It’s only fitting then that such a massive occasion be celebrated as such, and that’s why publisher Bantam Spectra will be releasing a special, 20th anniversary edition of Game of Thrones in October.
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The author had even made multiple deadlines for himself and even proclaimed that he would release “The Winds of Winter” before the sixth season of the television adaptation “Game of Thrones” would be released.
Though fans are sad that there has yet to be a release date for the sixth installment of George R.R. Martin’s novel series, they will be happy to hear that there is less of a chance that their favorite characters will die in the upcoming season.
On his amusingly named “Not A Blog” LiveJournal blog, Martin reminisced about the original release, recounting that “Reviews were generally good, sales were … well, okay”. Solid. But nothing spectacular. The number of books sold in the series now sits at over 15 million, and fans will soon have a new tome to purchase.
It’s no Winds of Winter, but it does sound pretty neat. This new edition will be very special, I think.
Despite fans time and time again being in denial that author George R.R. Martin still hasn’t finished the book, rumors are still afloat the internet with many hoping for a surprise rollout. Same story, of course. He says the new edition will contain 73 black and white illusttrations and 8 full-color plates. Some of the artwork featured in the new hardcover edition will have previously been seen in various “A Song of Ice and Fire” calendars over the years and Martin’s own The World of Ice and Fire, but the majority (48, in fact) are new, never-before-seen pieces.
“With gorgeous full-page illustrations to open every chapter, the mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure of this magnificent saga come to life as never before”, according to the Bantam press release. Twenty years ago, George was a bit more optimistic about his writing pace for the series.
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Pre-empting the multitude of questions that Martin gets asked about the series by fans, he wrote, “And no, before someone asks, I had no idea when this all started where it would lead… or how long the road would be.” . He went on a book tour, where in some towns attendance was a modest zero people. We can all sympathize a little.
