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Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin is nothing if not a master of suspense, so it's no surprise he's also a master of playing with his fans' emotions.
In a blog entry posted earlier this week, Martin used a title that is so similar to his long-delayed next installment in the A Song of Ice and Fire series fans were certain he was announcing the book's completion.
Instead, they got a cleverly named review of an upcoming AMC television series.
Fans are losing it over the perfectly executed troll.
This is cruel and malevolent on a level I can only respect.pic.twitter.com/ttbprmOEFe— Tim Marchman (@Tim Marchman) 1650469970
Fans have been eagerly awaiting Martin's new book The Winds of Winterever since 2019 when Martin told them if he hasn't finished the book by Summer 2020, they "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."
Well, Summer 2020 has come and gone, as has Summer 2021, and there's still no The Winds of Winter.
So imagine the excitement fans felt when Martin's latest blog entry dropped with the title, "The Winds of June" which began with the following opener:
"The Dark Winds will start blowing in June. June 12, to be precise."
Clearly this is a release announcement, right?
Wrong.
As Martin went on to write, it was simply a play on words to discuss the upcoming series Dark Winds on AMC.
"That’s the day that DARK WINDS, a new series based on the classic bestselling Navajo detective novels by Tony Hillerman, will premiere on AMC and AMC+."
We love a good troll as much as the next guy, but this is just downright mean!
But on Twitter, Martin's fans had nothing but respect for his devious move.
This man going to his grave not having finished these books laughing all the wayhttps://twitter.com/timmarchman/status/1516807108242587648\u00a0\u2026— della ~ \ud83c\udf52\ud83d\udca3 (@della ~ \ud83c\udf52\ud83d\udca3) 1650488944
it's so funny how around the time the show started the running joke in that fandom was that a dance with dragons took an absurdly long time to come out, a whole six years between books. it's now been 11 years since thenhttps://twitter.com/timmarchman/status/1516807108242587648\u00a0\u2026— largest rodent (@largest rodent) 1650473731
Once again, hope he never finishes it. Give em nothing, king!!https://twitter.com/timmarchman/status/1516807108242587648\u00a0\u2026— Mr. Chau (@Mr. Chau) 1650473906
I respect the bit to just become a menace to your fans tbhhttps://twitter.com/timmarchman/status/1516807108242587648\u00a0\u2026— local Boo Radley (@local Boo Radley) 1650558393
This dude started one of the best fantasy series ever created & decided he would rather die than finish it. He does not gaf about anything or anyone https://twitter.com/timmarchman/status/1516807108242587648\u00a0\u2026— United States of Dumpster Fire (@United States of Dumpster Fire) 1650509874
I hope when GRRM dies they find a completed and edited manuscript with a note that says \u201cThis has been finished since 2012.\u201dhttps://twitter.com/timmarchman/status/1516807108242587648\u00a0\u2026— jeffshaw (@jeffshaw) 1650478943
I must say that I love the irony that (part of) book fandom thought that GRRM hates the show so much that he will work tirelessly on the books to "fix the ending" and instead we got this. https://twitter.com/timmarchman/status/1516807108242587648\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/YhrvEoed40— Who's Who in Westeros (@Who's Who in Westeros) 1650489882
GRRM knows exactly what he is doinghttps://twitter.com/timmarchman/status/1516807108242587648\u00a0\u2026— Jason Pargin, author of John Dies at the End, etc (@Jason Pargin, author of John Dies at the End, etc) 1650471564
we're reaching incalculable levels of "living his best life doesn't owe you a thing"https://twitter.com/timmarchman/status/1516807108242587648\u00a0\u2026— Pontifical Swiss Guard Esports Team (Official) (@Pontifical Swiss Guard Esports Team (Official)) 1650491484
Few things give me as much joy as this old bastard deliberately trolling his fan base about a book he's never going to write. I hope he lives to be 100 and doesn't write a single page.https://twitter.com/timmarchman/status/1516807108242587648\u00a0\u2026— Douglas Nogrady (@Douglas Nogrady) 1650498788
The Winds of Winter is only one of two announced final books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, so if and when it ever comes out, fans can still look forward to being toyed with about the final book, A Dream of Spring, for years to come.