George R.R. Martin: Ending Of ‘Game Of Thrones’ Was In A “Different Direction” Than He Intended

But he took time away from his labors to lament how the television version seemed to get away from his source material.

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The TV series ending has been widely condemned by fans, and Martin’s slow output on his A Song of Ice and Fire novels (The Winds of Winter is next in the planned series) has angered many eager for a proper resolution. Martin said he was surprised that the television series out-stripped his output.

“When they began the [TV] series, I had four books already in print, and the fifth one came out just as the series was starting in 2011. I had a five-book head-start, and these are gigantic books, as you know,” Martin told PBS in Chicago. “I never thought they would catch up with me, but they did. They caught up with me and passed me.”

While the show was on the air, Martin managed to publish just one volume in the series.

HBO has a prequel series, House of the Dragon, set up with a 10-episode first season, expected to arrive in 2022. Martin is again involved in the series, a potential problem since he admitted the first series drew his attention away from writing.

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