Calling all Game of Thrones fans, there’s a scoop (but no spoilers) coming your way.
George R.R Martin, American novelist and author of the Game of Thrones Books, has just addressed the much-talked-about ending of the recent HBO series and given insight into his inspiration in a recent interview with an American TV channel.
Watch the interview below:
It may come as no surprise that Martin divulged what we have long suspected – that the popular fantasy drama show is moving further away from the original Game of Thrones Books he originally wrote.
Adapted from Martin’s novel ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’, Game of Thrones has a number of notable differences. From character betrayals to the way The White Walkers are depicted (less scary in the books), as well as different outcomes for Game of Thrones characters themselves.
The five-book head start advantage
Martin explains that having a five-book head start gave him an advantage, but admits:
“Looking back, I wish I had stayed ahead in the books.”
He goes on to admit that his biggest issue when the series began was that he had four books already in print, with a fifth just out. We can only imagine the sense of security this might provide, but eventually the series caught up with him: “I never thought they’d catch up with me… but they did,” confessed Martin.
Previously, the writer revealed that had the TV shown gone on for longer, it would have allowed him more time to flesh out parts in more detail, specifically Game of Thrones characters and storylines that were subsequently left out of the series.
And if you’re reading between the lines, Martin reveals that his books will have a potentially different ending to the TV show. Admitting that he felt “a little strange” when the show caught up with the Game of Thrones books, going so far as to say there were going in “somewhat different directions”, the writer confessed that he was still working on the book, and we’ll just have to wait for his ending when it comes out. This all suggests that it could be a very different ending to the one on we have seen on screen.
Of course, this is not the first time Martin has teased us with series finales. In his blog, talking about Games of Thrones Season 8 way back in 2019, he said: “The same ending as the show? Different? Well… yes. And no. And yes. And no. And yes. And no. And yes. I am working in a very different medium than David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss], never forget. They had six hours for this final season. I expect these last two books of mine will fill 3,000 manuscript pages between them before I’m done… and if more pages and chapters and scenes are needed, I’ll add them.”
He goes on to say: “There are characters who never made it onto the screen at all, and others who died in the show but still live in the books… Book or show, which will be the ‘real’ ending? It’s a silly question.”
Make of that what you will.
Getting Insightful
Fans who want to delve even deeper should watch the interview in full. Not only does it give a glimpse into the mind behind Games of Thrones, but it’s fascinating to learn how Martin grew into his career and the humble beginnings he came from.
He speaks of his love of comic books growing up, and how reading from a young age gave him a thirst for literature. He recites one account from his childhood that when writing books about monsters and werewolves, he’d unintentionally frighten other children and was warned off by parents. Thankfully, that didn’t dampen his talent, as Game of Thrones Season 8 is a testament to!
The author, who grew up in the projects and later moved to the Midwest, also referenced the influence of his environment when developing Game of Thrones. Who knew that the bleak Chicago winters would provide fodder for the show?
Martin added: “You file everything away – if you’re a writer, if you’re a fiction writer. Everything that happens to you; good, bad, heartbreak, trauma, love, death, and just little incidents …you draw on it and maybe decades, or quarter-century later suddenly you’re writing something that brings it to mind and you bring it out again.”
Catch up now
Game of Thrones Season 8 aired on HBO in April 2019. However, if you want to watch from Australia you can stream the series now on Binge or Foxtel.
Don’t expect any inside gossip when you watch the interview after this read, he’s been sworn not to talk about any Game of Thrones give-aways!
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