George R. R. Martin criticizes the changes made by 'House of the Dragon' in a quickly deleted blog post

• George R. R. Martin criticized HBO's "House of the Dragon" in a new blog post on Wednesday.
• Martin, the source material's author, took particular umbrage with the absence of Maelor Targaryen.
• He said the change would cause a butterfly effect, warning fans of "more toxic butterflies to come."

Warning : Major spoilers ahead for "House of the Dragon" season two and the book "Fire and Blood."

George R. R. Martin has called out "House of the Dragon" showrunners for removing key details from his book, "Fire and Blood," insisting, "Simpler is not better."

In a new blog post titled "Beware the Butterflies," published and then quickly deleted on Wednesday, Martin criticized the HBO series for changing the so-called "Blood and Cheese" murder , which occurs in the season two premiere.

Although Martin said the episode was "well written, well directed, powerfully acted," he understood why some fans were disappointed with how Blood and Cheese was watered down for the screen .

The result is the same: Aegon's heir Prince Jaehaerys is killed as an act of retribution , "a son for a son." But the show's adaptation involves less cruelty and psychological torture. "I still believe the scene in the book is stronger," Martin wrote.

Martin was especially discouraged by one character's absence: Aegon and Helaena Targaryen's third child, Maelor .

Alongside his twin siblings, Maelor is present for the Blood and Cheese murder in the book, which significantly changes the dynamic of the tragedy. When the killers ask Helaena to choose which of her two sons will die, she picks Maelor, but they still kill Jaehaerys instead.

According to Martin, showrunner Ryan Condal decided to cut Maelor from the scene for practical reasons, including casting challenges and budgetary restrictions.

When this streamlined plan was proposed "ages ago," Martin said he "argued against it" — but he didn't push hard for Maelor's inclusion, since Condal originally promised to introduce the younger son later on.

"Ryan assured me that we were not losing Prince Maelor, simply postponing him," Martin wrote. "Queen Helaena could still give birth to him in season three, presumably after getting with child late in season two. That made sense to me, so I withdrew my objections and acquiesced to the change."

However, Martin said the plan has since shifted; showrunners now intend to exclude Maelor entirely.

Here's where Martin's complaints get a little complicated.

Note: Major spoilers ahead for "Fire and Blood" and potential spoilers for "House of the Dragon" seasons three and four. (If the showrunners stick to the source material, that is.)

In his blog post, Martin admitted that "Maelor by himself means little," being a 2-year-old toddler with no dialogue or decision-making abilities.

But he also argued that Maelor's omission would cause a butterfly effect and weaken the overall narrative.

In the book, when Rhaenyra threatens to take King's Landing , Queen Alicent sends Maelor away from the castle in an attempt to keep him safe.

Unfortunately, the young prince is killed in Bitterbridge by a mob of smallfolk, desperate to reap the reward for his capture. Maelor's brutal murder triggers a chain reaction, including the suicide of his mother, Queen Helaena , and a riot that results in the deaths of several dragons.

"In Ryan's outline for season 3, Helaena still kills herself… for no particular reason. There is no fresh horror, no triggering event to overwhelm the fragile young queen," Martin wrote.

"What will we offer the fans instead, once we've killed these butterflies? I have no idea," he continued. "I do not recall that Ryan and I ever discussed this, back when he first told me they were pushing back on Aegon's second son. Maelor himself is not essential… but if losing him means we also lose Bitterbridge, Helaena's suicide, and the riots, well… that's a considerable loss."

Martin said he doesn't know how Condal and his team plan to adapt these plot points, but he fears that without Maelor, future seasons will lack the "logical and convincing" storylines from his original story.

Martin ended his rant with a sharp warning: "There are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if HOUSE OF THE DRAGON goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4…"

Although the blog post was deleted shortly after publication, an archived version is available to read. Fans have also circulated screenshots on social media.

A spokesperson for HBO told Variety in a statement, "There are few greater fans of George R.R. Martin and his book 'Fire & Blood' than the creative team on 'House of the Dragon,' both in production and at HBO."

"Commonly, when adapting a book for the screen, with its own format and limitations, the showrunner ultimately is required to make difficult choices about the characters and stories the audience will follow," the statement reads. "We believe that Ryan Condal and his team have done an extraordinary job and the millions of fans the series has amassed over the first two seasons will continue to enjoy it."

Representatives for HBO did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.