George RR Martin bares his teeth. The American novelist sharply criticized the series on his blog on Wednesday House of the Dragonspin-off of Game of Thrones. The author was particularly disappointed by the many changes from his book. Fire and Blood and the showrunner’s ideas for the next two seasons.
In a since-deleted post, George RR Martin lamented the series’ removal of Aegon and Helaena Targaryen’s youngest son, Maelor. Without him, the series loses its power, he says. In House of the DragonAegon and Helaena have only two children, twins Jaehaera and Jaehaerys.
In one episode, Queen Helaena is forced by the killers Blood and Cheese to sacrifice one of her children – or they will kill them all. She therefore chooses to sacrifice Jaehaerys. The novel, however, offers a much crueler scene: while Helaena chooses Maelor, Blood kills Jaehaerys instead before telling his brother that his mother wanted him dead.
“When Ryan Condal (the showrunner) told me this idea years ago, I was against it, for many reasons,” George RR Martin, who is a writer and executive producer on the show, wrote on his blog. “But I didn’t fight it for long. This change does weaken the show a little bit.”
“Darker”
According to the novelist, the scene in the book “was stronger.” “The actors who played the killers in the series were excellent, but the characters are crueler, harder and more frightening in the book. Helaena also has more courage and strength in the novel.”
“The ‘Sophie’s Choice’ aspect (a famous film where the heroine has to sacrifice one of her children during World War II, editor’s note) was the strongest and darkest part of the scene. I hated that it wasn’t in the series. Judging from the comments from fans, most seem to agree.”
In his message, George RR Martin also mentions the showrunner’s ideas for the sequel. The novelist made it known that he was not happy with his choices. Especially since the loss of Maelor has significant repercussions – a “butterfly effect”, he specifies – on the rest of the plot.
“What are we going to offer the fans now that we’ve killed these butterflies?” he wrote. “And there are bigger and more toxic butterflies to come if House of the Dragon continues its momentum and retains some of the changes planned for the third and fourth seasons.”
“A great job”
HBO has responded to George RR Martin’s criticism. “There is no bigger fan of George RR Martin and his book Fire and Blood that the team of House of the Dragon“, responded a spokesperson for the network. “When you adapt a book for the screen, you always have to make difficult choices. Ryan Condal and his team have done a tremendous job.”
Inspired by the book Fire and Blood by George RR Martin, the series House of the Dragon is located approximately 200 years before that of Game of Thronesin the same feudal society and focuses on the history of House Targaryen. The season has been available since June 17 on the Max platform.
Real success, House of the Dragon has inspired other spin-off series Game of Thrones. The Hedge Knight (The Knight Errant), about the adventures of an ancestor of Brienne and the future king Aegon V. Targaryen, should also see the light of day by the end of 2025.
- BFMTV.com
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