'Winds of Winter' release date news 2016: Q1 2017 launch not happening after all

"Winds of Winter" by George R.R. Martin is clearly one of the most highly-anticipated upcoming books, but up until now, fans continue to wait for the big reveal of its release date.

Rumor mills were on overdrive when a listing of the book on Amazon France popped up, suggesting that the book could very well be set for release early next year.

However, the "Winds of Winter" listing, which is no longer online, does not tell the whole story after all. Before things could get more out of hand, one of Martin's publisher Random House responded to the leak.

"As his publisher, we support George RR Martin as he works hard to finish The Winds of Winter," a statement from the publishing company to Entertainment Weekly read.

"Any on-sale dates currently listed online for the novel are incorrect. Once we have a publication date for The Winds of Winter, the world will know," the company continued.

With that said, "Winds of Winter" may still not be ready for publication after all. Martin is yet to speak about the novel ever since he announced its delay early this year.

He said that the sixth volume of "A Song of Ice and Fire" was supposed to be released before the sixth season of "Game of Thrones." This was not the case, and he expressed disappointment of what happened.

Even before the listing showed up, there are already rumors about "Winds of Winter" being released next year. This is based on the writing pace of the bestselling author that devoted fans of the saga researched on.

With the "Winds of Winter" still absent, the books were officially outpaced by "Game of Thrones," which will be in its seventh season. It was delayed, though, which may give Martin a chance to catch up.

One of Martin's biggest reveals for the book was depicted in the sixth season, but it appears that Martin has a lot more surprises in store in "Winds of Winter" more than just the mystery of Hodor and his name.