Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin blasts House of the Dragon TV show in searing statement

The author of the Game of Thrones books has voiced his disapproval of the House of Dragons series. In a blog post, the writer detailed what he thought the series got wrong.

George R.R. Martin wrote the first Game of Thrones book in 1996. There are eight books in total, which the critically acclaimed eight-season series was based on. A spin-off series titled House of Dragons was released in 2022, which was supposedly based off Martin’s book ‘Fire & Blood.”

However, the 75-year-old author criticized the show for key changes to his original material, being the most publicly critical he has been of a show in the GOT universe, and screenwriter Ryan Condal. Martin unleashed his feelings in a 2051-word post titled Beware the Butterflies. He felt that the series had missed out on a key character, Maelor, who does not appear in the show despite having a huge impact on the overall plot of the book.

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In the book, Maelor is violently killed which drives his mother, Helaena, to suicide. The absence of Maelor leaves a question mark above her death, according to Martin.

He wrote: “In (showrunner) Ryan (Condal’s) outline for season three, Helaena still kills herself, for no particular reason. There is no fresh horror, no triggering event to overwhelm the fragile young queen,” he said. Martin explained Helaena’s death then sets off a bloody riot in King’s Landing which leads to other momentous events.

In his blog post, which was deleted several hours later, Martin spilled a secret from the unreleased script for season 3. He serves as an executive producer on the show. HBO Network responded with a statement, writing: “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 character and stories the audience will follow.

"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.”

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