George R.R Martin expressed his disappointment when he couldn’t finish Winds of Winter on time, as a result Game of Thrones show-makers had to depend on the existing material for season 6, provided by “Song of Ice & Fire” books, and add some of their own storylines. For instance, Jaime Lannister going back to the Riverlands is part of Book 4 “A Feast for Crows” storyline where Cersei dispatches him to re-establish control of the Lannisters. Due to the inadequacy of new material, there were a lot more Bran visions and flashback scenes like Tower of Joy etc.
There has been a cloud of uncertainty as far as release date is concerned, but it’s now revealed on the French version of Amazon.com that it will hit the shelves on March 9, 2017. It is not final and subject to change, but there is a solid chance that it will be launched before the season 7 of Game of Thrones.
George R.R Martin dropped a hint for a possible twist in the Winds of Winter, he said that it has to do with a particular character who is dead on the show but alive in the books. It’s either has to do with Stannis Baratheon or Barristan Selmy, although there are a number of characters who are alive in the books such as Shireen Baratheon, Myrcella Lannister etc. In the books, Sansa Stark is hiding in the Vale whereas her friend from Kings Landing Jean Poole (fake Arya) is married to Ramsay Bolton. Further, Stannis Baratheon is preparing to fight against Bolton forces with his army approaching Winterfell, whereas on TV show his army has abandoned him and he is decimated by Ramsay Bolton. If Jon Snow is resurrected in the books, he could help Stannis win the “Battle for Winterfell” and crush the Boltons.
Well, let’s wait for the next year to get the answers.
