A Game of Thrones fan confronted author George R.R. Martin at the science fiction convention Seattle Worldcon, asking if he would consider letting someone else write the next books in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, Screen Rant reports.
Martin’s series of novels, which kicked off in 1996 with A Game of Thrones, is one of the most celebrated fantasy series in the world. He has published five novels in the series, most recently A Dance With Dragons in 2011, and two more are planned: The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring.
The series was adapted into the blockbuster hit HBO series Game of Thrones, which ran from 2011 to 2019. Fans have long clamored for the next installment in the series, which Martin has repeatedly said he is still writing.
At Seattle Worldcon, Martin was part of a panel of fantasy authors including Brandon Sanderson, Ryan Cahill, and Robin Hobb. Toward the end of the panel, a fan said to Martin, 76, “Here’s the thing. George, you’re not going to be around for much longer.” The audience, stunned, reacted with dismayed gasps.
“And this is a tough question that I wanted to ask,” the fan continued. “This is more directed at Brandon. I was wondering, like, how would you feel about someone else taking over and finishing the books?”
Sanderson said, “Not me,” as the panelists stood up and began to leave. The video of the panel ends shortly after that. The fan's comments come at the 2:09:22 mark in the video.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
