George R.R. Martin says "Game of Thrones" finale sort of got book ending right, but not everything

Martin says he expects his final two "Thrones" books to fill 3,000 manuscript pages

Published May 21, 2019 4:30PM (EDT)

Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in "Game of Thrones" (Helen Sloan/HBO)
Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen in "Game of Thrones" (Helen Sloan/HBO)

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“It is hard to believe it is over, if truth be told,” George R.R. Martin wrote in a new blog post reacting to the series finale of HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” The series signed off May 19 with a divisive finale that nonetheless broke HBO ratings records. Now that the HBO series has ended, are the final two “Thrones” books Martin is writing spoiled? Kind of, but not exactly, as the author stressed once again how different the show became once it passed his published novels.

“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,” Martin wrote. “So if nothing else, the readers will learn what happened to Jeyne Poole, Lady Stoneheart, Penny and her pig, Skahaz Shavepate, Arianne Martell, Darkstar, Victarion Greyjoy, Ser Garlan the Gallant, Aegon VI, and a myriad of other characters both great and small that viewers of the show never had the chance to meet.”

Martin played more coy when reacting to whether or not the broad strokes of the franchise’s ending as seen on television will mirror what happens in his final book, “A Dream of Spring.”

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“How will it all end? I hear people asking,” the author wrote. 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 and Dan, never forget. They had six hours for this final season. I expect these last two books of mine will fill 3000 manuscript pages between them before I’m done… and if more pages and chapters and scenes are needed, I’ll add them.”

Martin had told “Thrones” showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss the ending to his series, so it’s safe to assume at least the major developments that occurred during the show’s finale will be similar to what Martin writes in his novels. The bulk of the series’ finale episodes were focused on Daenerys Targaryen’s descent from hero to Mad Queen, which is likely to happen in Martin’s novels. The author isn’t ready to reveal anything about what he has planned and spent much of his latest blog post, entitled “An Ending,” in an emotional mood.

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“It has been a wild ride, to say the least,” Martin said. “The years have gone past in the blink of an eye.  Can it really have been more than a decade since my manager Vince Gerardis set up a meeting at the Palm in LA, and I sat down for the first time with David Benioff and D.B. Weiss for a lunch that lasted well past dinner? I asked them if they knew who Jon Snow’s mother was. Fortunately, they did.”

Martin’s final line was most telling: “Book or show, which will be the ‘real’ ending? It’s a silly question…How about this? I’ll write it. You read it. Then everyone can make up their own mind, and argue about it on the internet.”

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By Zack Sharf

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