GAME OF THRONES author George R R Martin has posted a chapter from the next book in the series online.

He’s revealed an excerpt from The Winds of Winter on his blog, which has crashed several times owing to the sudden surge in traffic.

If you want to read it, be advised that there are spoilers left, right and centre if you’re not smack up to date with the books.

You have been warned.

The somewhat confusing date on the post in the News section of his website is explained by Martin himself on his blog:

The new chapter is actually an old chapter.  But no, it’s not one I’ve published or posted before, and I don’t even think I’ve read it at a con (could be wrong there, I’ve done readings at so many cons, it all tends to blur together).  So it’s new in that it is material that no one but my editors (well, and Parris, and David and Dan, and a few others) have ever seen before, but it’s old in that it was written a long time ago, predating any of the samples that you have seen.  The first draft was, at any rate.  I’ve rewritten it a dozen times since then.

With fans of the books worrying that something dreadful will happen to Martin before he pens the rest of the series, and fans of the TV show worrying that the programme will catch up with him before he releases a new book, this is a step in the right direction.

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