George R.R. Martin Pull Quote Only Text on Fantasy Book Cover

Fantasy enthusiasts are still trying to figure out the name and author of a new novel announced by Tor which appears to only have a pull quote from George R.R. Martin on the cover. “Fantasy as it was meant to be written” covers the entirety of the front cover, with attribution to the Song of Ice and Fire creator taking up the spine. Readers will have to wait until the physical book is in stores to suss out the true author of the book. A press release from Tor said, “For whatever reason, Martin’s cache within the Fantasy market has not diminished in the years since the end of the first Game of Thrones adaptation. If HBO is content with throwing his name on every announced series, who are we to buck the trend. Do we look like we have HBO money?”

We asked fantasy readers if they felt like the announcement and cover of the book amounted to false advertising, but few were actually bothered by it. “Honestly, I don’t think any real GRRM fan will even register that his name is on it,” says Madeline Beech, a longtime Martin reader. “Years of blog posts and Wild Cards anthologies will inure you pretty quickly to his name being attached to something. Bookies used have the odds on a new ASOIAF book in 2025, but that can change with any number of factors. At least the Mets aren’t going to the playoffs anytime soon.”

Despite Beech’s prediction, the announcement seems to have worked, as Tor announced preorders have been promising. “We’re very happy to know that readers are still excited to read something George has apparently read as well. Look forward to the coming weeks when we announce a whole host of books with pull quotes from Neil Gaiman.”