George R. R. Martin, author of the wildly popular “Game of Thrones” book series, shared that he’s pulled back from updating fans via his blog as he “battled sadness and depression.”

“This year has been… stressful, to say the least,” Martin wrote in a blog post published this week, titled “Better Late Than Never.” “So much has been happening, it’s been overwhelming. Some great things, exciting things. Dreams coming true. But there have been nightmares too. I have lost friends. Battled sadness and depression.”

The entry marked Martin’s return to blogging since since Feb. 19. In his latest post, he thanked his “great staff of assistants,” who he said have worked tirelessly to keep him from “falling further and further behind.”

In recent years, the fantasy author has been called out by readers who complain about the delayed publication of the sixth “Game of Thrones” book, “The Winds of Winter.”

Martin addressed the criticism last year, writing in a May 2025 post that he “ought to get some other writer to pinch hit for me… I am going to die soon anyway, because I am so old. I lost all interest in ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ decades ago. I don’t give a s— about writing any longer, I just sit around and spend my money.”

In Monday’s post, Martin referenced his age again, writing, “The worst may be yet to come. I turned seventy-seven last September, and I tell you, getting old is no fun.”

He told fans that the combination of age and depression could mean his “posts are likely to [be] short and rushed” in the immediate future, adding that his “minions” may be helping him more.

But 2026 hasn’t been all sadness for the author, he said. In his post, he highlighted the nine Emmy nominations bestowed on his “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” on HBO Max.

Martin has won four Emmys, all as co-executive producer for “Game of Thrones.” The show won Emmys for outstanding drama series in 2019, 2018, 2016 and 2015.

This year’s awards show, which will air on NBC, takes place on Sept. 14 in Los Angeles.

“I hope to attend…” Martin wrote, “but that depends on… well, on a lot of things.”