George R.R. Martin has released a chapter from “The Winds of Winter,” but fans are going to have to wait for the book.
Martin recently announced the sample chapter on his “Not A Blog” site along with a taste of “High Stakes,” a book he has coming out in August.
“And… because I know how much b***hing I’d get if I offered a new sample from Wild Cards without also doing one from A SONG OF ICE & FIRE… we’ve also changed the WINDS OF WINTER sample on my website, replacing the Alayne chapter that’s been there for the past year with one featuring Arianne Martell. (Some of you may have heard me read this one at cons),” Martin wrote.
“The Winds of Winter” is the sixth book in the planned “Game of Thrones” series of seven novels.
Folks shouldn’t get too excited, however, as Martin said he is still hard at work on the book.
“You want to know what the Sand Snakes, Prince Doran, Areo Hotah, Ellaria Sand, Darkstar, and the rest will be up to in ‘Winds of Winter?’ Quite a lot, actually,” he wrote. “The sample will give you a taste. For the rest, you will need to wait.”
The HBO series “Game of Thrones” is currently in its sixth season. Actor John Bradley, who plays Samwell Tarly, told The Hollywood Reporter that the series will be moving away from the novels’ storylines a bit.
“What you’re going to see [this season] is something inspired by the books, and maybe not necessarily what you’re going to see in the next book,” he said. “We’re not ahead of the books — we’re just diverging from the books.”
The chapter excerpt is posted on the official “George R.R. Martin” site.

Got the drop on CNN . . .