Read our Privacy noticeFamed Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin has disclosed that he has battled bouts of sadness and depression this past year. Martin, 77, who wrote the best-selling fantasy novel that the smash hit HBO Max series is based on, opened up about his mental health challenges to fans in a new blog post, published Monday. Highlighting the nine Emmy nominations that HBO’s Game of Thrones spin-off prequel series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, secured last month, Martin said: “I am proud of our team.” “I will open the last chapter I was working on and I’ll say, ‘Oh f***, this is not very good.’ This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.