George R.R. Martin is touching on how it feels to try to wrap up A Song of Ice and Fire and promises a much darker ending than Game of Thrones had!
It’s been a long-debated point among Game of Thrones fans that the series suffered when it no longer had books in A Song of Ice and Fire to draw upon. It’s beyond a running joke that George R.R. Martin is years behind The Winds of Winter or the remaining volumes in his saga. That forced the GOT showrunners to complete the show their own way with a reaction that can charitably be described as divisive.
That’s led to the key question fans have of whether Martin ever does finish Song, the ending is going to differ from GOT. In an extensive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Martin touched on that and acknowledged that a key reason he’s resisted sequels to GOT is that he wants to avoid “canonizing” the controversial ending for A Song of Ice and Fire.
“[The book’s ending is] going to be significantly different. Some characters who are alive in my book are going to be dead in the show, and vice versa.”
Martin further elaborated on this,hinting which characters may or may not make it out alive by the time he’s done.
“I was going to kill more people. Not the ones they killed [in the show]. They made it more of a happy ending. I don’t see a happy ending for Tyrion. His whole arc has been tragic from the first. I was going to have Sansa die, but she’s been so appealing in the show, maybe I’ll let her live …”
Those words are striking and another reminder to fans that Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire deviated so much by the end that they may as well be two different properties.
Why A Song of Ice and Fire has to end differently than Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones held to most of Martin’s work in terms of plot points and character development. However, it made alterations in some key areas, including dropping notable book characters (most famously Lady Stoneheart). Much of that was logistics and how some plot lines wouldn’t fit, but the series ending has to be influencing Martin.
There’s no need to go over all the massive complaints fans had about the show ending. The big turns of course include Daenerys going mad for no reason, she and Jon having a brief relationship ending with him killing her and touchy endings on other characters. Sure, some went over well with the audience (Littlefinger’s death, Sansa becoming Queen of the North), but the bad outweighed the good.
So fans are naturally hoping Martin’s vision for the ending not only differs from the TV show but improves on it. At the least, Cersei and Jaime should have gotten a flashier end and the question of how characters like Stoneheart play into things. Also, the Night King could come closer to victory before meeting his ultimate fate.
Like other fantasy authors, Martin likely had a plan for how the series would end, only to alter it as the story evolved in ways he didn’t expect. As much as he might claim he won't be influenced by the reaction to the GOT finale, it’s impossible to believe it wouldn’t be on his mind while he crafts the end. Given how Martin openly admits he has an ego, he’ll be going in with the mentality of wanting this to be the “true ending” that puts GOT to shame.
Of course, this all depends on when Martin can finally get back to writing this thing out. As it is, he’s been hit by numerous blocks and delays to frustrate everyone. Yet Martin’s words are just further evidence that A Song of Ice and Fire isn’t going to copy Game of Thrones’ ending but rather be a conclusion that will have fans talking for much longer to come.