Winds of Winter release date news update: Launch not happening this month; Author teases more deaths coming in the book

A lot of avid readers of George R. R. Martin's highly successful book series "A Song of Ice and Fire" have been waiting for the developments of the sixth novel of the series. The highly anticipated novel, "The Winds of Winter," is expected to be the source material of the current season of "Game of Thrones." However, the book has not yet been released and there are rumors that the next novel will not be out until the later months of 2016, contrary to earlier reports that the book will be released as early as May.

According to reports, the renowned author has still not finished the final chapters of "The Winds of Winter," leading to the possible delay of the book's launching this year. Due to this delay, there are speculations that "The Winds of Winter" may not be released until later this year. To note, there are initial reports that Martin has already finished the final version of the novel, and the copy of the book has already been sent to the publishing house for printing. With this latest development, it will be impossible for the novel to be released even by next month.

The only good news for the fans is that Martin has made a chapter of "The Winds of Winter" available for viewing for the fans. The Telegraph reported the author posting a chapter of his latest novel on his official blog, spilling a few details about what the fans should expect. In spite of the novel still unpublished, Martin teased some parts of the new story, which is expected to include more shocking death scenes.

Aside from major death sequences, the preview chapter reveals a new character named Princess Arianne, daughter of Prince Doran Martell. This character has not yet been introduced in "Game of Thrones," which can be noted as one of the major differences between the novel and the TV adaptation.