Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin teases major changes between TV show and book ending

Simon Bland

We know nothing, apparently

Game of Thrones author George R.R Martin has teased some major differences between the way HBO’s massively popular TV series ended and the long-awaited ending of the book A Song of Ice and Fire upon which it is based.

Pop-culture’s latest water-cooler hit came to an end in 2019 with a conclusion that some believed was a little rushed.

Without giving away any spoilers, the show – which ran for eight series and starred the likes of Kit Harrington as warrior Jon Snow, Emilia Clarke as Queen of Dragons Daenerys Targaryen and Peter Dinklage as the sly Tyrion Lannister, among many others – had countless storylines to wrap up and only a few scant episodes in which to do it.

Needless to say, many were left disappointed when all was said and done.

However with the author behind the novel series upon which the show was based yet to conclude his written account of events, many have been left wondering whether his canon ending will be more satisfying than the one series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss created.

Now thanks to a new blog post, Martin has teased some tidbits about what we can expect – and it sounds like he’s aiming for something completely different to what HBO served up.

Taking to his Not a Blog blog, Martin explained: “One thing I can say, in general enough terms that I will not be spoiling anything: not all of the characters who survived until the end of GAME OF THRONES will survive until the end of A SONG OF ICE & FIRE, and not all of the characters who died on GAME OF THRONES will die in A SONG OF ICE & FIRE.

He continued, adding: “(Some will, sure. Of course. Maybe most. But definitely not all) ((Of course, I could change my mind again next week, with the next chapter I write. That’s gardening)).

“And the ending? You will need to wait until I get there. Some things will be the same. A lot will not.”

While many notable fan-favourite characters met their end during the lead up to the show’s finale (no spoilers here), Martin was quick to point out that, the way his current writing is going, readers shouldn’t expect a similar service in A Song of Ice and Fire.

Continuing to write in his blog, entitled A Winter Garden, Martin explained that his writing process “is taking me further and further away from the television series.

“Yes, some of the things you saw on HBO in GAME OF THRONES you will also see in THE WINDS OF WINTER (though maybe not in quite the same ways)… but much of the rest will be quite different.”

The author concluded by saying that at the end of the day, fans will be able to decide for themselves which ending they prefer. However with the book taking its sweet time to arrive, Martin hopes this delay won’t automatically hinder some fans’ reaction to what he’s cooked up.

“No doubt, once I am done, there will be huge debate about which version of the story is better. Some people will like my book, others will prefer the television show. And that’s fine, you pays your money and your make your choice.”

He added “(I do fear that a certain proportion of fans are so angry about how long WINDS has taken me that they are prepared to hate the book, unread. That saddens me, but there nothing I can do about it, but write the best book that I can, and hope that when it comes out most fans will read it with clean hands and an open mind).

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