'Game of Thrones' Fans React After George R.R. Martin's 'Winds of Winter' Update

Author George R.R. Martin made a surprising blog post on Friday, and Game of Thrones fans are having a field day with it on social media. Martin gave his biggest update on his novels, A Song of Ice and Fire since at least 2020. Specifically, he remarked on how the ending of his book series will differ from the ending of HBO's TV show.

Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series was adapted into the TV show Game of Thrones, and they made some big changes to the characters and the story in the process. As these differences piled up over the years, Martin was often asked how different the stories might become as they diverged, and he typically gave vague answers. Even after the TV show surpassed the books, Martin has said that some things will be different and some things will not, leaving few clues about how much he had told the TV crew about his plans for the ending.

On Friday, he shed more light on that topic than he ever has before. He referred back to his famous analogy about writers – some work like architects by planning out every step while others work like gardeners, cultivating ideas to see what grows and what bears fruit. Because Martin works like a gardener, he explained, it has always been difficult for him to say precisely how much his books will resemble Game of Thrones.

"An architect would be able to give a short, concise, simple answer to that, but I am much more of a gardener," he wrote. However, Martin hinted that his recent work on his next book, The Winds of Winter, has surprised even him in how much it diverges from the version of the story told on the screen.

"I am not going to give you all any kind of detailed report on the book, but... I will say this," he wrote. "I have been at work in my winter garden. Things are growing... and changing, as does happen with us gardeners... What I have noticed more and more of late, however, is my gardening is taking me further and further away from the television series. Yes, some of the things you saw on HBO in GAME OF THRONES you will also see in THE WINDS OF WINTER (though maybe not in quite the same ways)... but much of the rest will be quite different."

Martin went on to mention a few characters from his books who were omitted entirely from the show and events that played out differently. He explained that these changes will have butterfly effects to impact the outcome of the story.

"One thing I can say, in general enough terms that I will not be spoiling anything: not all of the characters who survived until the end of GAME OF THRONES will survive until the end of A SONG OF ICE & FIRE, and not all of the characters who died on GAME OF THRONES will die in A SONG OF ICE & FIRE," the author continued. "(Some will, sure. Of course. Maybe most. But definitely not all) ((Of course, I could change my mind again next week, with the next chapter I write. That's gardening)). And the ending? You will need to wait until I get there. Some things will be the same. A lot will not."

Martin concluded by remarking on the immense fandom that has grown up around his work and the debate that is likely to follow its conclusion. He shared his hope that fans would give the book an earnest chance regardless of their opinions on the show and on the long wait between publications. Of course, many fans have their own deep emotional investments in this story. Here's a look at how some of them responded to this blog post.