Finally, it looks as if me may, just may, get to see George R.R. Martin’s next Game of Thrones book released at some point later this year.

Fans have been waiting for six years now to read The Winds of Winter, and Martin has taken to his LiveJournal page to update on where things currently stand on the sixth book in the Game of Thrones series.

Responding to a fan asking him about where things are right now, Martin said, “Not done yet, but I’ve made progress. But not as much as I hoped a year ago, when I thought to be done by now. I think it will be out this year. (But hey, I thought the same thing last year).”

One of the main reasons for the long wait for The Winds of Winter is that Martin has been ridiculously busy with a host of projects, notably developing his Wild Cards series for TV. Due to this, the Game of Thrones TV show has now actually passed its written counterpart in terms of where the story has progressed to.

HBO’s Game of Thrones returns for Sky Atlantic this summer, and it’s already been confirmed that there’s just thirteen episodes left before the hugely popular show comes to a close.