We have drama up in Westeros, friends. The other day, Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin wrote a blog post where he criticized some of the decisions made by the writers on HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon, which is based on Martin's book Fire & Blood. Martin has been hinting that he's had issues with the show for a while, but the blog post was surprisingly frank, more than we expected from someone who's still an executive producer on the show. He does not like how much they've changed from the book. Oh at all.
Martin took the blog post down shortly thereafter. We don't know exactly why. Maybe he thought the post was too harsh, maybe he didn't think the optics were good, or maybe HBO asked him to remove it; there was one bit where he talked about what may or may not be coming in seasons 3 and 4 that I can imagine especially upset the network, which released a statement in praise of House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal, whom Martin criticized a few times in his post. Things are messy in the Seven Kingdoms.
We've seen a lot of reactions since then, from fans cheering on Martin for standing up for textual fidelity and others calling the move unprofessional. One of the most high-profile people to weigh in was Xiran Jay Zhao, the New York Times bestselling author of the Iron Widow series and someone who's spent time with Martin in the past. Here they are teaching him how to make a finger heart:
Writing on their Tumblr account, Zhao reminded people that Martin, altough he wrote Fire & Blood, has no control over what HBO does with his material. "ecause once adaptation rights are signed away it is OUT of the author's hands." In his post, Martin complained mainly about the negative effect cutting the character of Maelor Targaryen from the show could have on the series going forward, and hinted at worse changes "being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4." Although a lot of people have called Martin's post harsh, Zhao thinks he was holding back, and theorizes that he sounded off in order to reassert some level of control over the adaptation of his book:
"He's not complaining for complaining's sake. I hung out with him a few weeks ago and heard his full scope of opinions on HOTD and what he said in the post was VERY mild. Probably the least spicy storytelling critique he could've brought up. And I do believe this was on purpose and strategic. He's not going full scorched earth on HBO, but he's showing them that he COULD. He did this as a warning shot to get them to listen to him because clearly he saw some very upsetting plans for upcoming HOTD seasons. If he just wanted to complain there's way spicier shit he could've said.
For those who think he's disrespecting the show's writers...How do you think he felt when they have dismissed his feedback in private and driven him to the point of risking legal action to make his point to them?"
As they elaborated on Twitter, Zhao thinks that Martin is sounding off to try and make sure fans get a better adaptation of Fire & Blood. The question of whether that will work is very much up in the air. It's possible that Martin's criticism of the House of the Dragon writing team widens the rift between them. But if they weren't adapting his book accurately to start with and not listening to his pleas that they stick closer to the text, why not try another tactic?
Is George R.R. Martin being "unprofessional" by criticizing House of the Dragon in public?
Speaking as someone who's read Fire & Blood and enjoys Martin's work a lot, it's true that House of the Dragon has changed things to the point where it's basically a different story. I think everyone knows that things change in the adaptation process, but in the case of House of the Dragon, events often play out in the opposite way that they do in the book. An example would be Rhaenyra Targaryen and Alicent Hightower resolving to work together in the season 2 finale, whereas in the book they are rivals and driving forces behind a war that tears Westeros apart. I do not think House of the Dragon is a good adaptation.
But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the TV show on its own merits. I don't think Ryan Condal and his team are interested in making a book-accurate show, but I do think they want to make a good show. Would the chances of making a good show go up if they stuck closer to the text? Martin obviously thinks so and I tend to agree, but if the House of the Dragon writers are resolved to change things and no amount of prodding from Martin will do anything, Martin might be stressing himself out unduly by voicing his opinions in public like this, exploding a drama bomb in the digital town square.
At the same time, Martin's investment in his own creations is a laudable trait, and I understand why he might feel compelled to speak despite it probably not having any positive effects and creating a lot of drama. Martin takes his work very seriously...perhaps too seriously; this is the man who's taken over a decade and counting to write The Winds of Winter. He could have wrapped that up years ago but has instead opted to agonize over it in an attempt to make sure it's as good as it can be. Martin cares a lot about what he's made, so it must hurt to see so much of it changed in such fundamental ways for TV. I don't begrudge him his right to say what he thinks.
And who knows? Maybe an author with Martin's high profile might actually be able to get HBO to listen to what he has to say. As Zhao wrote on Twitter, "If even George can't speak up against a corporation, what other creators can?"
Although I still tend to doubt it. If Martin wants to be happy, the smart thing to do might be to sell the rights to his work knowing that the adapters are probably going to change a lot, and to try and put the adaptations out of his mind. But again, I also don't blame him for caring so much he's compelled to speak out. Martin is an experienced professional writer but he's also a lifelong fan of stuff, and in fandom, we complain. I also don't blame Ryan Condal for changing so much; I might not agree with his choices, but I think he's trying to do what he feels is best for his show.
So while we wait to see if that situation ever sorts itself out, I invite you to check out Xiran Jay Zhao’s books or visit their YouTube channel, where they make interesting videos about history and culture. There's also a movie adaptation of their novel Iron Widow in the works, so maybe Zhao will find themself in a position similar to Martin's one day. What joy.
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