'Winds of Winter' release date, plot rumors: Premiere to be determined; upcoming book to delve into history of Dragonstone?

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Years after the release of "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of books, fans are hotly anticipating the release of "Winds of Winter." The release date has still to be determined, but that does not stop fans from speculating when it can be out and what to expect.

"Winds of Winter" has gone through many delays in release, drawing criticism from fans. However, there are still plots that fans are looking forward to reading in the upcoming book. Among those plots would be Jon Snow coming back from the dead, which was already shown in the "Game of Thrones" series. With the character played by Kit Harrington, Jon is not only back from the dead but he has also become King of the North.

However, in the upcoming book, Jon has yet to be brought back from the dead. In a Reddit thread, fans were speculating on how Martin is going to write the resurrection of the character, if it was going to be done in a different manner compared to the series.

Another thing that fans are curious about in the thread is where Samwell Tarly has been. In the television series, the character is played by John Bradley West, and has traveled all the way to the Citadel. Sam ends up discovering what can kill the White Walkers; the Dragonglass that could be mined in Dragonstone. This led fans to speculate that Martin will further explore the history of Dragonstone instead of laying it out simply as a Dragonglass mine that has significance to the Targaryens.

In a Livejournal post back in July, Martin shared that the upcoming books were still work-in-progress. He went on to suggest that he was months from finishing the books, and that it is unclear which among "Winds of Winter" or the first installment of "Fire and Blood" will be hitting the shelves. However, he thinks fans can expect something from him in 2018 – perhaps two books.