Will HBO’s Game Of Thrones Spoil The Next Book? ‘Yes And No’, Says Author

While HBO’s production of Game of Thrones continues at an unrelenting pace, the same cannot be said for the printed version. The Winds of Winter, George RR Martin’s follow-up to A Dance with Dragons, is still “not finished”, according to the man himself and won’t be for “months”… assuming no hiccups get in the way.

In a Live Journal post yesterday, Martin broke the news to the legions. I’m sure it doesn’t come as a massive surprise; what’s more interesting is just how far behind Martin is and the course the show will take with a lack of source material:

But there’s also a lot still left to write. I am months away still… and that’s if the writing goes well. (Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn’t.) Chapters still to write, of course… but also rewriting. I always do a lot of rewriting, sometimes just polishing, sometimes pretty major restructures.

Now, the other elephant in the room: “Will the show ‘spoil’ the novels?”

Maybe. Yes and no. Look, I never thought the series could possibly catch up with the books, but it has. The show moved faster than I anticipated and I moved more slowly. There were other factors too, but that was the main one. Given where we are, inevitably, there will be certain plot twists and reveals in season six of GAME OF THRONES that have not yet happened in the books. For years my readers have been ahead of the viewers. This year, for some things, the reverse will be true. How you want to handle that… hey, that’s up to you.

Some of the ‘spoilers’ you may encounter in season six may not be spoilers at all… because the show and the books have diverged, and will continue to do so.

So, other than a self-imposed ban on the show, you’re going to run the risk of spoiling the books. And seeing as this problem will only get worse as the series continues to — massively — outpace its written compatriot, it might be wise to start treating each as their own entity.

[Live Journal, via HuffPost]


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