‘Winds Of Winter’: Will Tyrion Die In George R.R. Martin’s Next Book?

Fans have been imploring George R.R. Martin to finish writing 'The Winds Of Winter', but they may not rush him so much once they learn that not even fan favorite Tyrion Lannister is safe from execution! Exclusive interview below. It's no surprise that death is kind of an inevitability in the Song Of Ice And Fire/Game Of Thrones universes, but there are just some characters so integral to the plot and so woven into the fandom that it seems as if they'll be safe until the end. Well, according to George R.R. Martin, not even Tyrion Lannister is safe! Read on for our exclusive interview with George at your peril -- mild spoilers are below!

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July 29, 2014 12:02PM EDT
Does Tyrion Die Winds Of Winter
Image Credit: Getty/Courtesy of HBO

Does Tyrion Die In ‘Winds Of Winter’? George R.R. Martin Says Death Is ‘Necessary’

“I love all my characters, of course, but Tyrion has always been a favorite,” George revealed to HollywoodLife.com when we spoke to him in the Courtyard by Marriot at Super Hero HQ during San Diego Comic-Con. No surprise there — both Tyrion and Samwell Tarly have said to be George’s author self-insertions.

“He is the easiest to write … The only thing that is hard is that it takes me days and sometimes weeks to come up with the one-liners that Tyrion comes up with in, like, a minute. I wish in real life I was nearly as acerbic and funny as Tyrion.”

When we pressed him on whether Tyrion would be safe from George’s hit list for his favoritism, he was vague: “Well, I did cut off his nose, so…”

So… Tyrion is going to die? So… Tyrion has suffered enough? Don’t leave us hanging!

George R.R. Martin: ‘I Want To Be On The Edge Of My Seat’

“They say that you write what you want to read and you create in television what you want to watch. I love shows that are unpredictable,” George explained. “I like shows to be more real. Predicatable shows and books bore me. […]

“I want to be on the edge of my seat. So, the deaths are important and at all times necessary.”

Perhaps George’s best example of his penchant for unpredictable but necessary deaths was the unceremonious execution of Ned Stark, way back in Season 1. Given that he was a POV character in the first novel of the series, Game Of Thrones, it seemed impossible that Ned would actually die, and yet. However, his death was necessary — the events which caused Ned’s death had a ripple effect which led to the War Of The Five Kings, causing total destruction in Westeros and even creating some problems across the Narrow Sea.

George R.R. Martin Won’t Be Participating In Season 5 Of ‘GoT’ In Favor Of Finishing ‘The Winds Of Winter’

Fans have been jokingly (and not so jokingly) been pressing George to hurry up and finish The Winds Of Winter before the Game Of Thrones series catches up, and have even expressed displeasure when he so much as leaves the house. However, diehards need not worry — he revealed to Zap2it that he won’t be writing an episode for Season 5 of GoT, as “there’s this book that people are kind of getting antsy about delivering.

“It takes me roughly a month to do an episode, so I decided, given the realities, I’d better skip this one this season and just concentrate on finishing the book,” he told the outlet. Yes, George — please do. No pressure, though.

So, HollywoodLifers, given that Tyrion is GRRM’s favorite character, do you think that he’s safe from execution? Or is it all a ruse to lower the defenses of poor, naïve readers and viewers? Let us know!

— Amanda Michelle Steiner, Reporting by Russ Weakland

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  2. ‘Game Of Thrones’ Season 5 Spoilers: Casting Of Sand Snakes Confirmed
  3. George R.R. Martin: ‘GoT’ Author Teases ‘More Death’ For Book Six