Skip to content George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series is one of the most influential works in modern fantasy, inspiring the critically acclaimed television adaptation Game of Thrones. The book series remains unfinished, with the last instalment published around the same time as the show’s first season.
The early seasons of Game of Thrones laid a strong foundation for what became a cultural phenomenon. Viewers were introduced to a vast cast of characters across the continent of Westeros, each facing political, personal, and moral challenges. Among the most memorable were Tyrion Lannister, played by Peter Dinklage, and his father, Tywin, portrayed by Charles Dance. In the North, Jon Snow, played by Kit Harington, struggled with questions of honour and identity, while across the sea in Essos, Daenerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke, began her rise from exile to power.
What made Game of Thrones remarkable was not just the dragons or battles, but how real it felt. Martin’s world of Westeros blurred the line between fantasy and reality, filled with political intrigue, corruption, and moral ambiguity. His detailed world-building gave every castle, city, and family a rich history, making the world feel as real as our own. Characters like Jon Snow come to understand that in this world, the traditional notion of a “hero” does not exist, and someone like Tyrion Lannister, who his family has ostracised due to being a dwarf learns to use his wits and intelligence to show the viewers and the in-world characters that power is not always just how good you are with a sword.
However, in the latter half of the show, as it moved toward its conclusion, much of what made Game of Thrones special began to unravel. The very identity the series had built, defined by subverting fantasy tropes and prioritising realism and complexity, started to fade, with inconsistent character decisions and twists that existed only for shock value and added no real value to the overall plot. The sharp and meaningful dialogue weakened, and long-standing characters lost the depth that once defined them. The show’s conclusion is now regarded as one of the most disappointing in television history.
A key reason was that the book series was never completed and is still going on. After adapting Martin’s rich material for the early seasons, the showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss eventually ran out of source material and had to create their own storylines using only a rough outline of Martin’s planned ending. Without Martin’s detailed writing, the show lost its foundation.
According to Martin, he had envisioned the story continuing for at least ten seasons, possibly more, to give the characters proper resolution. By the final two seasons, he had little creative involvement. One of the ways I feel the series could have ended better was if the writers had involved George R. R. Martin a little more in providing direction, because clearly they were doing a great job when they had something to follow. Whatever the flaws in the latter half of its run, Game of Thrones is arguably still the greatest show ever made for television. The showrunners also minimized many of the books’ magical and darker elements, possibly due to budget limits or to appeal to a wider audience, which stripped away some of the depth and mystery of the original story.
In the end, we are left wondering what Game of Thrones might have been if it had stayed true to Martin’s vision, a complex tale of power, morality, and fate. For now, fans can only wait for The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring to see how George R. R. Martin truly intended his epic saga to end.
Think Tank Subcommittee Member
