Those who are hoping to read "The Winds of Winter" before the final season of "Game of Thrones" airs on HBO next year might be disappointed. While George R.R. Martin is releasing a book this year, he has recently confirmed that it will not be the long overdue sixth book of his "A Song of Ice and Fire" series.

Responding to a fan asking about his writing plans for 2018, the acclaimed author revealed on the comment section of his blog that he was working on his "Fire & Blood" series which explores the history of the Targaryen family. The book will come in two volumes: the first, according to Martin, will be published before "The Winds of Winter" and the second will publish afterward. In this case, readers will unlikely get an update on the literary version of Westeros until 2019.

Martin previously promised readers will definitely get at least one Westeros-based novel this year, even teasing the possibility of rolling out two. "I do think you will have a Westeros book from me in 2018... and who knows, maybe two," he said. However, based on Martin's recent comment, a back-to-back release seems unlikely now. At least, Martin is not leaving his fans empty-handed.

Then again, this is not the first splash of cold water to hit those who have been anticipating the sixth book of the "Song of Ice and Fire" series. In 2017, Martin thought the next installment would hit the shelves that year, telling a fan he made some progress but that obviously did not pan out. There is no telling at this point when exactly the book may hit the shelves in 2019, although coinciding its release to "Game of Thrones" season 8's would be a great publicity for both.

Following "The Winds of Winter," Martin still has to publish a follow-up titled "A Dream of Spring," concluding the "Song of Ice and Fire" series.