Game of Thrones fans built up enough displeased momentum before the series finale that virtually guaranteed that folks would not be happy with the ultimate series outcome. Sadly, that turned out to be the case. People were certainly conflicted about the winner, and this eighth season will likely be the subject of case studies (about fandom angst) for many years to come. Well, author George R.R. Martin has obviously heard all of the ruckus and has taken to blogging to express how his own version might (someday?) end.
Martin promised, once again, that The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring would eventually arrive even though they’re “very late.” He then cryptically teased how his version might depart from the HBO ending (Daenerys Targaryen going Mad Queen and being stabbed by Jon Snow before Bran Stark took the throne), but then again, maybe it won’t be different at all:
“How will it all end? I hear people asking. The same ending as the show? Different? Well … yes. And no. And yes. And no. And yes. And no. And yes.”
He adds that people should realize that his books will obviously be in a different medium than Game of Throne‘s eighth season, in which showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss jammed a lot of developments into six episodes that spanned roughly eight hours. Whereas Martin expects that these two books will run about 3000 pages once he finishes, which means that he’d be able to make those character heel turns happen in a more nuanced and believable manner. Of course, his claims must all be approached with some healthy skepticism, for it must be awfully difficult for Martin to return to these characters after some of them have headed in different directions than he may have intended. Honestly? Most people would have shelved the projects by now if they were writing them, but Martin insists that he’ll keep on trucking with those books.
