Tower of the Hand

Editor Anne Groell has now confirmed that, at long last, George R. R. Martin has finished writing A Dance with Dragons. As previously reported, the fifth book of his bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire series will be released on July 12, 2011, meaning more than five years will have passed since A Feast for Crows was published. More than ten years will have passed since certain fan favorites made their last appearances. We're sure many readers are hoping ADWD will be worth the wait.

A Dance with Dragons is expected to equal A Storm of Swords in size, but its development was surrounded by far more controversy. Part of that comes from GRRM's difficulty in working out particularly tricky plot points. But a lot of it is due to the books' increasing popularity and fans' growing impatience. All the splits, knots, and Kongs that delayed the story finally have been banished (at least for one volume) and we look forward to covering the twists and turns that occur within the book, as opposed to the ones that arose from its making.

Look for A Dance with Dragons in stores on July 12. It is also available for preorder from many retailers, including Barnes and Noble.