Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

George R.R. Martin Slams 'Toxic' Changes To Plot Of 'House Of The Dragon' In Scathing Blog Post

George R.R. Martin
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO, HBO

The author slammed the hit HBO series for making changes to the plot that differ from his book 'Fire & Blood,' which the show is based on, warning of the 'Butterfly Effect' that those changes will have on future seasons.

Warning: Spoilers for 'House of the Dragon' season 2.

Author George R.R. Martin, who wrote Game of Thrones and its prequel House of the Dragon which respectively inspired the HBO TV series of the same name, slammed the "toxic" tweaks made in the latter's TV adaptation in a blistering social media blog post.


The fiery post has since been taken down but not before a screenshot was taken and shared by Culture Crave on X (formerly Twitter).

House of the Dragon is a spin-off series based on parts of Martin's 2018 book Fire & Blood. Martin co-created the series with showrunner Ryan Condal.

The Game of Thrones prequel takes place about 100 years after the Seven Kingdoms are united by the Targaryen conquest, about 200 years before the events depicted in Game of Thrones, and 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen.

The 75-year-old author is not happy about the changes made to the show and the direction it was heading as a result, and he expressed deep concern about how it might affect future plotlines in seasons 3 and 4.

In the deleted post, Martin wrote in part:

"Sometime between the initial decision to remove Maelor a big change was made. The prince’s birth was no longer just going to be pushed back to season three. He was never going to be born at all. The younger son of Aegon and Helaena would never appear."
"Most of you know about the Butterfly Effect, I assume...The lesson being that change begets change, and even small and seemingly insignificant alterations to a timeline - or a story - can have a profound effect on all that follows."
"Maelor is a two-year-old toddler in Fire & Blood but like our butterfly he has an impact on the story all out of proportion to his size."
"Will any of that appear on the show? Maybe... But I don't see how. The butterflies would seem to prohibit it."

"I have no idea what Ryan has planned - if indeed he has planned anything," he said of his co-creator, adding, "but given Maelor's absence from episode two...The simplest way to proceed would be just to drop him entirely."

"From what I know, that seems to be what Ryan is doing here. It's simplest, yes, and may make sense in terms of budgets and shooting schedules. But simpler is not better."

Martin then went on to explain how Maelor's absence could adversely affect future events in House of the Dragon that would not make sense in Fire & Blood.

"What will we offer the fans instead, once we've killed these butterflies? I have no idea," he said.

Martin concluded the lengthy message with:

"I do not recall that Ryan and I ever discussed this. And there are larger and more toxic butterflies to come, if House of the Dragon goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons three and four."

Here is the screenshot of the post in full.

Fans weighed in with their varied stances on his epic rant.












Whether or not the original creator's authentic vision for the story is being compromised is up for viewers who are still being entertained by the production quality to decide.

All episodes of House of the Dragon season 2 are available for streaming MAX.

More from Trending

Donald Trump
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Design For New Commemorative Coin Featuring Trump Just Dropped—And People Can't Believe It's Real

On March 19, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), comprising people appointed by MAGA Republican President Donald Trump, unanimously approved a final design concept proposed for a 24-karat gold United States semiquincentennial commemorative coin.

Instead of featuring the Declaration of Independence or some other images central to the foundation of the nation in 1776 or more universally recognized symbols from the last 250 years, the CFA chose a sketch based on a photo of Trump leaning over the Resolute desk in the Oval Office for the coin's obverse or "heads" side.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; ICE agents at Atlanta airport
Steve Jennings/Getty Images; Megan Varner/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Said What We're All Thinking About Trump's Decision To Deploy ICE To Airports

After President Donald Trump moved to deploy ICE agents to U.S. airports amid a partial government shutdown that has caused exceptionally long delays at TSA lines nationwide, California Governor Gavin Newsom pointed out exactly why the move is so troubling for citizens and non-citizens alike.

ICE agents are still getting paid during the shutdown, unlike TSA agents, who are currently working unpaid and struggling amid the affordability crisis. News outlets have confirmed ICE agents have been deployed in airports that serve Democratic strongholds, particularly John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia Airports (New York), O'Hare International Airport (Chicago), and others.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Ebrahim Zolfaghari; Donald Trump
RpsAgainstTrump/X;

Iranian Military Spokesman Trolls Trump Hard In English With Classic Trump Catchphrase

As the war with Iran enters its fourth week, Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari has gone viral for trolling President Donald Trump in a video with one of Trump's most well-known catchphrases.

The Apprentice was of course the show that made Trump a reality star for quite a few years, where he became known for his catchphrase "You're fired!"

Keep ReadingShow less
Reese Witherspoon
JC Olivera/Variety/Getty Images

Fans Can't Believe How Old Reese Witherspoon Is After She Just Celebrated A Milestone Birthday

Reese Witherspoon just celebrated a milestone birthday, but it wasn't her 30th or even her 40th.

Legally Blonde's Reese Witherspoon just celebrated her 50th birthday, and just like Elle Woods, she's proven yet again that it's "not hard" for her to look fabulous.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chappell Roan (left) and soccer star Jorginho Frello (right) are at the center of a reported security incident involving his 11-year-old stepdaughter in Brazil.
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images; Ruano Carneiro/Getty Images

Chappell Roan Speaks Out After Soccer Star Says Her Security Guard Aggressively Confronted His Young Daughter

Chappell Roan has responded to an alleged altercation between the singer’s security guard and the daughter of soccer star Jorginho Frello.

On Saturday, Frello wrote on Instagram that he, his wife Catherine Harding, and his 11-year-old stepdaughter were staying at a São Paulo hotel ahead of Roan’s headlining performance at Lollapalooza Brazil when the singer, who was also apparently staying there, walked past their table at breakfast.

Keep ReadingShow less