Warning: SPOILERS ahead for both Game of Thrones & A Song of Ice and Fire.
the ending of A Song of Ice and Fire be from what audiences watched on Game of Thrones?
The final season of Game of Thrones has been the source of much debate, with some never receive a direct sequel series. But fans can look forward to more adventures with their favorite characters because there are two more novels yet to come in A Song of Ice and Fire.
Author George R.R. Martin still has two more books to come in his A Song of Ice and Fire series - finish the books, but now that Game of Thrones has already wrapped up, we're left to wonder how similar the two will be. Game of Thrones made several, notable changes in their adaptation, and it stands to reason that these changes mean the two endings cannot be exactly the same.
Up To Final Season
The change Game of Thrones in ways that create some notable differences from the story Martin is telling in A Song of Ice and Fire.
With respect to how Game of Thrones arrives at its final season, there’s quite a lot which simply won’t happen the same way in the books as it has on television. For instance, there are characters who have died on the show but still live in the books. Ser Barristan Selmy, for instance, is still alive and oversees Meereen in Daenerys’ absence, not Tyrion, while Melisandre doesn’t burn Mance Rayder, and instead, he's sent to infiltrate the Bolton-controlled Winterfell. These are characters who, while minor, have outlasted their TV-counterparts, and though it’s possible and even likely they will still die in the books, their continued presence in the narrative affects the story even if it doesn’t change its eventual outcome.
There are entire plots from A Song of Ice and Fire which have been excised completely or condensed in order to Grey Worm and Missandei’s relationship. Additionally, some plot points are lifted from one character and given to another, like that of Jorah contracting greyscale, while other characters are combined, as is the case with having Coldhands be an undead Benjen Stark.
As already mentioned, there are also many characters from Martin’s novels that are not in Game of Thrones - Arianne Martell - a leading force in the Dorne plot who at first defies her father by hatching a plot to crown Myrcella queen, then is later let in on his schemes - and the story fundamentally changes.
These are only a few examples of how vastly different Game of Thrones and A Song Ice and Fire are when it comes down to the details, but it’s these details that, in time, will grow and shape the story. Deleting or changing certain elements creates a ripple effect in the story that extends all the way to its resolution. And though the exact ending of A Song of Ice and Fire is unknown, the very fact that so many of the details are different from Game of Thrones means that the ending in the books must reflect this.
The White Walker Threat
Game of Thrones takes many liberties when it comes to adapting the threat of the dragonglass, while lethal to the Others, has no effect on their wights (the dead men they raise for their armies). Already, just these differences alone mean that the battle against the Others will not happen in the same way as it did against the White Walkers in season 8, “The Long Night.”
The Others’ attack on The Wall is going to have to be different as well. First off, it seems highly unlikely that the Others will take control of one of Daenerys’ dragons. Instead, it’s more likely that A Song of Ice and Fire will see Dragonbinder, an ancient Valyrian horn said to be capable of controlling dragons. In fact, it seems quite plausible that Game of Thrones pulls elements from book-Euron in order to create their Night King character.
Though, all of this isn’t to say the Others won’t have their own dragon. There are legends which speak of bring down The Wall, then they could both bring down The Wall and unearth a mighty ice dragon in one blow.
Still, with how much mystery still surrounds the Others, it’s hard to say if what Game of Thrones has done with their White Walkers is at all accurate to the novels. Judging by these differences, though, how the Others attack and how they are defeated simply cannot happen in the same manner.
Daenerys Becoming The Mad Queen
One of the more controversial parts of Game of Thrones season 8 is the downfall of Daenerys Targaryen. It’s a transformation that most viewers felt happened too quickly and without enough buildup to feel properly earned. Some are even hoping this tragic turn for Daenerys doesn’t happen in the books, but sadly, there’s even more evidence of Daenerys breaking bad in A Song of Ice and Fire. This transition, though, is sure to happen more smoothly thanks to readers being aware of Daenerys’ inner thoughts. It’s a case of the books being a more intimate medium than television, allowing readers to know a character’s mind before they act.
As for Daenerys using Drogon to Golden Company well before Daenerys even leaves Meereen, invading the Reach and soon taking Storm’s End.
By the time Daenerys does arrive in Westeros, it’s quite possible that Aegon will have already taken King’s Landing. If that’s the case, then that may be why she attacks the city, proving herself to be the only true dragon in the process. And while she may still indiscriminately burn the city in her anger, if Drogon ignites the wildfire caches hidden around the city (of which there are many more in the books), the massive destruction in King’s Landing may wind up being more accidental than homicidal. Either way, the city will burn and Daenerys will be queen of its ashes.
Assuming Daenerys deals with Aegon first, then the destruction of King’s Landing may come before the battle against the Others. Daenerys may even already be queen when it’s revealed that Jon - whose name will surely not also be Aegon Targaryen since that’s just too many Aegons - has the Daenerys all the more paranoid, sending her quickly descending into tyranny just to keep a hold of the throne she fought so hard to win. In the end, it will likely still fall to Jon to end her reign before it can even really begin. An ending this poetic and tragic is just too heart-wrenching for Martin to up.
King Bran the Broken
Perhaps, one of the biggest surprises on Game of Thrones season 8 is that it ends with must be a joke. But, upon closer examination, ending with Bran as king makes a good amount of sense, and it's very likely how things will end in A Song of Ice as Fire as well. After all, in the novels, Bran is the very first point-of-view chapter (minus the prologue), beginning the story as being told from his perspective.
Shortly thereafter, though, Bran is thrown from the tower window and the trajectory of his entire arc is thrown in to question, as well. Bran’s journey then becomes one of not just self discovery, but of the rediscovery of knowledge. Through his time with the Three-Eyed Raven makes him wise, while being “broken” makes him fair-minded, and together, it allows Bran to become a just king.
Of course, becoming king can't be the only reason Bran is now the Three-Eyed Raven. Since the greatest threat to humanity is the Others, there is little doubt that Bran’s visions on screen, but in the books, readers are there inside Bran’s mind as he begins unraveling the different mysteries of the world. These visions are vividly described in Martin’s text, and it’s easy to see how some encounter between Bran and the Others could take place on this astral plane.
If Bran has a more substantial role in defeating the Others, then him being crowned king is an even more deserved. Like a character from Arthurian legends, Bran wished to become a knight and go on adventures protecting the realm. As the Three-Eyed Raven, there's the potential for him to do just that, defeating a great evil and being rewarded with the greatest prize in the kingdom - ruling it.
Character Endpoints
As an adaptation, Game of Thrones was always expected to end similarly to A Song of Ice and Fire, though the path to that ending would be different. With Game of Thrones now over and its characters all delivered to their endpoints, that similarity seems very clear. Many of the characters on Game of Thrones receive endings which fit both their arcs on the TV show and the novels, though others may be better earned in the novels than they are by the show.
Still, for the most part, the endpoints for the various characters are almost certainly where Martin intends for them to end, with one exception - Bronn. On Game of Thrones, Bronn rises from being a sellsword to Lord of Highgarden with a seat on the Small Council. In the novels, however, Bronn stays married to Lollys Stokeworth and through a serious of unfortunate events (read: murders), ensures that Lollys becomes Lady Stokeworth and he her lord. It's a similarly impressive rise for an upstart sellsword, but it's not nearly as impressive as the life Bronn secures for himself on Game of Thrones.
Otherwise, most of the major characters do wind up in positions that feel wholly appropriate. Sansa becoming Arya to seek out new adventures elsewhere.
Jon being banished to the Night's Watch is a perfectly apt ending for his character on Game of Thrones, but in A Song of Ice and Fire, there may be no more Wall at all if the Horn of Winter is indeed used to bring it all down. In which case, if there's no Night's Watch, it may simply be that Jon chooses to leave and live among the free folk. And instead of traveling north of The Wall, he may instead settle in the Gift - a stretch of land originally gifted to the Night's Watch which Jon allowed the free folk to begin settling after they came south of The Wall.
Down in King's Landing, Tyrion becomes Bran's Hand in another near-perfect end for the character (he is Martin's favorite, after all). However, Tyrion's path there in A Song of Ice and Fire will be much darker because he himself grows into a much darker character. For example, the tragedy of his first wife, Tysha, is further explored in the novels and is actually the impetus for him murdering his father. Tyrion then becomes a crueler character while off in Essos, carrying immense guilt. In exactly what form his redemption will come in the novels isn't really clear, but having fallen so far, this sort of ending would be even all the more cathartic.
Rounding out Lord Commander of the Kingsguard makes a certain amount of sense, especially if she is indeed knighted as she is on Game of Thrones. In fact, her ancestor, Duncan the Tall was a Lord Commander under Aegon V, so such honorable service runs in her family.
Finally, the fates of Cersei and Jaime are two which have been endlessly debated since they died together under the rubble of the Red Keep. Much has been made of the deaths on Game of Thrones appear to fulfill that prophecy, with Jaime, her younger brother, being who technically leads Cersei to her death. In the novels, however, it seems far more likely that Jaime will have a more proactive role in his sister's death. The two sibling-lovers don't reconcile as they do on the show, and instead, their relationship remains fraught, making it all the more likely he will be the valonqar who kills her.
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Game of Thrones has given fans one ending, and now it's up to Martin to deliver the same for A Song of Ice and Fire. Though it may still be years before Martin finishes his novels, it's sure to be an exciting moment for fans once it actually happens. Not only will A Song of Ice and Fire give book readers the ending they've been longing for, but it'll provide more insight on the ending seen on HBO's Game of Thrones.