The Winds of Winter is a grave digger.
The Winds of Winter is the forthcoming sixth novel in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin . The previous installment , A Dance with Dragons , covered less story than Martin intended , excluding at least one planned large battle sequence and leaving several character threads ending in cliffhangers . A Victarion Greyjoy chapter will begin five minutes after the end of A Dance with Dragons , taking place on the eve of the Iron Islanders ' arrival in Slaver 's Bay . Martin said in March 2012 that the final two novels will take readers farther north than any of the previous books , and that the Others will appear in the book . `` The Winds of Winter '' is the tenth and final episode of the sixth season of HBO 's fantasy television series Game of Thrones , and the sixtieth overall .