‘Game of Thrones’ Returns to Dorne in George R.R. Martin’s New ‘Winds of Winter’ Release

Debate rages as to how far Game of Thrones Season 6 will veer away from George R.R. Martin’s literary Song of Ice and Fire, but few would argue that HBO has taken more liberties than with Dorne, following a tremendous shift in the premiere. And while we wait for Martin’s Winds of Winter, the author takes us back to the real Dorne with a new chapter, and an update on the release.

Sadly, where the gulf between Game of Thrones Season 6 and Martin’s Winds of Winter release date widens by the minute, the slow-and-steady author premiered a new chapter excerpt from the coming novel, focused on the Arianne Martell character excised from HBO’s adaptation. Martin also seemingly took a veiled jab at Game of Thrones for killing off the lot, offering a slight update on Winter’s release via his blog:

You want to know what the Sand Snakes, Prince Doran, Areo Hotah, Ellaria Sand, Darkstar, and the rest will be up to in WINDS OF WINTER? Quite a lot, actually. The sample will give you a taste. For the rest, you will need to wait.

And no, just to spike any bullshit rumors, changing the sample chapter does NOT mean I am done. See the icon up above? Monkey is still on my back… but he’s growing, he is, and one day…

Oh well. In any case, the Dorne subplot has yet to offer anything conclusive since Season 6's face-stabbing premiere, despite seemingly veering way left of anything Martin intends for the characters on paper. We’ll see, but check out the latest Winds of Winter in the meantime.