Game of Thrones show to outpace books owing to new novel's delay

Game of Thrones is aboutto outpace its source material sincethe coming season willstart airingwithoutauthor George R.R. Martin havingfinishedthe next book in the series.

"You're disappointed, and you're not alone."Martin saidin ablogpost on hiswebsite.

The popular HBO series Game of Thrones is based on the long running fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire. Each season of the show has been adapted fromroughly one book.

Had it been finished in advance, the next book, Winds of Winter, would have been the basis of Game of Thrones' sixth season.Martin said in the post he missed both adeadline in October and a further extension at the end of theyear.

"Here it is, the first of January. The book is not done, not delivered. No words can change that. I tried, I promise you. I failed," he wrote.

Martin citedseveral reasons, but pointed to stress from having a deadline and hisdecision torevise his work.

As a result, season six, which starts airinginApril on HBO Canada,will use material planned for the sixth book along with original stories.

Until now,fans of the show have faced theconstant threat of spoilers by readers.

Now things will be different, Martin said.

"Some of the 'spoilers' you may encounter in season six may not be spoilers at all ... because the show and the books have diverged, and will continue to do so," he wrote.

Martin said he has talked with the show's writersabout the series' trajectory.

Fans had a mixed reaction to the announcement, although most seem positive about the delay.

A few expressedconcern overMartin's comments about being depressedin the last few months.

There were also afew complaints, with some accusing Martin of being lazy or negligent.

In response, many have pointed out that regardless of when he finishes his story, Martin does not owe his audience an ending.

"The bottom line is, we are not entitled to Martin's story: We are lucky to get it, whenever he wants to share it with us," wrote Maureen Ryan, a TV columnist for Variety.

Martin mentioned in an interview with Vanity Fairin 2014 that one possible solution might be todrawfrom one of hisDunk and Egg novellas, which take place 100 years before the Game of Thrones series.

That, however, would lead to a new issue, sincethe actors for some of the characters began the series as teenagers and have grown up. In the books, meanwhile,they've stayed roughly the same age.

Any prolonged departure from the main story could significantlychange how these actors appear.

Martin appears tohave been prepared for quite a whilefor the books to part ways with the series.

"You have to recognize that there are going to be some differences. I'm very pleased with how faithful the show is to the books, but it's never gonna be exactly the same," he said in that Vanity Fair interview.

Martin released his last book in the series, A Dance with Dragons, back in 2011, after a nearly six-year wait. If he manages to release the book sometime this year, it would be the second longest wait time for a new book in the series.