George R.R. Martin will voluntarily forgo writing any Game of Thrones episodes for this upcoming fifth season on HBO.

This news comes as a surprise,  mainly due to Martin having written at least one episode for the hit HBO show over the past four seasons.

However, there’s light at the end of this tunnel, Martin has stated that he’s staying away from writing for the show so he can write for the books.  He wants to focus on finishing the next book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series titled The Winds of Winter.

As a huge fan of both the book series and the show, this news has me conflicted but overall happy.  The show has already changed things from the books thus far.  They’ve blended characters, eliminated story lines, and even shown events that haven’t happened yet in the books.

I’m certain book fans are rejoicing at this news, count me among them.  Bring on The Winds of Winter.

Source: Entertainment Weekly