “mystical” talk about characters whispering to writers. “It’s really one part of your mind talking to another part of your mind,” he said. “Maybe it’s a right-brain/left-brain kind of thing, but whatever is the creative part of the brain is not necessarily the analytical part, and it knows better sometimes.”
This glimpse into his process also reveals something deeper. Martin lets his characters steer the story, even if it derails his plans. It’s why fans believe that some “minor” characters or underplayed arcs could turn out to be massive by the time The Winds of Winter ends.
In other words, in George R. R. Martin’s world, never assume a side character will stay in the background—they might just hijack the entire plot while he’s still typing. And, it is funny how in Westeros, even the author can’t stop his characters from staging coups.
7. George R. R. Martin Intends (or Intended) to Complete the Series With Two Books
If The Winds of Winter ever hits shelves, it will be followed by A Dream of Spring. It is the planned final chapter in A Song of Ice and Fire. That’s always been the blueprint. “There’s no doubt Winds of Winter is 13 years late,” Martin admitted with a sigh (via Time Magazine). George R. R. Martin then went on to say,
I’m still working on it. I have periods where I make progress and then other things divert my attention.
To be fair, his “other things” include running an entire universe of spinoffs, editing anthologies, and producing multiple shows. Still, fans have been tapping their feet for over a decade, and Martin himself confessed,
I’ve always had trouble with deadlines.
That might be the understatement of this whole century.
At a fan event, he mentioned he is still chipping away at the book. The story is still meant to conclude across these last two books, and he’s promised that when it’s done, it’ll be the definitive version of his vision—not a repeat of what viewers saw on HBO.
If patience is a virtue, A Song of Ice and Fire fans might just be saints by now. And at this rate, the real question is who’ll arrive first—the book or the White Walkers.
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8. George R. R. Martin Will Let Readers Interpret
George R. R. Martin knows that his storytelling leaves plenty of space for interpretation. The man is absolutely fine with that. He’s long embraced the idea that prophecies, symbols, and subtle clues are there for readers to decode, not for him to spell out. He once said, referring to the Game of Thrones showrunners (via CBS News),
I don’t think Dan and Dave’s ending is gonna be that different from my ending. But… there will be a lot of people who say, ‘Oh, Dan & Dave’s ending is better than the one George gave us.’ And there will be a lot of people who say, ‘No — Dan & Dave got it wrong. George’s ending is better.’ And they will all fight on the internet. And — that’s fine.
Classic GRRM—he’s practically predicting fan wars before they happen.
But his larger point is more philosophical. Martin doesn’t want his story to have one rigid, official meaning. He believes in giving readers space to find their own truth in the ending. Whether fans see it as tragic, hopeful, or ambiguous, he’s content to let people argue forever about what “winning” and “victory” even mean in his world.
That’s part of what makes his writing so rich. There is no single answer that fits. Westeros is not about clean resolutions. It is about people clawing their way toward meaning in a chaotic world.
So when The Winds of Winter finally lands, we all can expect an ending that feels more open than closed—one where the real debate begins after you’ve finished reading. And let’s be honest, the internet arguing over endings? That’s the one prophecy Martin’s guaranteed to get right.
9. Fans Have Already Guessed the Ending From the Clues
Back in 2014, Martin admitted something that made fans collectively lose their minds. He said that some of them had already guessed the ending of the book. He confessed that a few readers had pieced together some clues. So yeah, they have figured out where the story is heading.
At a literary event, he said some fans have guessed the ending right (via Entertainment.ei). He explained that he had noticed certain online theories aligning perfectly with his intended conclusion.
He did admit that he was tempted to change the ending just to keep things fresh. But ultimately decided against it. Martin’s never been one to shy away from difficult storylines. His world is built on moral complexity, not wish fulfillment.
So yes, some fans might already know what’s coming—but knowing and seeing it unfold are two very different experiences. And let’s face it, if there’s one author who could still surprise readers even when they’ve guessed the ending, it’s George R. R. Martin.
Although one thing is for sure, no one’s safe until the final page.
But the real question is, are we ever going to get that book? What do you think? Will that day actually come, or are we just chasing dragons here? Tell us in the comments.
