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For the 14th straight year, “Game of Thrones” fans are asking themselves if this is the year. As in, if this is the year George R.R. Martin finally releases “The Winds of Winter,” the planned sixth novel in his epic fantasy series “A Song of Ice and Fire.”

The answer remains the same. Maybe. Hopefully. Err, probably not.

Martin maintains he will finish not only “Winds of Winter,” but also the final planned novel of the series, “A Dream of Spring.” Understandably, fans have grown increasingly skeptical. 

The eccentric, oft-secluded author turns 77 this year. He hasn’t published a book from the series since 2011, when he released “A Dance with Dragons.” The television series based on the novels, “Game of Thrones,” long outpaced the book’s timeline and aired its final episode in 2019. 

In fact, HBO is currently working on the third season of one “Thrones” prequel series, “House of the Dragon,” and the first season of another, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Still, while skeptical, fans are hopeful. And for good reason.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: George R.R. Martin attends HBO’s “House of the Dragon” FYC Screening at Directors Guild Of America on March 07, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO)

Because Martin did not, as he vowed, finish his book series in time to provide the “Game of Thrones” showrunners with the material for the final three seasons, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss were forced to create their own original material to finish the series.

According to Martin, Benioff and Weiss used the ending he has planned for the book series (such as Bran Stark ending the story on the Iron Throne), but they had to fill in the holes themselves to get viewers to that point from the end of season 5.

And “Thrones” fans regrettably recall that the last three seasons of the show failed to meet the standards of the first five. 

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 11:  The Night King and White Walkers march through London to promote the forthcoming Game Of Thrones Season 7 on July 11, 2017 in London, England. The new season airs at 9pm on July 17th on Sky Atlantic. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

Specifically, the showrunners failed to tie up critical loose ends (Arya’s ability to change faces) and/or make sense of the destination for several key characters (how could Daenerys turn that mad, that fast?).

That’s what happens when the author of the source material stops providing source material in the fourth quarter. Therefore, fans of both the book and television series continue to hope that Martin can fill in the gaps by making better sense of his ending.

If anyone can, he can. Actually, only he can.

The distressing part is that George R.R. Martin probably won’t finish the book series. Even if he finishes “Winds of Winter” in 2025 (don’t hold your breath), that puts him on pace to finish “A Dream of Spring” when he is about 100. After all, every new book takes him longer.

Never doubt a creative genius, but let’s be real. He’s running out of time.

So let’s hope we at least get to read “The Winds of Winter.” At some point. Hopefully, in 2025. But probably not.