HarperCollins U.K. has confirmed that The Winds of Winter by George R.R. Martin is not scheduled to be published this year.

“I have no information on likely delivery [of The Winds of Winter],” said Jane Johnson, Martin’s publisher in the U.K. The sixth book in Martin’s epic A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series has been hotly anticipated since the publication of A Dance With Dragons in 2011.

“These are increasingly complex books and require immense amounts of concentration to write,” Johnson reminded anxious readers. “Fans really ought to appreciate that the length of these monsters is equivalent to two or three novels by other writers.”

While this news is a disheartening blow to fans of Martin’s series and the HBO adaptation Game of Thrones, fans needn’t bury their hopes entirely based on HarperCollins’ schedule. Schedules can certainly change, and though Johnson’s perspective suggests it is unlikely, it remains possible that the prodigiously verbose author will finish The Winds of Winter this year. Martin has repeatedly reminded fans that news of completion and publication will be offered on his “Not-A-Blog”-blog as soon as it is available.

In the painful meantime that is life for fans of A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones, you can pick up a new publication of George R.R. Martin’s this year. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will collect Martin’s three “Tales of Dunk and Egg” stories into one volume, along with illustrations by Gary Gianni.

The very long short stories tell of events in the life of legendary knight Ser Duncan the Tall, who rose from life as a King’s Landing peasant to become the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. A key figure in the stories is Aegon Targaryen, who grows to become King Aegon V – great-grandfather of A Song of Ice and Fire’s dragon-hatching protagonist, Daenerys Targaryen.

And of course, Game of Thrones will be returning to HBO on April 12, giving fans plenty to look forward to from the HBO series. The first trailer for season 5 has just hit the internet, and provides an excellent buzz for those hungering to return to Westeros sooner rather than later.