Fans expecting A Song of Ice and Fire author George RR Martin to make a surprise announcement about the release of the much awaited The Winds of Winter at San Diego Comic Con were disappointed that no such announcement came even as HBO concluded the sixth season of Game of Thrones but their disappointment was further magnified by the sliver of hope offered by the "appearance" of the author at the event, which turned out to be a dud.

As a matter of fact, George RR Martin had to clarify the issue after being bombarded with reports of his sightings.

"Now, normally, I would not feel the need to post about where I'm not and what I am not doing... only I am getting reports from friends in San Diego, and friends of friends, that I have been sighted at the con.It's not me.Really. It's not. It's some other old fat guy in a Greek sailor's cap and pair of suspenders, maybe. Who may or may not be consciously cosplaying as me," he said in his blog.

He did announce that the 2017 Ice and Fire Calendar made its premiere at the Comic Con which featured in its cover a depiction by the Battle of Blackwater illustrated by Didier Graffet.

While the author has not announced any new release information for the sixth book in the saga, it is expected that it will come out before the seventh season of the HBO show, which has since surpassed material from the literature with the Season 6 finale.

In a recent interview, he even referred to Winds of Winter as his "Song of Kong" in reference to the 1933 lesser known sequel to King Kong that came within nine months of the first movie. At the time, he made the comparison because he felt that he was writing so fluidly after Dance of Dragons in 2011.

However, no specific release date has yet been released by the author, who has promised that he is working tirelessly to finish the book as soon as possible.