HBO’s Game of Thrones is an adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s book series A Song of Ice and Fire. Many book fans would have wanted to see a replica adaptation of the series but as it so happens with film adaptations, some things were lost and others changed along the way. There was undoubtedly more similarity between the two. However, these key differences were hard to miss, and significant too:
In the Books, Catelyn Stark Exists Beyond the Red Wedding
The Red Wedding is one of the most unforgettable events in the entire Game of Thrones TV series. It’s where the Starks met a horrible defeat, and where their mother, a beloved of many fans, meets her end. In the books, however, Catelyn Stark is revived back to life after her murder at the wedding. She comes back as Lady Stoneheart, bent on revenging her son’s death.
Jojen Reed’s Death
While Jojen kicked the bucket in the TV show’s end of season four, he remains very much alive in A Song of Ice and Fire. In the books, Reed is super important where Bran matters. That’s why for most of the book fans, the decision to kill him off in the show made a lot of difference.
Little Finger Wasn’t Always an Open Book
Nobody on the TV show trusts Little Finger. Everybody knows he’s a schemer, and it’s agreed that only an idiot would trust him. On the contrary, he happens to be one of the most trusted characters in the books. In A Song of Ice and Fire, the only person he doesn’t fool with his manipulative mask is Tyrion Lannister. The rest of them are unable to see past his ‘weak’ and ‘friendly’ façade. He presents one of the most altered characters in the adaptation.
Sansa’s Fate
In the books, Sansa did not suffer half the things she did in the show in the hands of Ramsay Bolton. The TV series merged Sansa’s fate with that of her childhood friend in the books, Jeyne Poole. It’s Jeyne who got married to Ramsay by force. This was an attempt by Roose to legitimize his son’s rule of the North, by convincing everyone that Jeyne was actually Arya Stark. This conflation of characters changed what Sansa’s story in the books really is like.
Talisa’s Death
One of the most gruesome scenes at the Red Wedding in the TV show was the death of Robb’s wife Talisa. Here, she’s stabbed through her pregnant belly. In complete contrast, Talisa evades the disaster that was the Red Wedding. Robb decides it’s safer if she does not attend the wedding. Her fate at the infamous event therefore comes totally unexpected by those who had already read the books.
Tyrion Lannister isn’t Quite the Darling in the Books
Tyrion Lannister is one of the most beloved characters on the TV show. He’s kind, makes everyone laugh, smart and simply loveable. In the books however, he’s portrayed as an ugly, monstrous man with dark intentions. His character would definitely give one a shock if they came across him on the books after watching him on the show.
