"The Winds of Winter" is not ready for publication this 2015. George R. R. Martin remains unsure of when the newest addition to "A Song of Ice and Fire" series will be completed and the bestselling author's publisher has confirmed that its 2015 project list does not include the sixth installment of the series on which the hit HBO series "Game of Thrones" is based. 

Unwearied fans were hoping that the follow-up to "A Dance with Dragons," which hit shelves around four years ago, is coming this year. But alas, 2016 is now the year readers and "Game of Thrones" lovers are looking out for. However, their patience is still rewarded with an illustrated edition of the first three previously anthologized prequel novellas in the series. 

Publishing company HarperCollins is releasing "The Hedge Knight," "The Sworn Sword" and "The Mystery Knight" in one convenient illustrated volume. HarperCollins' Jane Johnson said that the book illustrated in black and white will "give fascinating insights into the ongoing story, from the point of view of Ser Duncan the Tall, a hedge knight, and his squire Egg – who may be rather more than he first seems." 

"The short novels have been previously published in separate anthologies but never put together before, and this will be a particularly beautiful edition," Johnson promised fans via The Guardian.

Meanwhile, Johnson said that there is still "no information on a likely delivery" of "The Winds of Winter."

"These are increasingly complex books and require immense amounts of concentration to write. Fans really ought to appreciate that the length of these monsters is equivalent to two or three novels by other writers," Johnson said. 

Martin himself has exerted effort, not in dropping a release date for "The Winds of Winter" but rather, in quashing rumors about its alleged release. 

"There won't be any clues to decipher, any codes or hidden meanings, the announcement will be straightforward and to the point," the novelist firmly stated via his blog. "When it is done, I will say that's it is done, on whatever day I happen to finish. I don't know how I can make it any clearer."