The Winds of Winter continues to be one of the most-anticipated books out there, and George R. R. Martin's coyness with the release date is a big part of why people are so desperate (also, because of the overall popularity of the books- people love A Song of Ice and Fire and its sister HBO series, Game of Thrones).

But could Martin be planning a surprise, and releasing the sixth and second-to-last book, The Winds of Winter, this year? That's a rumor being put out by Master Herald. According to their sources, Martin is "in the process of polishing up the book and adding the final touches to it," and if that's the case, the book may be released this year. October 20 is apparently a date that's being put out by a lot of sources online. However, it's important to note that this information isn't being confirmed by any official sources, and also that it's also possible that Martin is still nowhere near finishing The Winds of Winter, as multiple sources are also claiming.

But what happens if the next season of HBO's Game of Thrones, which will be starting next month, comes and goes with no news of The Winds of Winter? Game of Thrones has already begun dipping into the fourth and fifth books of the series, and its being reported that the fifth season may start to delve into material that hasn't been covered at all in Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.

If that's the case, would Martin's book series start to lose their impact? It's possible that people might stop caring so much about A Song of Ice and Fire (and The Winds of Winter) if they've already seen everything play out on Game of Thrones, and have no desire to read a thousand pages of a tv show they've already seen through the end. Martin's got something to worry about as the Game of Thrones premiere draws ever closer.