'The Winds of Winter' release date rumors: Book launch expected in January 2017, but the book is 'almost done'

A lot of fans of the highly popular "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series have been waiting for author George R. R. Martin to release the sixth novel called "The Winds of Winter," and it is speculated that the launching of the book is already near as Martin is believed to have almost completed its remaining chapters. If the book will not be released sometime this year, it is more likely that the latest novel will hit the bookshelves early 2017.

Earlier reports suggested that "The Winds of Winter" is possible to be released within the year. It is. Basing on Martin's actions over the past few months, there is an indication that there is already a huge progress in the completion of the book. One proof that Martin has nearly completed "The Winds of Winter" is the recent reveal of a few chapters from his unpublished novel. One time, he posted a chapter about the character of Arianne Martell on his own website, and recently, he revealed a new chapter for Aeron Damphair Greyjoy, who is expected to be another sinister character like Ramsay Bolton.

Game N Guide reported that Martin is likely to finish all the chapters of the book within the coming few weeks or months, and afterward, the manuscript will be forwarded to the publishing house for the final touches and actual printing of the book. However, this would take a bit of time as the publication company has to proofread and finalize the text before printing. In this case, the final version of the book might be ready before the last quarter of the year ends. If not, there is a huge possibility that "The Winds of Winter" will arrive in January 2017.

"The Winds of Winter" is the sixth book in "A Song of Ice and Fire" and it is expected to be the second to the last novel of the entire book series. It will follow "A Dance of Dragons" that was released in 2011. The unpublished novel is considered to be the source material "Game of Thrones" season 6, although changes will be applied to rid the currently airing season of book spoilers. There are rumors that the upcoming novel will finally solve the mystery about Jon Snow's parentage.