Acclaimed fantasy novelist and Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin shared a critical breakdown of House of the Dragon Season 2 in a blog post on his website in September 2024.
In the September 4 blog post, Martin warned fans of both the books and the show to be prepared for what he described as 'toxic changes' in the upcoming seasons of the HBO fantasy series.
In the blog post that has since been removed, titled “Beware the Butterflies,” Martin discussed the differences between the Blood and Cheese storyline in season 2 of House of the Dragon, highlighting specific changes made by showrunner Ryan Condal from his original novel Fire and Blood, along with plans for seasons 3 and 4.
Martin also detailed how the changes in season 2 would impact the final two seasons of the show, creating a butterfly effect which is a concept from chaos theory, suggesting that small changes or decisions in a system can lead to significant and often unforeseen consequences over time.
George R. R. Martin's perspective on changes in House of the Dragon
Martin points out on his blog that he discussed the Blood and Cheese sequence from the first episode of season 2 with the show's creator, Ryan Condal. Martin feels that removing Maelor, the third child of King Aegon II Targaryen and his sister-wife, Queen Helaena Targaryen, weakened the scene by eliminating the Sophie's Choice moment.
In their discussion, Ryan Condal explained that Maelor was omitted due to concerns that young children would slow down production and increase budget implications. Martin further detailed on his blog saying:
… Ryan assured me that we were not losing Prince Maelor, simply postponing him. Queen Helaena could still give birth to him in season three, presumably after getting with child late in season two. That made sense to me, so I withdrew my objections.
However, during the later stages of production, it became clear to Martin that Prince Maelor was not just postponed for later seasons but was completely eliminated.
To illustrate his point, George R.R. Martin cited Ray Bradbury’s story A Sound of Thunder, using it to show how even a small change, such as the death of a butterfly, can significantly alter the overall direction of a narrative.
He explained:
It all helps to tie the story lines together, so one thing follows another in a logical and convincing manner. What will we offer the fans instead, once we’ve killed these butterflies? I have no idea.
Fans are shocked with George R. R. Martin’s reaction to House of the Dragon storyline
This came as a shock to both fans and the creators of the show, as Martin has generally been reserved in critiquing the adaptations of his works, with only a few exceptions. Notably, in a 2015 post, he referenced the butterfly effect in relation to the characters in Game of Thrones.
Even after the unanimously negative reviews for Game of Thrones Season 8, Martin has been mostly diplomatic about his opinions on public platforms.
HBO Responds to Martin's Critique of House of the Dragon
In response to George R.R. Martin's recent blog post and his critique of the changes in House of the Dragon, HBO has issued a statement to Variety defending the show's adaptation choices.
The statement reads,
There are few greater fans of George R.R. Martin and his book Fire & Blood than the creative team on House of the Dragon, both in production and at HBO. Commonly, when adapting a book for the screen, with its own format and limitations, the showrunner ultimately is required to make difficult choices about the characters and stories the audience will follow. We believe that Ryan Condal and his team have done an extraordinary job and the millions of fans the series has amassed over the first two seasons will continue to enjoy it.
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House of the Dragon seasons 1 and 2 can be streamed on HBO Max.
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