GRRM: Reliable Reports vs. Rumors

George R.R. Martin, writing on Not A Blog, has been outlining the riches the Worldcon has in store for fans who love his books and his Wild Cards anthologies. At the same time, internet news writers have been combing his posts looking for conclusions they can jump to.

Martin’s “Wild Cards in Kansas City” announced that High Stakes, the 23rd volume in the series, will launch at MidAmeriCon II if Tor can get advance copies there. (The hardcover release is scheduled for August 23, right after the con ends.)

…In any event, there will be a Wild Cards mass signing at Worldcon.

It seemed only fitting; there will be more Wild Cards authors (old and new) present in Kansas City than at any other convention ever (yes, even more than at Nolacon in 1988, where Wild Cards lost a Hugo to Watchmen). At last count, the list includes Walter Jon Williams, John Jos. Miller, Gail Gerstner-Miller, Carrie Vaughn, Caroline Spector, Diana Rowland, Walton (Bud) Simons, Bob Wayne, Kevin Andrew Murphy, Stephen Leigh, S.L. Farrell, David D. Levine, Michael Cassutt, Marko Kloos, Saladin Ahmed, Pat Cadigan, Laura J. Mixon, Paul Cornell, Mary Anne Mohanraj… and of course Melinda M. Snodgrass and yours truly. So if you have a large collection of Wild Cards books you’d like defaced… or would like to start a large collection of Wild Cards books… MidAmericon II is the place to do it.

The signing will be sponsored by Rainy Day Books, and will be a ticketed event. It will take place in the Marriott Muhlebach (room tba) on Friday August 19, from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Martin also revealed plans for some special Wild Cards-themed programming.

With so many writers on hand, doing your traditional panel discussion would have been impossible. By the time all the panelists finished introducing themselves, the hour would have been up. Instead we’ve decided to offer WILD CARDS DEATH MATCHES. Kind of like Thunderdome with writers (and their characters). Sixteen writers enter (well, maybe only twelve, the count keeps jumping around as plans change), and one will emerge. The audience will pick the winners and losers of the fights. That one is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, August 20, 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Should be a hoot and a half… or a bloodbath. Who the hell knows? We’ve never done this sort of thing before.

An earlier Not A Blog entry discussed Martin’s own programs and signing schedule.

After seeing that post, an Ecumenical News writer took the bit in her teeth, in “’The Winds of Winter’ release date: Martin reportedly putting the finishing touches to the novel; will a new chapter be revealed at Worldcon?” She took everything she had read between the lines, and cobbled that together with all the rumors she’d heard.

George R.R. Martin fans still on a high from the events of “Game of Thrones'” season 6 finale recently received two conflicting reports about the writer’s upcoming novel. Reports have surfaced that the fantasy writer is finally putting the finishing touches to “The Winds of Winter,” news that have been well-received by fans who have been waiting for years for the book to come out. There are even speculations that the novel might finally hit bookshelves early 2017.

Fans of both the “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels and the HBO fantasy series know of the trials and tribulations that have surrounded Martin and his bid to get the book to the publishers. So news that the penultimate installation of the popular book series is almost finished feels like a hard won victory indeed.

However, reports have also surfaced claiming that the 67-year-old novelist had stopped writing the novel because of what the recent “Game of Thrones” finale revealed and that the “Ice and Fire” series would end with “The Winds of Winter.”

It must be pointed out, though, that no confirmation has been given about both reports, so fans should take those kinds of news with a skeptical view. What is certain, though, is that Martin will be attending the upcoming Worldcon, which will be held in Kansas from Aug. 17 to 21….

Martin also teased that he will be doing other things there as well, like a reading. This has led to speculations that he might be reading a new chapter from “The Winds of Winter.”

[Thanks to JJ for the story.]

2 thoughts on “GRRM: Reliable Reports vs. Rumors

  1. Apparently there is a site called Ecumenical News that is careless about…news. As for GRRM ever getting the series done, I figure we mostly do what we can. If what he can do includes finishing the series, it’ll happen.

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