Just when we thought 2021 would finally be the year the sixth 'A Song of Fire and Ice' book would be released - now we're not so confident.

'A Song of Ice and Fire' fantasy author George R. R. Martin has taken to his blog to give eagerly-awaiting fans an update on how 'Winds of Winter' is coming along. And oh boy, is it still coming along.

Writing on his dedicated 'Not A Blog' blog, Martin wrote: "I wrote hundreds and hundreds of pages of 'The Winds of Winter' in 2020. The best year I've had on WOW since I began it. Why? I don't know. Maybe the isolation. Or maybe I just got on a roll. Sometimes I do get on a roll."

All well and good. He wrote hundreds and hundreds of pages. Jackpot.

Well, actually, no. It's the next part that becomes a bit of a cause for concern. He continued: "I need to keep rolling, though. I still have hundreds of more pages to write to bring the novel to a satisfactory conclusion. That's what 2021 is for, I hope."

So, it seems like George R. R. Martin will indeed finish writing 'Winds of Winter' this year, but whether we'll actually be able to read it by the year's end is a different story. Hell, this book has been in the making for years now, we're not even hopeful the fantasy author will finish writing it during 2021.

The most recent entry in the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series was with 'A Dance with Dragons' in 2011. Since then, Martin got sidetracked with the main HBO series, as well as releasing other 'Game of Thrones' prequels, graphic novels, 'Nightflyers' Netflix series, and being involved in other 'GOT' spin-off series.

"I will make no predictions on when I will finish," the author added. "Every time I do, a--holes on the internet take that as a 'promise,' and then wait eagerly to crucify me when I miss the deadline. All I will say is that I am hopeful."

Oh, and he also called Trump a "vile vile man", while talking about old age, misquoting a Robert Browning quote as a WB Yeats one. You can read the 72-year-old's full blog post here.

The next 'Game of Thrones' HBO series that we'll see will be 'House of the Dragon' which is slated for a 2022 release. There are also a 'Tales of Dunk and Egg' series as well as an animated production in early stages of development.