Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire vs the HBO Series
April 5, 2026
Discussing the differences between books and their adaptations may reveal plot points for both.
George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO’s Game of Thrones began as the same story and became radically different works. The show’s final seasons have made the books more valuable, not less — because the books are still telling a story that the show abandoned.
The Books
- A Game of Thrones (1996)
- A Clash of Kings (1998)
- A Storm of Swords (2000)
- A Feast for Crows (2005)
- A Dance with Dragons (2011)
- The Winds of Winter — forthcoming (no publication date)
- A Dream of Spring — forthcoming
The complete A Song of Ice and Fire reading order is on the series page. As of 2026, Books 6 and 7 remain unwritten/unpublished.
Where the Books and Show Diverge
Seasons 1–4 of HBO’s Game of Thrones are close adaptations of the first three novels. The Red Wedding, the Purple Wedding, Ned Stark’s execution — all faithfully adapted. The show had access to the source material and used it.
Season 5 adapts A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, but begins compressing and combining storylines significantly. Sansa Stark’s arc is completely rerouted. The Dorne storyline is substantially different.
Seasons 6–8 are based on outlines Martin provided but are original television scripts. Many characters who remain alive in the books are dead in the show. The ending — Daenerys’s heel turn, Bran as King, Jon’s exile — represents Martin’s planned conclusions but compressed and executed in ways many viewers found unsatisfying.
What the Books Do Differently
Point of view structure: Martin’s novels use rotating close-third-person POV chapters — each chapter follows one character. This allows simultaneous narratives across the continent. The show necessarily linearises and simplifies this.
Slower pacing: Books 4 and 5 are slow, digressive, and complex in ways the show’s seasons couldn’t be. Martin is interested in the political texture of Westeros in ways that television audiences have less patience for.
Living characters: Stannis Baratheon’s arc in the books differs from the show; Lady Stoneheart (Catelyn Stark reanimated by the Brotherhood) does not appear in the show at all; Victarion Greyjoy is a major book character who doesn’t exist in the show. Arianne Martell, Quentyn Martell — major book characters, absent from the adaptation.
The Winds of Winter problem: Martin has been writing Book 6 since 2011. It has not been published. The show’s later seasons are the closest thing to Martin’s intended ending currently available — but Book 6, when it arrives, will likely diverge substantially in the journey even if the destinations are similar.
The Companion Books
- The World of Ice and Fire (2014) — illustrated world history
- Fire and Blood (2018) — Targaryen history; adapted as House of the Dragon
- The Hedge Knight and other novellas — prequel stories set 100 years earlier
What to Do Now
If you haven’t read the books: read through A Dance with Dragons (Book 5). You get more story, better characterisation, and different events than the show. Then wait — along with the rest of us — for The Winds of Winter.
If you’ve only seen the show: Books 1–3 are excellent companion reading. Books 4 and 5 require patience but contain storylines the show abandoned.