‘The Winds of Winter’ Release Date, Spoilers: ‘ASoIaF’ Translator Clarifies Statement After Sparking Hope for a 2019 Launch

A translator for the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series initially sparked hope among fans that “The Winds of Winter” is definitely arriving in 2019. However, it was later clarified that the guessing game on the book’s official release date is still on.

Earlier this week, WinterIsComing.net shared a Reddit post that translated a comment on Weibo which indicated the possibility of a 2019 release date for "The Winds of Winter." The same report identified the commenter as a Chinese translator for the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. So it gave the impression that 2019 is being considered as a feasible launch year for the much-awaited novel.

Reddit user SailfromHere translated the said Weibo comment, which reads, “There is [zero] chance that [‘The Winds of Winter’] comes out this year, but ‘Fire and Blood’ is definitely coming out this November, page count on par with ‘A Game of Thrones.’ It is very likely that ‘TWOW’ will come out next year. More specific info may be updated mid-August in Worldcon.”

As expected, the report of the unassuming Weibo comment spread like wildfire among fans waiting for “The Winds of Winter.” Unfortunately, the Chinese translator immediately issued a clarification that what was previously reported was not an official announcement or information in any way.

The Chinese translator set the record straight through a new Weibo post (via SailfromHere), “Hi, I was shocked today. So I logged into the famous 'GOT' news outlet [WinterIsComing.net], the headline is [‘The Winds of Winter’] will come out in 2019. My adrenaline surged up 100%! Turns out the source is... myself! … I clarify: There is no official information on 'WINDS' yet! That was purely my personal opinion.”

Since author George R.R. Martin confirmed last April that “The Winds of Winter” is not arriving this year, the hype train jumped onto the next possible time of release that is 2019. Meanwhile, readers who have been enduring a years-long Westeros drought are still lucky since Martin confirmed that “Fire and Blood” is slated to hit the shelves on Nov. 20.

Martin’s 2018 book, which he does not prefer to call a novel, revolves around the House Targaryen. "Fire and Blood" is the first volume of a two-part series set in Westeros but happens “centuries before the events of ‘A Game of Thrones.’”