Update: Sadly, George R.R. Martin has disputed that he's done with the final two books. In a rather perturbed post on his blog, he categorically denied that either of the novels is completed. He continues to write The Winds of Winter, the next book in the series, but he says work on the one after that, A Dream of Spring, hasn't even started yet.

"It seems absurd to me that I need to state this. The world is round, the Earth revolves around the sun, water is wet... do I need to say that too?" the author wrote. "It boggles me that anyone would believe this story, even for an instant. It makes not a whit of sense. Why would I sit for years on completed novels? Why would my publishers--not just here in the US, but all around the world--ever consent to this? They make millions and millions of dollars every time a new Ice & Fire book comes out, as do I. Delaying makes no sense. Why would HBO want the books delayed? The books help create interest in the show, just as the show creates interest in the books.

Game Of Thrones Episode 5 Breakdown & Recap -- "The Bells" (Season 8)

"So... no, the books are not done. HBO did not ask me to delay them. Nor did David & Dan. There is no 'deal' to hold back on the books. I assure you, HBO and David & Dan would both have been thrilled and delighted if The Winds of Winter had been delivered and published four or five years ago… and NO ONE would have been more delighted than me."

That leaves us to go back to Martin's last official update on the status of The Winds of Winter. Earlier this year, he said, "It's been going very well lately, so knock wood." However, he also gave the typical line about the release date, saying, "It'll be done when it's done." Eight years after the release of the last book, that's become increasingly apparent.

Original story: Game of Thrones will wrap up in less than a week's time, as Episode 6--the series finale--premieres this Sunday, May 19. There are spin-off shows on the way, but the end of the main show (read our Season 8 Episode 5, "The Bells" review) has left a sour taste in the mouths of many fans. But an alternate way to experience the story may soon be on the way: the final books. A former Game of Thrones actor has claimed that the conclusion to author George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series--upon which Game of Thrones is based--is already written and simply waiting to be published.

As flagged on Reddit, Barristan Selmy actor Ian McElhinney made a claim during a panel in April at Epic Con in St. Petersburg, Russia, that will have book fans screaming: Supposedly, Martin has finished the last two books of the series, "The Winds of Winter" and "A Dream of Spring." He just hasn't published them yet due to a deal he struck with those behind HBO's show.

"I don't know if you know more than me about this, but what I've been told is that George has already written books six and seven," McElhinney said. "And as far as he's concerned, there only are seven books. But he struck an agreement with David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss], the showrunners of the series, that he would not publish the final two books until the series has completed. So all goes well, in another month or two, we might get books six and seven, and I'm intrigued to know how Barristan, for instance, ends up going through those final two books."

Martin is well-known for taking a long time to complete new entries in his epic--the first book in the series, "A Game of Thrones," was published all the way back in 1996, and the last entry to hit bookshelves, "A Dance of Dragons," didn't come out until 2011. That means it took 15 years for Martin to complete four books; it also means that since Season 1 of Game of Thrones, book fans have only had what's aired on HBO to hold them over as they waited for Martin to catch up.

In April, Martin told GameSpot sister site Entertainment Tonight that writing on "The Winds of Winter" has "been going very well lately," but he also reiterated his usual position on when to expect the new book: "It'll be done when it's done." So Martin hasn't hinted that he's sitting on two completed books, just waiting for Game of Thrones to end--but on the other hand, eight years is a long time, and it's definitely possible he could have completed at least one, or maybe even both, in that period, given how long the others took to write.

How the books might differ from the TV show is a question a lot of fans want answered. Martin has said he's known all along where the stories were going, and he told Benioff and Weiss what the major beats of the conclusion were years ago. But Martin also told Rolling Stone he wished the series had a few more seasons to wrap everything up, and there are plenty of examples of the show making changes or going in different directions from what's in the books. It's definitely possible things could wind up differently in "A Song of Ice and Fire"--or at least take a different path to the same place. After all, a lot of characters who have died on the show still live in the books, not the least of whom is Barristan Selmy.

While Season 8 might be at its end--Episode 6 airs this coming Sunday, May 19--there are potentially more Game of Thrones spin-off shows on the way. Martin recently said three of the five in development are "still moving forward nicely." One, which he previously said might be called The Long Night, starts shooting later this year, while the other two "remain in the script stage, but are edging closer."

For more on Season 8 of Game of Thrones, check out Benioff and Weiss explaining the major developments of Episode 5, and then check out some new theories going into Episode 6.

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