GETTY • PACKSHOT George RR Martin is working on The Winds of Winter

The book, the latest in the A Song Of Ice And Fire series, has been in the pipeline for a very long time - and the TV series inspired by its universe, Game of Thrones, has long overtaken it in narrative terms. And with the show coming to an end in 2019, could there be a good case to be made for Martin delaying the release of TWOW until after that? That’s certainly what Reddit user cianb12 argues in a new theory. “I seen [sic] in a Reddit post this week that George RR Martin hints that the next book in the ASOIAF series won't be released this year. I believe that this isn't because he isn't finished,” they said, “but that he is waiting for the show to finish and that will take a huge amount of pressure off him.

GETTY Martin's fans have been waiting for a long time

Dead Game of Thrones characters still alive in The Winds of Winter Sun, September 3, 2017 Play slideshow HBO 1 of 19

“My main thinking behind this theory is that the GOT fandom is one of the most obsessive ones out there and are slightly toxic when they don't like something. “Although most viewers and readers are just casual it's the loud minority [that] generally ruin it for everyone. George is going to wait until the TV show is finished then he will release WOW as the stakes are much lower, and even if it sucks he will not get nearly as much heat for it and then he can finish the final book a few years after and again there will not be half as much at stake. “Another thought is that he could completely alter the storyline if the fans don't like how the TV show ends but this is unlikely as he is involved in the writing process there and told them how he wants it to end.”

Game of Thrones season eight - everything we know Fri, January 26, 2018 Game of Thrones season 8 is confirmed to be returning in 201. Here is everything you need to know Play slideshow FilmMagic 1 of 12 The Game Of Thrones cast and crew pictured in 2013