George R.R. Martin has finally revealed the cover to his next book!

Don't get too excited just yet though. Martin isn't showcasing the cover to the sixth installment of his "A Song of Ice & Fire" series (the inspiration for HBO's adapted fantasy drama, "Game of Thrones"). This book is a little different in fact (although it's sure to make die-hard "Game of Thrones" fans happy regardless). It is called "The World of Ice & Fire," and it looks like it's going to be an encyclopedia of sorts.

"It is going to be a gorgeous book, a big coffee table volume with lots and lots of stunning artwork, and tons of fake history," Martin wrote on his blog. "We were supposed to provide 50,000 words of text, but... ah... I got carried away."

The book is being co-written Elio M García Jr. and Linda Antonsson, both founders of the series fan site Westeros.org

"The text was originally contracted for 50,000 words. ... But suffice it to say, it's much, much longer than that," Garcia wrote. "The book itself is now at the 330-odd page mark and is chock-full of some truly gorgeous art, more of it being added as we speak. Lots of new information, about the ancient history of the world, about the various regions, about the Targaryens and the Lannisters, and even about the strange, far-off places of Essos, from the Free Cities to Asshai and the Summer Isles."

Garcia also promises to release an excerpt on his website next week.

Not all fans are likely to take this as good news however.

Many of Martin's readers are impatiently waiting on the next book in the series, "The Winds of Winter." There's an entire faction of the fandom (they call themselves GRRuMblers) that often criticize the author for his slow output. To put it in perspective, the first book in the series was published in 1996. The fifth and most recent book was released in 2011, six years after the fourth book's 2005 publication date. This has already become an issue for the "Game of Thrones" producers, who foresee the series quickly catching up with its source material. The show only plans to run for seven to eight seasons, and Martin is working closely with them to find a way to wrap up the show satisfactorily.

"The World of Ice & Fire" is scheduled for release on Oct. 28.

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