Dragons are coming, my friends, and you best get ready to dance with them.
It's been six years since "A Feast For Crows" was released, the fourth book in George R.R. Martin's epic "A Song of Ice and Fire" saga. Six long years of fans rebelling against the seemingly endless amount of time that Martin was taking to let us know what was happening with fan favorites Jon, Bran and Dany (who haven't appeared since 2000's "A Storm of Swords").
But now, with a month and a half until "Game of Thrones," the adaptation of the first of Martin's novels, premieres on HBO, expected and yet entirely unexpected news has been announced: "A Dance with Dragons" will be released to bookstores near you on July 12, 2011.
The news came from Martin himself, who wrote on his website that while he's still not done with the novel, that "this date is different, this date is real."
Those familiar with the series will know that the original release date for "A Dance with Dragons" was supposed to be in 2007, but then Martin's realization that the book wasn't what he wanted it to be pushed it back to 2008 and once again to 2009.
Martin addresses these continued delays in his announcement. "You've all seen publication dates before: dates in 2007, 2008, 2009. None of those were ever hard dates, however. Most of them... well, call it wishful thinking, boundless optimism, cockeyed dreams, honest mistakes, whatever you like," he wrote. "Barring tsunamis, general strikes, world wars, or asteroid strikes, you will have the novel in your hands on July 12. I hope you like it."
So do we, George. So do we.
Side note: "A Dance with Dragons" comes out the same week as "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2." Best week ever? We think so!
Share your joy with us at this announcement in the comments section or on Twitter!
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