'Winds of Winter' rumors, release date update: Rumors about possible cancellation hound 'WoW' release

The world has been waiting so long for "The Winds of Winter" that fans have taken it upon themselves to craft stories about why the novel isn't out yet and whether it ever sees the light of day.

The upcoming "The Winds of Winter" ("WoW") is the sixth installment in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" ("ASOIAF") novel series on which HBO's award-winning "Game of Thrones" is based.

Recently, a series of reports claimed that best-selling author George R.R. Martin has ceased working on "The Winds of Winter" and that he is angry over being rushed to write and publish the novel.

While this report is unconfirmed, "A Song of Ice and Fire" has a massive fan base that has been waiting years for Martin to release "The Winds of Winter." Many of these people have been very vocal about their impatience.

Nonetheless, it seems improbable that Martin would stop writing "The Winds of Winter." Given that he has been working on the novel for a long time, he'd disappoint millions of fans, and he stands to lose a huge chunk of money should the sixth "ASOIAF" installment truly remain unpublished.

As fans can probably recall, Martin announced earlier this year that he will no longer be handing out updates about his progress on "The Winds of Winter," and said that he refuses to set another deadline for himself after already missing two publication deadlines for the novel.

Martin has also said that he will suspend all his other projects so as to have more time for the hotly anticipated "WoW."

Meanwhile, an extract from "The Winds of Winter" was recently included in the new digital edition of "A Game of Thrones" that is being offered exclusively on iBooks.

"A Game of Thrones: Enhanced Edition" was launched in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the novel. The ebook offers loads of interactive content, including character descriptions and maps, the histories and lineages of the great houses, annotations and a new appendix.

According to The Verge, the excerpt that was included in "A Game of Thrones: Enhanced Edition" might be the Theon Greyjoy chapter that was shared on Martin's website in December 2011.

Book 1 of "A Game of Thrones: Enhanced Edition" is $8.99 on iBooks. The next four books will be released in the next few months.