The dragons of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire are as curious as they are magical. No one really knows how those mystical, highly intelligent creatures came into the world. Each one also has its own unique personality, yet also shares a special bond with its rider. Some believe Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon‘s dragons can change their gender whenever they like. It’s impossible to even identify a she-dragon until it lays eggs. And no one understands exactly why those beasts called “fire made flesh” allow certain people to claim them and not others. But while episode six of House of the Dragon‘s second season explored established dragon lore with Ser Steffon Darklyn’s fatal attempt to become a dragonlord, the series also created its own with the Vale’s wild dragon and Seasmoke’s search for Addam of Hull.

The Dragon Seasmoke Rejects Ser Steffon Darklyn in House of the Dragon

The one (almost*) unquestioned rule for dragonriders in the lore of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy world is that they must have at least some blood of Old Valyria. The dragonlords of the former Valyrian Freehold were the only dragonlords in the world. In Westeros, that means someone must have ancestry with either House Targaryen or House Velaryon (even though Velaryons were not dragonriders).

(*One character’s uncertain birth is the only possible example of this not being true. We’ll get to that in the next section.)

Prince Jacaerys thought that rule might have simply been ahistorical propaganda meant to “gild” Valyrians. His mother still took the matter of blood seriously enough to search for forgotten relatives in old scrolls. On House of the Dragon, Rhaenyra believes even someone with “thin” Valyrian blood was more likely to successfully claim a dragon than someone without any. Especially since unquestioned family members can’t always become dragonriders, like Daemon’s daughter Rhaena. Aemond couldn’t successfully bond with a dragon either in House of the Dragon‘s world until he claimed the biggest one in the world, Vhagar.

On House of the Dragon‘s sixth episode, Rhaenyra asked the Lord Commander of her Queensguard, Ser Steffon, if he’d be willing to try to claim a dragon because his grandmother’s grandmother was a Targaryen. She reminded him to try and claim a dragon was to risk death itself, but he was honored by her even asking. Like many in Westeros, he views dragons as gods.

Seasmoke did not care about Ser Steffon’s thin Valyrian blood, commitment to Rhaenyra, or his noble heart, though. The dragon still refused to obey the Lord Commander on House of the Dragon. Worse, he bathed Ser Steffon in dragonflame for even trying.

That outcome was not a surprise for any House of the Dragon viewer who knows about dragon lore in this fantasy realm. That was not true for the other two big dragon moments during this episode of House of the Dragon, though.

Rhaena Learns the Vale Has a Wild Dragon

The last thing young Princess Rhaena expected to find in the Vale was a wild dragon, because dragons don’t live in places like the Vale on House of the Dragon. They stay close to seats of House Velaryon, either in King’s Landing or on Dragonstone. Before they came to Westeros, they only lived in the Valyrian Freehold, leaving for any extended periods of time solely when taken someplace by their dragonrider.

Having a dragon burning sheep far away from dragons’ established homes means that House of the Dragon breaks established canon and dragon lore from Fire & Blood and A Song of Ice and Fire. George R.R. Martin himself confirmed that weeks before episode six debuted. From his “Not a Blog” (emphasis our own):

My dragons are creatures of the sky. They fly, and can cross mountains and plains, cover hundreds of miles… but they don’t, unless their riders take them there. They are not nomadic. During the heyday of Valyria there were forty dragon-riding families with hundreds of dragons amongst them… but (aside from our Targaryens) all of them stayed close to the Freehold and the Lands of the Long Summer. From time to time a dragonrider might visit Volantis or another Valyrian colony, even settle there for a few years, but never permanently. Think about it. If dragons were nomadic, they would have overrun half of Essos, and the Doom would only have killed a few of them. Similarly, the dragons of Westeros seldom wander far from Dragonstone. Elsewise, after three hundred years, we would have dragons all over the realm and every noble house would have a few. 

Why would House of the Dragon violate one Martin’s few, hard-and-fast dragon lore rules? To answer that, we must discuss something from Fire & Blood. We’ll note that this discussion will provide enough context clues to spoil something that now seems inevitable on House of the Dragon. It’s up to you if you want to read it. If you don’t, skip past the remaining text in this section (which is between two images) until you reach the next sub-headline, which explores another show-specific piece of dragon lore.

By moving this specific, sheep-killing dragon from Dragonstone to the Vale, the show appears to be cutting out a major, beloved character from Fire & Blood named Nettles. She is the person whose uncertain birth/bloodline we referenced earlier. House of the Dragon seems to be giving Nettle’s storyline to Rhaena.

Obviously since we mentioned Nettles’ uncertain birth/blood line, she does go on to claim a dragon in Fire & Blood. And since we’re talking about her in this section about Rhaena and the Vale, you can guess which dragon she bonds with.

Does that guarantee Rhaena will now claim that wild dragon on the show instead? It’s a possibility the series is definitely raising, but it’s not a guarantee. Not when House of the Dragon is making such drastic changes in the first place. But we still think it’s likely on a series that also made another significant change to an unlikely dragonrider’s story in this same episode.

Seasmoke Claims a Dragonrider on House of the Dragon (Possibly While His First Still Lives)

Addam of Hull is the bastard son of Lord Corlys Velaryon and, therefore, strong with Old Valyrian blood. It doesn’t go against known dragon lore, and thus is not completely shocking, that a “dragonseed” like Addam could claim a dragon, which is clearly what happened at the end of House of the Dragon episode six. What is unprecedented is a) how the two bonded and b) the fact they bonded at all.

There are two ways humans typically bond with dragons in A Song of Ice and Fire. The first is babies of House Targaryen have dragon eggs put in their crib with them. If healthy dragons hatch from those eggs they form that special dragon/dragonrider connection. The second way is that a person approaches a living dragon who then either accepts them or not. No one knows how or why this happens, only that there’s some kind of mystical element to their connection.

Rhaena, daughter of Daemon Targaryen and Laena Velaryon, has tried to claim a dragon many times on House of the Dragon and only has burn scars to show for it. Ser Steffon Darklyn tried once, and he paid with his life for his efforts. Yet somehow, Addam of Hull didn’t even have to try to become a dragonlord. In a complete role reversal, Seasmoke claimed his human. The “lonely” dragon hunted Addam down before the two took to the sky on House of the Dragon.

That was unusual enough, but what what makes this bond entirely new dragon lore for House of the Dragon is that Seasmoke seemingly already has a dragonrider. His first mount, Laenor Velaryon, isn’t actually dead on House of the Dragon like he is in Fire & Blood. The show changed his story so that he conspired with his wife Rhaenyra to fake his death so he could live freely in Essos. But dragons only accept one dragonrider at a time. They will not accept another so long as theirs lives.

Unless we learn Laenor died in Essos offscreen without anyone on Dragonstone knowing, we know have House of the Dragon-specific dragon lore. (Which still has its own internal logic, since Seasmoke sought out the half-brother of his missing rider.)

How you feel about that is as personal as a dragon/rider bond, but what it actually means is not. Whether or not you’re familiar with both Fire & Blood and George R.R. Martin’s dragon mythology, none of us know what else could happen in the Dance of the Dragons.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post HOUSE OF THE DRAGON Created Its Own Dragon Lore appeared first on Nerdist.

House of the Dragon might not have White Walkers, but the show’s cast is just as sprawling as Game of Thrones‘ was. Houses Targaryen, Hightower, and Velaryon aren’t the only ones destined to find themselves fighting in a civil war of fire and blood. The Dance of the Dragons will ensnare nearly every family in the Realm. Of course, identifying the many characters of Westeros has never been easy, and it remains tricky on House of the Dragon. Fortunately, you don’t need a maester to know who everyone is, not even with all those “new” families popping up. We’re tracking every major new character introduced on House of the Dragon during season one and season two. Here’s everyone we meet, what happens to them, and who’s still around on House of the Dragon….for now.

The Latest Character Additions on House of the Dragon

Lord and Lady Frey

Jace flew to the Twins, site of the Red Wedding, to meet with the Freys on House of the Dragon. Fortunately for him there was no bloodshed. He made a deal with Lord and Lady Frey. They will allow Cregan Starks’ Northmen soldiers to cross their bridge and will bend the knee themselves to Rhaenyra. That gives the Queen an ever-growing army in the Riverlands. In exchange, Jace said both he and his Uncle Daemon would protect the Twins with their dragons. And at the end of the war, the Blacks will grant the Freys Harrenhal. Allegiance always comes with a big prize for the ambitious Freys.

Dyana

A minor season-one character is now a major player in the Dance of the Dragons. The barmaid Dyana previously worked in the Red Keep but left after Aegon sexually assaulted her. Queen Alicent helped Dyana get an abortion and politely threatened Dyana if she went public with assault in House of the Dragon season one. Now Elinda, an emissary for Rhaenyra, has arrived in King’s Landing to begin spreading Rhaenyra propaganda to the smallfolk, a plan that involves Dyana. When Elinda knocked on the mystery King’s Landing door in House of the Dragon‘s fifth episode, it was Dyana who answered the summons.

Lord Amos Bracken

The ancient enemy of House Blackwood preferred to die in dragon flame rather than bend the knee to Daemon. The King Consort realized that’s exactly the type of soldier he needs for his army, so instead of burning the Brackens he instructed Willem Blackwood to do his “worst” to bring the Brackens to heel. After a series of atrocities committed on women and children, Lord Amos Bracken bent the knee.

Ser Willem Blackwood

Willem Blackwood appeared during House of the Dragon’s first season as a young man. He was vying for Princess Rhaenyra’s hand in marriage before he slew a Bracken boy in a duel. He’s now the regent for House Blackwood. Willem Blackwood swore his house to Rhaenyra’s cause in exchange for Daemon defeating House Bracken. He committed horrible war crimes against the Brackens, enraging other Riverlands lords and ladies.

Ser Oscar Tully

Ser Oscar Tully is the young grandson of Lord Grover Tully, the old, infirmed Lord Paramount of the Trident. Grover is unable to make any decisions, so Daemon told Oscar, Grover’s heir, to put a pillow over his grandfather’s head so he could rule and swear allegiance to Rhaenyra. The horrified knight said he loved his grandsire and could never.

Hugh Hammer the Blacksmith

House of the Dragon has spent much time with the white-haired Hugh Hammer, the blacksmith, a member of King’s Landing’s smallfolk. Hugh believed King Aegon when the monarch said he would pay the blacksmiths quickly, but that never happened. Hugh’s wife wanted them to flee the city with their gravely sick daughter, but new Iron Throne regent Aemond barred the gates before they could leave.

Ulf the White

The white-haired, gregarious Ulf told strangers at a tavern-brothel in King’s Landing he is a “dragonseen,” a bastard of House Targaryen. He specifically said he is the bastard brother of the late King Viserys and Daemon Targaryen. Ulf said this even though he believes some would kill him if they knew that. He’s either a liar or not very smart. He’s also definitely a coward. After saying he supported his supposed niece Rhaenyra, Ulf quickly paid tribute to Aegon when he unexpectedly showed up at the bar.

New House of the Dragon Characters—After Extending “Read More,” Jump To: House Targaryen // House Hightower // House Velaryon // House Strong // House Lannister // House Royce // House Stark // Other Major Characters (Baratheons, Coles, Hulls, and More)

House Targaryen

King Viserys Targaryen

King Viserys Targaryen was the king of sat on the Iron Throne when House of the Dragon began. Of all the new House of the Dragon characters, he definitely wanted peace the most. But the matter of succession was of high importance to King Viserys during the end of his reign. He bypassed his brother Daemon and named his daughter Princess Rhaenyra as heir to the Iron Throne. However, that was before Viserys had a son with his second wife, Alicent Hightower, which brought Targaryen civil war into motion. King Viserys died at the end of season one, and this caused the rift in his family to turn into war.

Daemon Targaryen

Daemon Targaryen is among House of the Dragon‘s most dynamic characters. He seemed volatile and untrustworthy at first, but then seemed to mellow over time. Or so we thought. He and Rhaenyra married after the death of his second wife, Laena Velaryon, and the staged death of her husband Ser Laenor Velaryon. Together, they fight for her place on the throne as we move into House of the Dragon season two, though some question if he truly fights for himself.

Jacaerys (“Jace”) Velaryon

Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen had three black-haired boys with her first husband Ser Laenor. They named their oldest son Jacaerys, heir to the Iron Throne, after Rhaenyra. However, many believed (correctly) their real father was Ser Harwin “Breakbones” Strong. Jace is Rhaenyra’s heir to the Iron Throne (she doesn’t actually have).

Lucerys (“Luke”) Velaryon

Rhaenyra and Laenor’s second child was Prince Lucerys Velaryon, his grandfather Ser Corlys Velaryon’s heir as the Lord of Driftmark. Prince Lucerys never got to inherit that seat, though. He died high over Storm’s Landing after his uncle Aemond Targaryen’s dragon Vhagar attacked Luke and his dragon Arrax. His death helped trigger the main events on House of the Dragon.

Joffrey Velaryon

Joffrey Velaryon was the third, black-haired son of Rhaenyra and Laenor. His lawful father named him after his late paramour, Joffrey Lonmouth, whom Criston Cole murdered years earlier. Joffrey is yet to play a major role on House of the Dragon, but we’re sure we’ll see more of this character in season two.

Aegon Targaryen (Son of Rhaenyra and Daemon)

Daemon and Rhaenyra’s first child together was Prince Aegon Targaryen. (Not to be confused with Alicent’s first child, also a House of the Dragon character named Aegon. That much older Aegon is now King, Second of His Name.)

Viserys Targaryen (Son of Rhaenyra and Daemon)

Rhaenyra and Daemon named their second child after her father, King Viserys. Their third child, a daughter, died during childbirth after Rhaenyra learned her father passed away and Aegon had been crowned King.

Aegon Targaryen (Son of Viserys and Alicent)

Queen Alicent and King Viserys named their oldest child and firstborn son Aegon after the Conqueror. A known rapist and spectator of child fighting rings (where one of his own bastards might be forced to fight), Aegon himself said he is unfit to rule. However, he allowed his grandfather Otto Hightower, the green council, and his mother to crown him King, bypassing Viserys’ named heir, Aegon’s older half-sister Rhaenyra. He wears the crown and holds the Valyrian sword Blackfyre of Aegon the Conqueror.

Helaena Targaryen

Helaena, the first daughter and second child of Queen Alicent and King Viserys, married her older brother Aegon. She became Queen of Westeros after his coronation. They had twins, a son named Jahaerys and a daughter named Jahaera. Blood and Cheese killed Jaeherys in season two’s premiere. (The show did not introduce their third son from Fire & Blood, Prince Maelor.)

The quiet, kind, strange Helaena also seems to be a dreamer. A number of her cryptic quotes proved prophetic, most notably about her brother Aemond needing to lose an eye to gain a dragon, “the beast beneath the boards,” and her fear of the rats in King’s Landing.

Aemond Targaryen

Aemond, the third child and second son of Alicent and Viserys, lost his eye as a child during a fight with his cousins. Aemond grew up to be a great warrior who resented his bastard-born nephews. He frequently wears an eyepatch over his sapphire eye and, unlike his lazy brother, Aemond takes his duties seriously. He spent his life studying and training. Aemond assured war after his dragon Vhagar killed his nephew Lucerys Velaryon in the finale of House of the Dragon season one.

Season one did not introduce Aemond’s younger brother, Alicent’s fourth child with Viserys, Prince Daeron, as a character on the show. He was finally mentioned early in season two, so we know he exists and is living in Oldtown.

House Hightower

Ser Otto Hightower was the first Hand of the King to Viserys (a job Otto filled with the previous king). Viserys eventually relieved Otto of his duties, but Otto returned to the position after the death of Lord Lyonel Strong. He’s also father to Queen Alicent and grandfather to four Targaryens. However, Otto Hightower is not the Lord of his own family. That title belongs to his older, clean-shaven brother, Lord Hobert Hightower, head of one of Westeros’s oldest and most important noble families.

Otto was an instrumental character in crowing Aegon as King on House of the Dragon.

Lord Hobert Hightower

Lord Hightower wanted to ensure his great-nephew became king rather than Aegon’s older half-sister, and House Hightower stands behind the new King.

Ser Gwayne Hightower

Alicent’s arrogant brother, Ser Gwayne Hightower, reminded Criston Cole of his “modest beginnings” when they first met, as Cole had just replaced Gwayne’s father, Otto Hightower, as Hand of the King. But Gwayne sang a different tune after he foolishly left himself exposed during a march to war. Cole saved Gwayne from a dragonflame bath, earning the smug knight’s thanks.

House Velaryon

Ser Corlys Velaryon

Ser Corlys Velaryon, husband to Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (The Queen Who Never Was), abandoned his position as master of ships on the small council to fight in the Stepstones with Daemon Targaryen. Two major characters from House Velaryon—his son and his brother—joined him in this early House of the Dragon battle.

Ser Corlys Velaryon is known as the Sea Snake, the most celebrated and accomplished sailor in the history of Westeros. He controls the most powerful fleet in the world, which he has sworn to Queen Rhaenyra. After debating sitting out the war, he declared for her side to protect his grandchildren. His wife will also fight for Rhaenyra, vowing to use her dragon Meleys for their side.

Princess Rhaenys Targaryen

Rhaenys Targaryen, the Queen Who Never Was, should have sat on the Iron Throne long ago, but it was not to be. Instead, Viserys was voted heir by the lords of Westeros.. Rhaenys serves as the Lady of Driftmark and helps her husband to shrewdly navigate the world of Westeros. Rhaenys’ chief allegiance is to the good of her family and she considers her loyalties from that perspective. In House of the Dragon, Rhaenys made a splash when she rode her dragon Meleys through King Aegon II’s coronation. She didn’t kill them (as she should have), but has vowed her loyalty and dragon to Rhaenyra.

Laenor Velaryon

Corlys and Rhaenys’ oldest son Laenor and his dragon Seasmoke helped defeat the Crabfeeder in his character introduction on House of the Dragon. He then married Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, an arrangement where they both vowed to do their duty while seeking happiness in the bed of another on the side.

Laenor conspired with his wife, her uncle Daemon, and his paramour Ser Qarl Correy to fake his death following a quarrel with Correy. The pair then fled to Essos, allowing Rhaenyra to marry her uncle. We did not see this character again after that and it isn’t clear if he will ever return on House of the Dragon.

Laena (née Velaryon) Targaryen

Lord Lyonel Strong suggested Laenor as a strategic suitor for Princess Rhaenyra, just as he had once recommended King Viserys wed Laenor’s older sister, Laena. Ultimately Laena married Prince Daemon Targaryen. The two had twin daughters, Rhaena and Baela, but Laena died after she was unable to deliver their third child. Rather than die in bed, she had her dragon Vhagar bathe her in dragon flame.

Baela Targaryen

The older daughter of Daemon and Laena’s twins, Baela, rides the dragon Moondancer. She also stayed at Driftmark with her grandmother after the death of her mother, Laena. She is betrothed to Jacaerys Velaryon and fights for her aunt/step-mother, Rhaenyra.

Rhaena Targaryen

Daemon and Laena’s younger daughter was the only member of the family not to be a dragonrider while they lived in Pentos. She is still without a mount at the start of the Dance of the Dragons and serves as Rhaenyra’s cupbearer. This character was also betrothed to Lucerys Velaryon before his death on House of the Dragon.

Vaemond Velaryon

Ser Corlys’s brother Vaemond was ready to mutiny against Daemon Targaryen before their side’s victory in the Stepstones. He also sought to have himself named as Lord of Driftmark when it looked like Ser Corlys might die. After King Viserys affirmed his grandson Lucerys as the lawful heir to Driftmark, Vaemond called Rhaenyra’s boys bastards and her a whore. Daemon then sliced Aemond’s head in half. (He left him his tongue.)

(Note: In the books, Vaemond is Corlys’ nephew, not his brother.)

New House of the Dragon Characters; Jump to: House Targaryen // House Hightower // House Velaryon // House Strong // House Lannister // House Royce // House Stark // Other Major Characters (Baratheons, Coles, and More)

House Strong

Lord Lyonel Strong of Harrenhal first served on King Viserys’ small council as master of laws before becoming Hand of the King. He had two sons. The oldest, Harwin, died alongside his father during a fire at Harrenhal started by Lyonel’s youngest son, Larys.

Ser Harwin “Breakbones” Strong

Considered “the strongest knight” in the Seven Kingdoms, Ser Harwin “Breakbones” Strong was quite a knight in Westeros. We saw how the character earned his nickname early in House of the Dragon, during Viserys’ royal hunt. He was the only knight to hold the stag with his bare hands. Everyone else rode atop a horse.

Harwin Strong later became Commander of the City Watch in King’s Landing and was the real father of Princess Rhaenyra’s three oldest sons. Harwin died alongside his father at Harrenhal shortly after his banishment from King’s Landing for attacking Criston Cole.

Larys Strong, The Clubfoot

Harwin’s younger brother Larys is known as “The Clubfoot” because he was born with a twisted foot. He cited his foot as the reason he could not go on the royal hunt. Instead, he stayed at the King’s pavilion and quietly sat with the high ladies of the hunt. (That group included Lady Ceira Lannister and Lady Joselyn Redwyne, character created for House of the Dragon.)

Larys proved himself to be far more than just cunning and perceptive, though. He murdered his father and brother to appease his close friend and ally, Queen Alicent. Their deaths also made him Lord of Harrenhal. An unofficial master of whispers for the “Greens,” Larys is an amoral killer with a memorable proclivity.

Ser Simon Strong

Ser Simon Strong, uncle to Larys Strong, is an older knight and the castellan of Harrenhal. He willingly gave the enormous castle in ‘disrepair” to Daemon Targaryen and said he does not accept his nephew as Lord because he believes (correctly) that Larys caused the fire at Harrenhal that killed his father and brother.

House Lannister

The widowed Lady Ceira has twin sons, each of whom holds a major position in Westeros.

Jason Lannister

The older of the twins, the prideful, long-haired Jason Lannister is Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West. Princess Rhaenyra spurned his offer of marriage, which he made after believing Prince Aegon had supplanted her as heir. His assumption also upset King Viserys, who called such talk “treason.” Jason Lannister is head of House Lannister, which supports King Aegon.

Ser Tyland Lannister

Tyland Lannister—who sports a shorter, neater haircut than his older twin brother—replaced Ser Corlys Velaryon on the small council as master of ships. His brother considers Tyland “frightfully dull.”

Tyland Lannister conspired with Otto Hightower and the green council to place Aegon on the Iron Throne. The House of the Dragon character remains on the new King’s small council as master of coin.

New House of the Dragon Characters; Jump to: House Targaryen // House Hightower // House Velaryon // House Strong // House Lannister // House Royce // House Stark // Other Major Characters (Baratheons, Coles, and More)

House Royce

House Royce of Runestone in the Vale is an old, noble family descended from the First Men. (They also played a meaningful role on Game of Thrones.) Though kings long ago, they are sworn bannermen to House Arryn, Princess Rhaenys’ family (her mother was an Arryn). The Royce sigil features black iron studs and rune markings on a bronze field, which is where Daemon Targaryen got his uncouth nickname for his late wife.

Lady Rhea Royce

Prince Daemon hated his wife, Lady Royce, and the feeling was mutual. He killed the skilled rider (who was obviously much prettier than any sheep) after Lady Rhea fell from her horse. She died without an heir, which led Daemon to appeal to Lady Jeyne Arryn directly for the rights to Runestone.

Ser Gerold Royce

Lady Rhea’s cousin Ser Gerold Royce believes Daemon killed his first wife, an accusation he made during a feast for Rhaenyra and Laenor’s wedding. But he was taken aback by Prince Daemon’s plans to claim Runestone as his own. The castle has been House Royce’s seat of power for thousands of years. It remains to be seen how the altercation between these two characters will play out.

House Stark

Lord Cregan Stark

House of the Dragon‘s second season brought viewers back to the North where we met the Lord of Winterfell Cregan Stark. The head of House Stark promised Prince “Jace” he would honor his family’s oath and support Queen Rhaenyra, but that he was limited in how many men he could send to her cause. Winter has arrived, and Cregan has an even more sacred duty to the Wall.

Other Major New Characters on House of the Dragon

Alyn and Addam of Hull

Season two has introduced the brothers Alyn and Addam of Hull. Hull is a recent surname given to bastards born in the town of Hull, which sits on Driftmark, the domain of Corlys Velaryon. The bald, stern, no-nonsense Alyn is a talented seaman and adventurer who saved Lord Corlys’ life in the Stepstones. His gregarious brother Addam is a shipwright (who also makes a mean goat stew). Addam also believes Lord Corlys “owes” the two of them something.

Alys Rivers

Alys Rivers last name reveals she’s a bastard born in the Riverlands. Her appearance (and jarring American) accent in Daemon’s unsettling vision reveals she’s a mysterious presence. Alys Rivers is the character tells Daemon, “You will die in this place” at Harrenhal.

Ser Alfred Broome

Ser Alfred Broome, knight of House Targaryen, is a member of Queen Rhaenyra’s black council. He also politely accused her of ordering the brutal death of young Prince Jaehaerys even after Rhaenyra swore she played no part in the child’s death.

Lord Lyman Beesbury

Lord Lyman Beesbury served as master of coin under King Jaehaerys. He continued in that role as part of Viserys’s small council, but Criston Cole killed him after Lord Lyman refused to go along with the plan to crown Aegon.

Lord Jasper Wylde

Lord Jasper Wylde joined King VIserys’s small council as master of laws. He conspired to place Aegon on the Iron Throne. This House of the Dragon character serves on the new King’s small council.

Lord Commander Ser Harrold Westerling

Ser Harrold of House Westerling (House Lannister’s most important bannermen) served as Lord Commander of King Viserys’ Kingsguard. He refused to go along with the green council when it planned to install Aegon as King. We don’t know where this character has ended up as of the finale of House of the Dragon season one.

Ser Criston Cole

Criston Cole called his ascent to the Kingsguard the highest honor anyone in his (minor) family from the Stormlands’ Dornish marches ever achieved. He owed that position to Princess Rhaenyra and was originally her sworn protector. But after they had an affair and she refused to run off with him, he became Queen Alicent’s sworn shield. This House of the Dragon character now hates Rhaenyra and helped usurp her throne.

Criston Cole, Lord Commander of Aegon’s Kingsguard, crowned Aegon at the Dragonpit. He is now Aegon’s Hand of the King, a role he is ill-suited for.

Mysaria

Prince Daemon’s former paramour, sometimes called “Misery,” hails from the Free City of Lys in Essos. Daemon wanted to make Mysaria his second wife, but his brother and the laws of Westeros forbade the marriage. She then became known in King’s Landings as the “White Worm,” a purveyor of secrets. She traded her information to Otto Hightower and also turned Prince Aegon over to him for coin and promises of reform after King Viserys’ death.

Mysaria has so many spies in King’s Landing and not even Larys Strong knows all of them. The Clubfoot and Alicent burned down Mysaria’s manse in season one, but no bodies were shown in the building. She tried to flee, but was intercepted by Daemon, who offered her freedom in exchange for information (which he used to hire Blood and Cheese). She also helped saved Rhaenyra from Ser Arrky Cargyll’s assasination attempt.

Lord Boremund Baratheon

The show’s first Lord of Storm’s End in the Stormlands hosted Princess Rhaenyra during her tour of suitors. Lord Boremund Baratheon was the only son of Lord Rogar Baratheon and former Queen Alyssa Velaryon. (She was first married to King Aenys I Targaryen and was mother to King Jaehaerys I.)

He was also a supporter of his cousin Rhaenys Targaryen’s claim to the Iron Throne before swearing an oath to support Rhaenyra as Viserys’ rightful heir. Boremund had one son of his own, Borros, who followed his father as Lord of Storm’s End after Boremund’s death.

Lord Borros Baratheon

The new, illiterate, prideful Lord of Storm’s End ignored his late father’s vow to keep Rhaenyra as heir after Aemond Taragryen promised to marry one of his daughters in exchange for Storm’s End’s support in the coming war.

Grand Maester Mellos

The first Grand Maester of King’s Landing under Viserys provided the king and his family with questionable care. His service was bad enough to make us wonder if the Grand Maester Conspiracy theory is absolutely true and House Targaryen should be weary of the order. Mellos also served Princess Rhaenyra Moon Tea, a libation used to end a pregnancy, a vital secret that got out immediately. This character died during Viserys’s reign on House of the Dragon.

Grand Maester Orwyle

Archmaester Orwyle tried offering King Viserys a different, more effective course of treatment during House of the Dragon‘s fifth episode, but was shut down by his boss, Grand Maester Mellos. Orwyle eventually became Grand Maester of King’s Landing, which earned him a seat in Viserys’ small council. He is a member of the green council that crowned Aegon king.

Maester Gerardys

The maester of Dragonstone and member of the black council continues to serve and advise Rhaenyra during the Dance of the Dragons began.

Ser Qarl Correy

The paramour of Ser Laenor Velaryon helped fake Laenor’s death. The couple then fled to Essos.

Lord Caswell

Lord Caswell was among the first people to congratulate Rhaenyra and Laenor on the birth of their third son. He asked the couple if there was anyway he could serve the family, which he did when Aegon was about to be named king. He lied about swearing allegiance to Aegon and tried to flee King’s Landing to warn Rhaenyra. Larys Strong had him captured, and Otto Hightower hanged Lord Caswell for treason.

Sers Erryk and Arryk Cargyll

The identical twin brothers, Sers Erryk and Arryk Cargyll, served on King Viserys’s Kingsguard. Erryk was Aegon’s sworn protector, but refused to help crown him King. He knew Aegon was unworthy of the position, so he stole Viserys’s crown and brought it to Dragonstone for Rhaenyra, whom he swore to protect as a member of her Queensguard.

Arryk Cargyll remained behind in King’s Landing as part of Aegon’s Kingsguard against his brother’s urging. They both died after Criston Cole sent Arryk to impersonate his brother in a failed assassination attempt.

Ser Steffon Darklyn

Ser Steffon Darklyn of Viserys’s Kingsguard was with Rhaenyra on Dragonstone when The Dance of the Dragons began. This character joined her Queensguard (under threat of death by Daemon) rather than swear allegiance to Aegon in the final episode of House of the Dragon season one.

Ser Lorent Marbrand

Ser Lorent Marbrand was also a member of Viserys’s Kingsguard at Dragonstone when The Dance of the Dragons began. And like Ser Steffon he joined Rhaenyra’s Queensguard (under the same threat of death by Daemon).

Lord Bartimos Celtigar

The Lord of Claw Isle, Lord Bartimos Celtigar, took an immediate and important spot on Rhaenyra’s small council at the start of the Dance of the Dragons.

Lord Simon Staunton

Lord Simon Staunton of Rook’s Rest was also a member of Rhaenyra’s black council on Dragonstone when war broke out over the Iron Throne.

New House of the Dragon Characters; Jump to: House Targaryen // House Hightower // House Velaryon // House Strong // House Lannister // House Royce // House Stark // Other Major Characters (Baratheons, Coles, and More)

Originally published on September 6, 2022.

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House of the Dragon has a big creative advantage over most adaptations. George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood is not a definitive account of events. It’s a history of House Targaryen “written” by a maester that is incomplete or even wrong in certain places. (Though we can’t always know how or where). That’s especially true of the time period the HBO’s prequel series is retelling. That section is based on three biased sources that frequently conflict with one another, often because none of the chroniclers actually witnessed the events they wrote about. Their blindspots and distortions provide House of the Dragon narrative freedom. It also lets the show fill in huge gaps never mentioned. And House the Dragon‘s season two premiere used that storytelling advantage to make Queen Alicent and Ser Criston Cole’s relationship far more troubling, complex, and interesting.

In Fire & Blood, Kingsguard member Criston Cole goes from being the sworn sword of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen to the personal protector of her enemy, Alicent Hightower. No one in Westeros ever hated Rhaenyra more than the man who crowned her brother Aegon king. The Targaryen history provides a very personal reason for the enmity between the two formerly close duo: their relationship turned sexual.

In Fire & Blood, one source claims Cole asked Rhaenyra to run across the Narrow Sea with her, giving up her claim to the Iron Throne. Another says it was Rhaenyra who asked him to forsake his vows to the Kingsguard. What every historian agrees on is that, after that moment, the two despised one another. Criston Cole didn’t just turn his back on her, he worked to destroy her.

House of the Dragon‘s first season provided a definitive answer as to what happened between them. It’s the one that always made the most sense based on what we knew about each. It was Criston Cole, the worst person ever, who begged Rhaenyra to leave Westeros behind with him. The HBO series also gave us a reason for his request. It wasn’t one driven by love or even lust. Cole felt guilt for having broken his sacred vows in the first place and he wanted Rhaenyra to give up everything to make him feel better about himself. When she refused in House of the Dragon season one, Criston Cole abandoned her and went into the service of Queen Alicent instead.

For everything Fire & Blood says/suggests about Cole and Rhaenyra’s relationship, both explicitly and in subtext, it says almost nothing of his relationship with Alicent. Criston Cole becomes Alicent’s sworn sword and protector, but none of the book’s sources raise even a hint of impropriety between the two. But that doesn’t mean the show created a physical relationship out of thin air, either.

Westeros remembers Criston Cole for the unethical punk he was. It also knows he almost certainly broke his vows and slept with Rhaenyra. (Who was a drunk teenager the first time they slept together on the show). It’s not a stretch, in any way, to imagine Cole also went on to violate his oaths with a young, beautiful widow like Alicent. Nor it is absurd to think that a woman whose entire life was defined/bound by duty until that point took her handsome knight to bed when she was under the most stress she’d ever know.

While their physical relationship contributed to the show botching Fire & Blood‘s most shocking moment (the other side of the adaptation freedom coin), this expansion of their story is ultimately a good thing for the show. It makes all of their interactions more fraught. Their advice to Aegon, whether they agree or not, is also harder to trust. Alicent and Criston Cole have entangled themselves in a way that has often doomed other duos because personal relationships have a tendency to undermine duty and rational thinking.

Each character is also more interesting on their own now, too. This evolution of the relationship makes Alicent more complex and, therefore, more compelling. She’s not as “perfect” as she thought. Maybe now she fears/knows Rhaenyra was right about her true nature, especially since Alicent did the very thing she held against Rhaenyra. It’s even possible jealousy of how Rhaenyra got to live her life drove Alicent into Criston Cole’s arms in House of the Dragon season two. And while Alicent’s hypocrisy makes her less righteous, calling her piety into question, it makes her more human and, therefore, possibly more sympathetic. She’s as vulnerable and flawed as anyone. She gave in to her basest desires just like any other human might.

While this relationship twist makes Alicent more dynamic, it also makes Lord Commander Ser Criston Cole an even greater villain. He’s less a knight and more a walking fraud who speaks with a forked tongue. Every awful thing he says about Rhaenyra is projection. He can’t truly protect the King and his family because he’s compromised himself. He’s the amoral, unethical center at the Dance of the Dragons.

He’s what the show needs just as Game of Thrones needed characters like Joffrey, Ramsay, and Baelish. The handsome Kingsguard member who began his story so nobly and with so much promise is like a reverse Jaime Lannister, someone we hated but grew to love.

No one will ever love Criston Cole… Except apparently Alicent Hightower. And House of the Dragon is better for it.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist and the original Criston Cole hater. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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House of the Dragon‘s first season featured one of the most significant revelations in all of A Song of Ice and Fire. Aegon the Conqueror came to Westeros because he “foresaw the end of the world of men” at the icy hands of the White Walkers, and he believed the only hope to defeat the darkness was a unified Westeros led by a Targaryen. We learned about Aegon’s Dream when Viserys shared the secret with his daughter Rhaenyra. It was a vision the family’s kings had only ever told their own heirs. Or so we thought.

House of the Dragon‘s season two premiere has indicated the Conqueror shared that secret with an outsider, the Lord of a family Aegon knew would be the first line of defense when a “terrible winter gusting out of the distant north” began: House Stark. And that shared secret deepens the binds between House of the Dragon, Game of Thrones, Aegon, Jon Snow, the Targaryens, and the Starks.

House of the Dragon returned by returning us to Winterfell at the outset of winter. Season two also began with the voice of Lord Cregan Stark. He said, “Duty is sacrifice. It eclipses all things, even blood.” Those were no mere words, either. He said them as part of a ceremony we’ve never seen on either Game of Thrones show before. When winter starts, House Stark sends one in ten of its own kin, drawn by random lot, to join the Night’s Watch.

Most members of that ancient order are made up of “doomed men who had their life as their only possession.” Game of Thrones viewers know those doomed men—often rapists, thieves, and cravens—usually aren’t the best Westeros has to offer. The Night’s Watch needs capable, honorable fighters and leaders to keep those men in line. The Night’s Watch needs Starks.

Even without that ceremony, though, Starks have served in the Night’s Watch since its inception. The family’s members have often served as Lord Commanders.

What makes this new piece of northern lore so monumental is who began this tradition and when. This “sacrifice” changes everything we know about Aegon Targaryen’s interactions with the Starks and the North, and, therefore, the “bastard” who will one day unite the Realm against the White Walkers.

With the ceremony complete, Cregan Stark brought Rhaenyra Targaryen’s oldest son and heir, Jace, to the top of the Wall. Jace was on a diplomatic mission to secure support of major houses for his mother’s claim to the Iron Throne. The two talked about the first time a Stark swore an oath to a Targaryen, when King Torrhen Stark bent the knee to Aegon.

The current Lord of Winterfell then assured the prince, “Starks do not forget their oaths.” The North will keep the vow Cregan’s father Rickon made to Viserys when the King named Rhaenyra his rightful heir. However, Cregan also said he has an even more sacred oath that limits how many men he can commit to the Queen’s cause.

“My gaze is forever torn between north and south,” Cregan said. “In winter, my duty to the Wall is even more dire than the one I owe to King’s Landing.” Jace did not understand why guarding against “wildlings and weather” was more important than stopping the Hightowers and saving the Realm from a war that will rip it apart. That is until Jace gazed out past the Wall in awe.

Cregan then told the story about how Jace’s great grandparents, King Jaehaerys and his wife Queen Alysanne, once visited this very spot with his father Rickon. From there, the two Targaryens watched as their dragons, “the greatest power in the world,” refused to cross the Wall. The implication was obvious even before Cregan spoke again. “Do you think my ancestors built a 700-foot wall of ice to keep out snow and savages?” Lord Stark asked the prince. When Jace then asked what the Wall does keep out, Cregan told him: “Death.”

The Warden of the North’s comments show House Stark, even millennia after the First Long Night, always knew what the Wall kept out. That exchange also reflected a memorable and ominous moment from Game of Thrones‘ pilot.

In the original series’ premiere a visiting Benjen Stark, member of the Night’s Watch, discussed whispers of White Walker attacks with his brother Ned. Unlike everyone in else Westeros would for many years, the two did not dismiss or mock those reports. They spoke of the possibility with the solemnity of a Stark who knows, and has always known, “winter is coming.” House Stark’s ancient words were always a reminder of the real threat out of the darkness plotting its return.

That’s what makes the timing and originator of the Stark Night’s Watch ceremony so significant. That’s actually an understatement. It’s among the most meaningful pieces of lore ever introduced to A Song of Ice and Fire. To understand why, we need to go back to the start of House Stark and House Targaryen’s relationship, a century before House of the Dragon.

Aegon Targaryen had already conquered most of Westeros when he turned his attention to the King in the North, Torrhen Stark. Torrhen had marched 30,000 men into the Riverlands to take their stand against the larger force of House Targaryen. But by then, Torrhen knew what Aegon, his sisters, and their dragons could do, both good and bad. The Targaryens had already ended the lines of ancient houses who had not bent the knee while empowering those who had. Aegon bestowed honors on his new allies and spared their people.

Not surprisingly, some northern lords still wanted to fight, even though they must have known on some level they would lose. Instead, the evening before the battle, Torrhen sent his bastard brother and maesters to treat with Aegon.

George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood tells us “all through the night messages went back and forth” between the camps. In the morning, Torrhen did not fight as most expected of the northerners. Instead, he knelt as the King of Winter and “rose as Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North” for King Aegon Targaryen.

Why did Torrhen kneel? Wouldn’t a Stark—-leader of a family that traces its ancient blood back to the First Men, who defended Westeros against the White Walkers long ago, who held firm against the Andals—rather go out on his shield fighting than kneel to a foreign invader?

Those obvious questions have always made Torrhen’s decision seem an easy one to explain. He was a wise ruler who didn’t let his pride get in the way of saving the people he swore to protect. But those obvious questions are also why that explanation has always felt incomplete. Why didn’t Torrhen Stark, at least, offer to fight Aegon Targaryen in single combat? He might have died, but it would have been an honorable death that still kept northerners safe from dragon flame. Without understanding what he was fully saying, on House of the Dragon, Jace provided the reason why.

The prince told Cregan, “Surely the great Torrhen Stark would’ve sooner died than bent the knee. Unless he believed the Conqueror could bring unity to the Seven Kingdoms.” Cregan said that was right, but it’s not completely accurate. Before Aegon no one cared about unifying the Seven Kingdoms, especially the North, which was unlike any other kingdom. Torrhen Stark would not have knelt to Aegon Targaryen in the name of unity.

Not unless he truly knew what Aegon was unifying the Realm against.

Everything House of the Dragon revealed about Torrhen Stark—from why he kneeled to the Night’s Watch sacrifice he began right after he knelt—can be explained by something unsaid in words during that scene yet so obvious when taken as a whole: Aegon Targaryen told Torrhen Stark about his dream.

The Conqueror believed the battle with the White Walkers would begin in the North. He even personally called his prophetic dream “A Song of Ice and Fire.”

Aegon trusted Torrhen with the most important secret in the world because only together, Stark and Targaryen, did the living have a chance against the dead. We know Aegon was right. Jon Snow, the son and rightful heir to the Iron Throne born from the love Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark shared, was the only one who could unite the Realm to stand against the White Walkers. Jon Snow’s song, as the prophecy foretold of the Prince That Was Promised did, in fact, promise, was a song of ice and fire.

Did Torrhen tell his own heirs? That seems unlikely based on everything else we know of House Stark, but he didn’t have to. The Starks always knew what was lurking beyond the Wall, which is why Torrhen believed Aegon Targaryen in the first place. It’s why Torrhen started making sure the Night’s Watch had men from his own family who could lead them. It’s why Cregan Stark can’t send all his men to help Rhaenyra Targaryen. Winter has arrived, and that means the Night King might come with it.

Like in season one with Aegon’s Dream, this enormous revelation does more than just connect both shows. It’s also bigger than even the Starks and Targaryens and how important Rhaegar and Lyanna’s love will be one day. Its beauty goes beyond even that of the wondeful symmetry it creates, as King in the North Jon Snow—secretly named Aegon Targaryen—will one day kneel to a Targaryen ruler in the name of uniting the Realm just as Torrhen Stark once did.

This revelation gets to the beating heart of George R.R. Martin’s massive story.

Without this bond between Stark and Targaryen, these houses of ice and fire, death would have done what Aegon and Torrhen both feared. Together, they began crafting the song that would save the world.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who got goosebumps during Jace and Cregan’s scene. You can follow him on Twitter and  Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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House of the Dragon‘s season two premiere ended with a violent scene readers of George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood have desperately waited to see. It was the iconic, infamous event known as “Blood and Cheese,” arguably the single most shocking, cruel, and heartbreaking moment in the history of Westeros. And House of the Dragon completely botched it by needlessly delivering a vastly inferior version.

I love every single book and short story George R.R. Martin has written about Westeros. Yet I also know books are not TV shows and TV shows are not books. Adaptations, even faithful ones, must make significant changes if they hope to succeed. The written word, no matter how good, simply does not always translate to the screen. In its first season, House of the Dragon made a lot of amazing changes, the majority of which I supported and celebrated. From the revelation of Aegon’s Dream to an infinitely more dynamic King Viserys, it provided so many fantastic new aspects to Martin’s story.

Of course, the show also made some terrible changes. It undercut the major figures’ storylines and created big spectacles free of logic. Those kinds of alterations are frustrating (to be polite), but it’s a part of the process. I get that. I really do.

But some scenes need zero changes because they’re not only perfect on the page, they’re already perfect for the screen. And—more than any other moment in all of Fire & Blood, and maybe in all of A Song of Ice and Fire—no scene was ever more TV ready than “Blood and Cheese.”

The murder of Prince Jaehaerys on House of the Dragon almost certainly shocked and bothered those who had no idea what was coming. The violent murder of a child, even in Westeros, is still inherently stunning. The problem is those who did know what was coming, the people most excited and invested in this scene, know this version is monumentally, infuriatingly worse. George R.R. Martin’s version is so much more powerful, creative, and awful than House of the Dragon‘s. It’s also more logical and far more meaningful to the story.

In Fire & Blood a scheming, angry, worried Alicent Hightower is the chief architect of Aegon usurping his half-sister’s throne. House of the Dragon took away some of her agency by making her believe Viserys had a deathbed change of heart about succession. Fortunately season two’s premiere gave some back to Alicent by showing she knows the only way forward now is violence. She accepts blood must be shed and she has played a role in that inevitability. That scene with her father (along with the rat catcher walking by her earlier in the episode) also seemed to be setting up the horror that awaited her at the end by having her naively believe a war for the Iron Throne would free of “wanton” violence. The series did a fantastic job foreshadowing the worst moment in Alicent’s life, one that would make her truly face the consequences of her choices.

Then it didn’t have her experience it.

In Fire & Blood, Daemon’s two hired assassins aren’t bumbling around without a plan. They are far more capable, focused, and diabolical. The rat catcher is chosen specifically because he knows how to get around the Red Keep’s secret tunnels (including where the royals live) in a way few others do. That includes even those who actually live there. Cheese, as he is eventually called, knows all the hidden passageways in and out of bedchambers and offices. His intimate knowledge is also partly why they targeted Haelena’s young son rather than Aegon or Aemond in the first place.

Book Alicent resides in an accessible part of the castle, the Tower of the Hand. The highly protected King and his family sleeps in Maegor’s Holdfast, which has no secret ways entrances. King Maegor had the Red Keep’s secret tunnels installed, but wisely didn’t want any where he lived and slept. The subtext of Martin’s story reveals no one in the royal court worried about where Alicent, Helaena, and the kids went anyway because they obviously weren’t targets. This is a war between Rhaenyra and Daemon against Aegon and Aemond. Even the murder of Lucerys Targaryen wouldn’t make someone think little Prince Jaehaerys was in danger. He’s a literal child. But that’s one of the major points of the entire scene, which is really not about Jaehaerys or Helaena at all. They’re just victims. The scene is really about Alicent and how she made her loved ones targets.

In Martin’s book, Blood and Cheese hide in Alicent’s bed chamber because that’s how they can get what Daemon wants, “a son for a son.” Spies let Daemon (not still on Dragonstone at this point) and Mysaria (still in King’s Landing and willingly involved in this scheme) know about the Queen’s activities. Every night Helaena takes her three kids— the twins Jaehaerys and Jaehara, aged six, and son Maelor, aged two—into their grandmother’s bedroom to say goodnight.

On that fateful evening, Blood and Cheese had already bound and gagged Alicent and strangled her bed maid. Then they waited, as a helpless and terrified Alicent looked on, not knowing exactly what they had planned. When Helaena walked in with the three kids holding Maelor’s hand, Blood “barred the door and slew the queen’s guardsman, whilst Cheese appeared to snatch up Maelor.” After promising to kill them all unless Helaena stayed calm and quiet, they also swore to only harm one son. Only, in one of the most horrific decisions ever faced by anyone in Westeros, Helaena would have to pick which son died.

The Queen pleaded with them to take her instead, but they threatened to assault her daughter if she didn’t choose. Finally, “on her knees, weeping, Helaena named her youngest, Maelor.” Why him? Some think because he was too young to understand, others because Jaehaerys was the King’s heir. Whatever drove her choice, it didn’t matter. Cheese whispered to little Maelor, who must have been so confused and scared, “You hear that, little boy? Your momma wants you dead.” Cheese then smiled at Blood, who instead struck Jaehaerys’ head off with a single blow.

Yeah. Yeah.

On the page this horrible, shocking, heartbreaking scene—a true testament to Martin’s gift as a writer—reads like a short play in a way few moments of Fire & Blood do. It’s all there. There’s no guessing at the action, tension, and dialogue. There’s no mystery to fill in. Nor is there any way to improve it. It’s perfect, as is the purpose it serves in this story about two women fighting over the Iron Thrones. That’s what really matters.

This is the moment where Alicent literally must face what she’s put in motion. For all her talk about protecting her family from Rhaenyra, she is the one who put them all in mortal danger. She started this war. Her anger and ambition helped make such a moment of evil possible.

And for all of the Greens’ arrogance about righteousness, they must now spend the rest of the war knowing none of them, not even the youngest and most innocent, are safe. This is a fight to the death no one will win even if they survive. Helaena, Alicent, Jaehaera, and Maelor all walk away from Blood and Cheese with their lives, yet each life is destroyed in its own way.

For indefensible, incomprehensible reasons, House of the Dragon decided not to have Alicent present for any of this. Neither does it make Helaena agonize over an impossible decision only to be left with a son who knows she named him for death. Instead Alicent only had to hear about what happened while Helaena instantly gave up her son. (Which itself was an illogical moment of non-tension. Blood and Cheese could have easily looked under the kids’ pajamas to identify Jaehaerys.)

Why did House of the Dragon take a scene this good and beloved, one of the most highly anticipated in all of Game of Thrones history, and make it inferior? Why did it lessen the emotional impact, horror, and meaning to the story? It’s not as though these changes were about lessening the violence. The show actually amped the physical brutality of the moment. The murder of little Jaehaerys was worse because Blood slowly sawed off his head rather than chopping it off in a single blow. Why amplify the physical awfulness but lessen the emotional aspect when that’s the entire reason for the scene in the first place?

Ultimately the show’s reasons doesn’t matter, at least not to book readers who know what they missed out on. The only thing that matters is that House of the Dragon blew a rare opportunity. It had the chance to adapt a book moment that was already perfect for the screen in every way.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings. (Or complaining about how House of the Dragon did the impossible and screwed up “Cheese and Blood.”)

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Have you heard about that new Game of Thrones spinoff HBO is developing? No, not that one. Not that one, either. They already stopped working on that. And that other one is now going to be an animated series. I think.

HBO’s time in Westeros didn’t end when Bran Stark claimed the Iron Throne. The network has been working on other potential shows set in George R.R. Martin’s world of A Song of Ice and Fire since before the original series even ended. House of the Dragon was the first to make it to air, but it won’t be the last. Many more are still in development. Some, though, as Martin says, are already on the proverbial “shelf.” (He should know. He also says he is “deeply, heavily involved” in every potential show.) Which ideas are still alive and which are dead… for now? Here’s every Game of Thrones spinoff we’ve learned about over the years and their current status.

Latest Developments in the World of Game of Thrones Spinoffs

10,000 Ships – Pulitzer Winning Playwright Working on New Pilot

Another early Game of Thrones spinoff idea still in development is 10,000 Ships (sometimes written as Ten Thousand Ships). It would focus on the legendary warrior Queen Nymeria. She led her people out of the Rhonyar River region in Essos to escape the Valyrian Freehold. Her long and arduous journey to find a new home ultimately led her to Dorne where she and her people settled. Queen Nymeria, who lived a thousand years before the events on Game of Thrones, married Lord Mors Martell. The two conquered Dorne together. She is the reason Dorne has princes and princesses. She was also one of Arya Stark’s heroes. Arya named her direwolf after the famous Queen.

In 2016 Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential) was attached to the show before Amanda Segel took over. HBO tapped her to write the pilot and serve as potential showrunner. In March 2022 Martin said Segel had already delivered a “couple drafts” of the script. However, another writer is now tackling the project. At his “Not a Blog” Martin said Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Eboni Booth (Primary Trust) is “working on a new pilot” for Ten Thousand Ships. “We’re all very excited about this one… though we’re still trying to figure out how we’re going to pay for ten thousand ships, three hundred dragons, and those giant turtles,” he said.

Hegelend Shares 10,000 Ships Has a Biblically-Inspired Story

Helgeland shared details of his idea for the series. He wrote:

It came out great, but I think they felt the period of my show was too far removed from the pillars of the original. That’s why it hasn’t been picked up yet, but nothing is ever dead. My script was based on Queen Nymeria and this little blurb about her that was in a Westeros encyclopedia. Essentially, it was the story of Moses but swapping him out for Nymeria. Her country gets ruined and her people are forced to live on the water, which is why the show was called Ten Thousand Ships. They end up having to leave and find a new home like the Israelites leaving Egypt. She’s leading all these people, trying to hold everyone together but things are always in danger of falling apart as they travel around a fictionalized version of the Mediterranean, looking for a new home to settle in.

Their life was nomadic. Living in a raft city that was bound together, this big floating city. Sometimes, the characters would come ashore, but they ultimately get driven off the land as they search for a home, their version of the promised land. I met with George R.R. Martin to pitch him the idea, which he signed off on. Sadly, I didn’t work with him closer, but I would have done if the show was picked up. It was kind of like Ray Harryhausen’s Sinbad films mixed with The Odyssey. In a way, Nymeria is Odysseus, but instead of a 12-person crew, she’s responsible for every citizen in this floating city-state. My work is still there if HBO wants to pick it up. I enjoyed my time developing it, and you just never know.

Aegon’s Conquest

In early 2023 Variety reported HBO was “actively” discussing a potential prequel about the legendary Targaryen lord who conquered Westeros. A series about Aegon’s Conquest (roughly 300 years before Game of Thrones) was also among the first batch of spinoff concepts considered by HBO in 2016. The original idea is said to have portrayed the famed King as a “drunken lout.” Rand Ravich and Far Shariat wrote that script.

The Hollywood Reporter now says HBO ” is actively heating up” discussions about the long-gestating concept. It also has a name attached to this new attempt. Mattson Tomlin, who is said to have done uncredited script work on The Batman and who is officially co-writing its sequel, is heading up this iteration of an Aegon’s Conquest spinoff. Tomlin is also behind the BRZRKR with Keanu Reeves and is serving as showrunner for Netflix’s animated Terminator series.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tomlin confirmed he’s working on the series, though that work has just begun. “That one is very early days where I’m currently writing the script, currently doing a lot of great back and forth with George (R.R. Martin),” said Tomlin. He also said Martin told him to treat the story as history that really happened. Doing that he said is akin to writing about great historical figures like Napoleon or Alexander the Great.

“We know where he was, we know who he conquered, we know who lived, and we know who died,” said Tomlin. “That all becomes the plot, and then it becomes my job to go, but what did it mean thematically? How did it feel? What were the emotions when this person died and this person lived? We don’t have the context. We don’t know what anybody said.”

While Tomlin and Martin will handle all of that, THR‘s initial report included one confusing clue about HBO’s idea for the series. A source said the show would mark a “back to basics” approach. Considering House of the Dragon is not that different from Game of Thrones in any meaningful way beyond being more focused, that could indicate previous attempts at an Aegon series tried something very different with its approach. That could explain why the network did not proceed with them. Or “back to basics” could mean this idea is more like a traditional drama with fewer characters and jumping around to various location than Game of Thrones.

The one thing we know for sure about any and all attempts at telling Aegon’s story is that they’ll involve dragons.

ON-AIR

House of the Dragon

HBO’s first Game of Thrones spinoff, a prequel about the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, will return for its second season in summer 2024. However, season one co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik will not be back. He left the series in 2022. Ryan Condal now fulfills the role on his own.

Carly Wray and Bryan Cogman (who wrote a pilot) both worked on a Dance of the Dragons series, but HBO did not move forward with either of their concepts.

Read More: Everything We Know About House of the Dragon Season 2

ORDERED TO AIR

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight (Dunk & Egg)

George R.R. Martin’s three Dunk & Egg novellas tell the story of Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire. That squire was really a Targaryen Prince named Aegon who traveled with Dunk in disguise. (He also unexpectedly went on to become King years later.) The beloved duo is now set to star in HBO’s second spinoff. HBO ordered the prequel to series to air in April 2023. Martin and Ira Parker will write and executive produce the show. (Patriot‘s Steve Conrad was originally tapped to write the show in 2021.) Ryan Condal and Vince Gerardis will join as executive producers. The series has its Dunk and Egg, but it no official release date. It began filming in spring 2024. A 2025 premiere seems very possible. It also has an official logline:

A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.

Read More: 5 Reasons Why We’re Excited For The Game Of Thrones Dunk And Egg Spinoff Series

IN-DEVELOPMENT

The Golden Empire

Development continues on a potential adult animated series about Essos’ far eastern Yi Ti dynasty. Martin once wrote Yi Ti is the fantasy analogue of Imperial China the way Westeros is the fantasy analogue of the medieval British Isles. The World of Ice and Fire compendium book (which Martin jokingly calls The GRRMarillion in reference to J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion) expanded on the little we know about that powerful, large nation. That also includes some tantalizing tales, one that connects the ancient, advanced Yi Ti to the first Long Night.

It’s unknown who is leading the show’s development or what it would be about. But a possible series would be so far removed from Westeros and Martin’s main story that it would have incredible freedom to tell any story from any time period.

The Sea Snake/Nine Voyages

After initially being developed as a live-action series, George R.R. Martin announced a prequel about the adventures of young Corlys Velaryon is now being considered as a potential adult animated spinoff. The show also initially operated under the title Nine Voyages (which Martin still uses sometimes). That was in reference to the nine famous trips Corlys Velaryon made around the world on his ship The Sea Snake. He travelled to far off places all over the globe in the decades prior to the Dance of the Dragons. His accomplishments made him Westeros’s most famous and celebrated sailor ever. He is also a major figure on House of the Dragon, where Steve Toussaint plays an older Sea Snake.

In March 2022 Martin confirmed reports Rome showrunner Bruno Heller would write the show’s pilot. More recently the author also explained at his “Not a Blog” blog why he “fully” supports the show’s change from live-action to animation:

Budgetary constraints would likely have made a live action version prohibitively expensive, what with half the show taking place at sea, and the necessity of creating a different port every week, from Driftmark to Lys to the Basilisk Isles to Volantis to Qarth to… well, on and on and on. There’s a whole world out there. And we have a lot better chance of showing it all with animation. So we now have three animated projects underway.

STATUS UNKNOWN

Unknown Animated Series

Martin has long made reference to development of an unnamed adult animated series, one possibly meant to air on HBO Max. Nothing is known about the series. That includes whether a spinoff idea reported on previously is the mystery cartoon and no one has made the connection.

SHELVED

Flea Bottom

One potential live-action prequel idea that seemingly never gained much traction was a series have focused on the denizens of King’s Landing’s infamous slum district Flea Bottom. HBO never even confirmed the show was in development. Reports say it did not make it very far in the process.

Untitled Valyrian Freehold Series

The initial batch of five spinoff ideas HBO pursued in 2016 (out of a list of at least 15) was a show about the destruction of the Valyrian Freehold. Valyria was the Roman Empire-like dynasty of dragon lords who ruled over Essos for thousands of years. House Targaryen avoided its ancestral home’s doom when it fled Valyria a century before its demise. Kong: Skull Island‘s Max Borenstein wrote a script for the show, but that seems to be as far as HBO got with it.

Valyria was home to thousands of dragons and ornate architecture. That would make for a bloated VFX budget. This idea is a great candidate for the mysterious animated show Martin continues to allude to.

Untitled Seven Gods of Westeros Show

A long lost concept that “didn’t get very far” at HBO would have seen the gods from the faith of The Seven team up like superheroes, leading to others worshiping them as deities. It’s easy to see why HBO didn’t have much faith in this idea.

Snow Is No Longer Happening

In a Narrow Sea worth of prequel ideas, the only potential sequel series that was confirmed to be under consideration at HBO is Snow. Kit Harington brought the idea to the network. He also brought it to George R.R. Martin, who confirmed the possible spinoff’s development. The author said he’d already met with Harington and his team about it, as well. The show would follow the former Lord Commander after he returned to life beyond The Wall in Game of Thrones‘ series finale.

Snow was “shelved” during the Hollywood strikes. Though the end of the strikes left the current status of the series unknown. In November 2023 HBO CEO and chairman Casey Bloys said, “I wouldn’t say there is anything else in that world that is close to a green light or anything, but we are always working on different scripts and ideas.” And that seemed to convey that the series wouldn’t happen anytime soon.

Most recently, we got a firmer answer about the fate of the Game of Thrones spinoff show. Kit Harington revealed the Jon Snow series was firmly “on the shelf” and no longer in active development. He shared, “In development, you look at every angle, and you see whether it’s worth it. And currently, it’s not. Currently, it’s off the table, because we all couldn’t find the right story to tell that we were all excited about enough. So, we decided to lay down tools with it for the time being. There may be a time in the future where we return to it, but at the moment, no. It’s firmly on the shelf.”

NOT PICKED UP

Bloodmoon

House of the Dragon will forever be the first Game of Thrones spinoff to reach airwaves. However, HBO filmed another spinoff before it. The network spent (at least) $30 million to shoot a pilot for Bloodmoon, a prequel set thousands of years prior to the original series. Starring Naomi Watts, it took place during the Age of Heroes. That’s when legendary figures of the Realm helped establish its most famous houses. At least that’s what the stories say. That mythical era remains shrouded in secrecy.

The series, from showrunner Jane Goldman, also operated under the working title of The Long Night, as it would have covered the original White Walker invasion that plunged the world in darkness. While HBO has said it was a good pilot—and the network was clearly serious about it considering its financial investment—it ultimately passed. That decision shocked many.

Read More: History Of Thrones: The Long Night And Identifying Enemies And Heroes

The public has never seen Bloodmoon‘s lost episode. Not even George R.R. Martin. But it remains a fascinating idea with incredible potential. Just because HBO didn’t order it to air doesn’t mean it won’t some day. Martin always says “shelved” TV shows can always leave the shelf.

Especially in Westeros, where we all know the dead have a way of coming back.

Originally published on January 4, 2024.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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George R.R. Martin might be best known for his fantasy world of Westeros, but longtime fans know he began his career writing science fiction. His love of the genre has never waned, either. Nor has his desire to work on sci-fi stories. The author has shared the first set photo from the upcoming short film “The Summer Machine,” the first part of an anthology he’s producing.

Deadline shared the first image from production on “The Summer Machine.” The short film from writer-director Michael Cassutt (The Twilight Zone) reportedly just finished filming. Little is known about the short beyond what this set photo reveals and its cast. It stars Lina Esco, Charles Martin Smith, and Matt Frewer. Martin did share one funny comment on the project. He told Deadline, “Summer is coming.”

Other shorts apparently are, too. This is the first in what is supposed to be an anthology series. So long as others are writing those shorts, a sci-fi anthology film series produced by George R.R. Martin won’t be just a fantasy.

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The House of the Dragon is about to get a lot bigger. Warner Bros. Discovery’s next Game of Thrones prequel will also take place during the Targaryen dynasty. The series, based on George R.R. Martin’s collection of novellas A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, will bring the beloved duo of Dunk and Egg to life. Now we know who will play the beloved pair of wanderers whose story brought them to the Iron Throne. HBO has announced Peter Claffey will play the legendary Ser Duncan the Tall and Dexter Sol Ansell will play his young squire, the secret Targaryen prince Aegon in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight.

HBO’s second Westeros spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, will follow a famous twosome from the Realm’s history: Ser Duncan and “Egg,” whose real name is Aegon. (Yup, another Aegon.) The show has been in development since at least 2021. Martin and Ira Parker will write and executive produce the show. Ryan Condal and Vince Gerardis will also serve as executive producers.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Hedge Knight spinoff will run for six episodes. Additionally, it was just announced that Owen Harris, who directed Black Mirror‘s “Be Right Back” and “San Junipero” has come aboard The Hedge Knights‘ first three episodes. Harris will set the tone of the series with his directing work since he will be directing half of the first season..

HBO has now picked its eponymous pair. The 6’4″ tall Claffley (Bad Sisters, Vikings: Valhalla) will play Brienne of Tarth’s honorable ancestor. Sol Ansell (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) will star opposite him as the fiery and determined Targaryen prince who wanted to see the Seven Kingdoms as Duncan’s squire.

According to a previous Variety report, HBO CEO Casey Bloys originally said the series would begin production in spring 2024. However, that was dependent on the end of the Hollywood strikes. With their two main stars onboard now, though, filming could start sooner than later. Don’t buy snacks for your premiere party just yet, thought. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has also the series is eying a “late 2025″ premiere.

The series does have an official logline, at least. From HBO:

A century before the events of Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.

Martin has released three novellas about Dunk and Egg’s adventures together, which came in the immediate aftermath of the Blackfyre Rebellion. That was the second famous Targaryen civil war in Westeros, the one fought after dragons went extinct. The three stories were later collected in the book that lends its name to the show’s title.

While we know the fate of Dunk and Egg many years later (which you can read about here if you don’t mind spoilers), there’s so much of their earlier time together we do not. Beyond the three stories Martin has published, he has long said he had/has plans for many more entries. Even if he never writes them, he can now use those ideas as a basis for storylines on the show.

HBO’s head of drama Francesca Orsi noted more about how the series would structure itself. She offered that it would run “ideally year-to-year and arcing out a three-season series, which maps out the three novellas that George wrote… Of course, we’d like more beyond that, and George is continuing to think about the remaining novellas that he still wants to write, but at this point, we have our eye on three seasons that would map out each book, each novella.”

Even if we simply get adaptations of the three released stories and nothing else, they will provide a fascinating look at the Seven Kingdoms during an important era in its history. The first Blackfyre Rebellion split the Realm in two. But the end of a war does not guarantee peace. And while House Targaryen did not have dragons during this time period, they did have magic.

Also, the actions of family members also had major implications on their ancestors 100 years later during the events of Game of Thrones. A couple of them were still around then, too.

Maester Aemon of the Night’s Watch was Egg’s brother. (He called out to Egg while dying.) And the Three-Eyed Raven (known as the Three-Eyed Crow in the novels) was one of the most important figures before, during, and long after the Blackfyre Rebellion. Long before he became part of a tree far beyond the Wall he was an infamous sorcerer and political figure. Just getting to see him in his heyday will make this spinoff worth watching.

Originally published on April 12, 2023.

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Civil war has come to Westeros, but the Dance of the Dragons won’t be the only infamous feud viewers see during House of the Dragon‘s second season. The series will also feature Westeros’ answer to the Hatfields and the McCoys, House Bracken and House Blackwood. Who are these ancient families from the Riverlands and why do they hate each other so much? And what does their infamous animosity mean for the Targaryens fighting over the Iron Throne? Here’s what to know about the Realm’s oldest, most enduring, most personal clash.

Age of the First Men and the River Kings

The Targaryens’ ultimately ruled Westeros for three hundred years, a mere blip in the Realm’s long history. Some families, like House Stark, trace their bloodline all the way back to the First Men. Those settlers arrived 12,000 years before Aegon and his sister-wives brought dragons to the Seven Kingdoms.

The First Men fought the Children of the Forest for two thousand years until the sides signed a peace agreement. During the Age of Heroes that followed, the Children retreated north. Meanwhile petty kings of men fought each other for millennia to rule different regions across the continent. One area frequently contested was the fertile riverlands. Over time many different houses ruled as river kings. That included the neighboring families of House Bracken and House Blackwood. Their battle for the riverlands is where their bitter feud began.

House Bracken of Stone Hedge

The ancient House Bracken of Stone Hedge in the riverlands dates its founding to the First Men. At the time of House Targaryen’s rule it controlled a large area of land along the Red Fork, one of the three important rivers that make up the Trident. Their sigil celebrates their renown for breeding horses. It features a red stallion upon a golden shield on brown.

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During the Age of Heroes House Bracken ruled the Red Fork for a time as kings. This is not disputed, but how they lost their kingdom is. According to the Brackens their vassals of House Blackwood usurped them. Only, House Blackwood tells a very different story.

House Blackwood of Raventree Hall

House Blackwood’s Raventree Hall sits in the Blackwood Vale, which is just north of the Red Fork. The ancient family’s own history also dates back to the First Men, except they originally hailed from the wolfswood in the north. The Kings of Winter from House Stark drove the Blackwoods to the riverlands. According to Blackwood tradition, they then ruled as river kings from the Blackwater Rush’s mouth. They also say they ruled as kings opposite House Bracken, not as vassals to the Brackens. The Blackwoods say their enemies were mere petty kings who hired sellswords to fight House Blackwood.

We will likely never know if either side’s version is the whole truth. Westeros’s ancient history is as much myth and legend as fact. But we know why their sigil features a dead weirwood on a black shield surrounded by a flock of black ravens on scarlet. That poisoned tree memorializes a major moment of escalation between the two families.

Bracken and Blackwood Unite Against the Andals

When the Andals crossed from Essos into Westeros House Bracken and House Blackwood put aside their long held animosity to unite against a common enemy. It wasn’t enough. Their combined force fell to the Andals. (As did most kingdoms and Houses outside the North.) What followed that defeat only made the families’ hatred for one another deepen.

Following their loss House Bracken did what most families south of the North did: it converted to the Andals’ Faith of the Seven. House Blackwood did not. It kept the old gods the First Men had adopted thousands of years earlier from the Children of the Forest. The split in religious beliefs caused new, more personal problems. The Blackwoods claim House Bracken poisoned the sacred weirwood at Raventree Hall. The appearance of the poisoned tree on the Blackwood sigil shows just how important that event was to the family, even if we don’t know whether or not the Brackens were actually responsible.

Whatever the truth, it’s one of the many events neither family has ever forgiven despite many attempts to bury the hatchet.

The Many Failed Attempts to End the Bracken and Blackwood Feud

The Brackens and Blackwoods attempted to end their feud many times via marriage. A bastard born of both houses even became King of the Trident once. But no matter how often they combined their families, the feud ultimately always restarted. While they often fought over disputed nearby lands, their history reveals a hostility that went far beyond power. They hated one another on a personal level.

That hatred not only prevented either house from gaining more power, it also left the riverlands vulnerable. A few centuries before House Targaryen’s arrival, House Blackwood united with the Storm King in a war against the riverlands other kings. But rather than the Blackwoods emerging as the unquestioned rulers of the region, the riverlands became part of the Storm King’s domain instead.

Three hundred years later House Bracken betrayed the Blackwoods in its fight against House Hoare, Kings of the Iron Islands. Instead of a Bracken becoming King of the Trident, House Hoare usurped the Storm Kings, putting the riverlands under the domain of the brutal Iron Island kingdom.

The feud also led to both families missing out on a chance to become the major house of their region when Aegon the Conqueror arrived.

Aegon the Conqueror Passes Over Both Bracken and Blackwood

Bracken and Blackwoods alike joined House Targaryen in its battle against the Iron Island King Harren the Black. But when Aegon burned Harren and his sons inside Harren’s just finished Harrenhal castle, the Conqueror named the Lord of House Tully as Lord Paramount of the Trident rather than the lords of House Bracken and House Blackwood.

The two sides had fought a secret war against one another a decade before, for which Harren had punished them. That left both families in a weakened state when Aegon selected his representative to lead the region.

House Bracken and House Blackwood Under Targaryen Rule

Aegon’s wife, Queen Visenya, tried to end the feud with a double marriage between the families, but the double matrimony failed just as all previous marriages. During the first one hundred years of House Targaryen’s reign, both Bracken and Blackwoods found themselves mixed up with the royal family, often with deadly results. Lord Blackwood also backed the losing finalists put forward as King Jaehaerys’ heir, a title that fell to Rhaenyra’s father, King Viserys.

The Bracken and Blackwood feud even erupted when Viserys sent his daughter on a trip to find a suitable husband. During an event with the king’s heir young, Amos Bracken fought with young Samwell Blackwood.

We saw a similar moment during House of the Dragon‘s first season between Willem Blackwood and Jerrel Bracken. They drew swords after Jerrel mocked Willem while he spoke to the princess. However, unlike in George R.R. Martin’s history where Amos and Samwell merely fought that day, on the HBO series Willem killed Jerrel.

We already know that deadly encounter won’t be the last time we see Westeros’ Hatfields and McCoys on the show.

House Bracken and House Blackwood in House of the Dragon Season 2

Trailers for House of the Dragon‘s second season show an intense encounter between a Bracken and members of House Blackwood. Why are they drawing swords? What are they fighting over now? Most importantly, which side of the Targaryen civil war will each family support in the Dance of the Dragons? Considering each side controls a force in the riverlands even larger than House Tully commands, both the greens and blacks will want the Bracken and Blackwoods as allies.

Will they back the same dragon? Or go to war against one another? Even if you don’t already know the answer from Martin’s history, you can probably guess what these families will do. It’s what they’ve always done for thousands of years full of hatred for one another.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist who talks about Westeros like it’s a real place. You can follow him on Twitter and Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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As much as we may love Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, we’re perfectly content to leave most things from the mind of George R. R. Martin safely in the world of fiction. It’s not exactly a fun world to live in. But man, it would be cool if there were dragons in real life. Although, you’d probably never want to meet one, especially if someone says “Dracarys” around it. Well, there are no real dragons sadly. But thanks to YouTube channel Coolest Thing, via Geeks Are Sexy, we’ve discovered one man who made the next best thing. An actual life-size steel version of Drogon. And yes, it really does breathe fire. You can see the video chronicling its creation right here:

Canadian metal sculptor Kevin Stone of Chilliwack B.C. has created some incredible sculptures out of stainless steel in his day, including an eagle for none other than Dolly Parton. But recreating a dragon from the world of Westeros proved to be his most daunting challenge so far. It took him two full years to complete the project and weld Drogon together. The final sculpture ended up being 12 feet tall, and 44 fee[‘t wide with his wings folded. If his wings were able to spread out, they’d be approaching 100 feet in wingspan! And this bad boy weighs a whopping 15,000 pounds.

On Kevin Stone’s own YouTube channel, he goes into more detail about the creation of his Drogon sculpture. And you can also see lots of his other work, including one of a massive T-Rex. In Stone’s own words, it’s his goal to make something that will last for generations, and stand the test of time. We think some of these steel beasts are going to be around a whole lot longer than any of us. To see more, go to the Metal Sculptor Kevin Stone YouTube channel.

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Dunk and Egg are coming to HBO. The beloved duo will roam the Realm on the second Game of Thrones spinoff. Their names won’t appear in the title, however. Why did the network opt to give a duo A Song of Ice and Fire fans adore their own series but not use their well-known names? Dunk and Egg’s creator George R.R. Martin explained the rational behind that decision with his first official comments on the show. He also provided hope to viewers anticipating spending even more time in the fantasy world he built.

Martin took to his “Not a Blog” to discuss the official news HBO has officially ordered another Westeros prequel series. It will follow Dunk and Egg, a legendary pair whose story has been told in part via three novellas. Originally published in anthologies, Martin released them together in a single book known as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. That’s currently the working (and it seems likely) title of the show, which also has the first novella’s name attached, “The Hedge Knight.”

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is a mouthful. It’s certainly a lot wordier than simply calling the show “Dunk and Egg.” So why did HBO eschew a title that included their popular moniker? Martin said that was an easy call. Here’s what he wrote:

I love Dunk and I love Egg, and I know that fans refer to my novellas as “the Dunk & Egg stories,” sure, but there are millions of people out there who do not know the stories and the title needs to intrigue them too. If you don’t know the characters, DUNK & EGG sounds like a sitcom. LAVERNE & SHIRLEY.   ABBOTT & COSTELLO. BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD. So, no. We want “knight” in the title. Knighthood and chivalry are central to the themes of these stories.

I mean, I LOVE Dunk and Egg, but he’s not wrong about what to call the show. That’s why even though the working title is not guaranteed to be the actual title, we wouldn’t bet against it. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a great name, even if it seemingly only references Ser Duncan the Tall rather than his squire/secret Targaryen prince.

Martin also gave us an idea of how long we’ll get to spend with them during season one. He says right now the plan is for “most likely” six episodes, which will cover his first short story. If that’s a hit we’ll get more of the pair. When we’ll meet them on screen, though, we have no idea. The author says the pilot is written, and work has begun on the rest of the scripts, but that’s a long way from shooting.

Of course, as Martin also pointed out, it took a long time to even get to this point. HBO has been developing “Dunk and Egg” in some form for years since Martin first pitched it as a spinoff possibility in 2016. That’s why he says fans shouldn’t give up on other spinoffs also in development, as “development takes time.” Reports of other projects’ demise are often premature or wrong. That doesn’t mean they’ll make it to air, just that they have a long way to go before they might.

Until they do we can hold of on debating what HBO names them.

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House of the Dragon is only heading into its second season, yet HBO is moving forward with another Game of Thrones prequel. (Of course, we first heard about it being in development back in 2021, hence the original date of this post, but this whole decade is a void of time.) This second series will be based on George R.R. Martin’s novellas about Dunk and Egg.

The famous pair, who became King Aegon Targaryen V and his legendary Lord Commander, Ser Duncan the Tall, began their time together when “Egg” was a child. He served as squire to Dunk, a lowly, brave hedge knight, as the two traveled all over Westeros. During those years they interacted and lived with the common folk. But they never fully escaped the clutches of Egg’s royalty and the troubles his family faced during that complicated time. Theirs is a remarkable story, full of adventure, intrigue, triumph, and tragedy.

Martin himself has said their tales make for the “most natural follow-up” to his smash hit HBO show. And there’s reason to believe he’s right. Here are the reasons why a Dunk and Egg series will make for a spectacular spin-off.

We Will See the Westeros of the Other 99%

Random House

House of the Dragon will tell “The Dance of the Dragons,” the first Targaryen civil war. Like Game of Thrones, the series will primarily follow the most powerful figures in Westeros. But the Realm consists primarily of common people just trying to survive. Their experiences were, necessarily, not a priority in telling the epic story that followed Robert Baratheon’s death. And HBO’s other prequel, also set against a great war for the Iron Throne, likely won’t give viewers a chance to see that side of the continent much either.

But young Aegon Targaryen’s travels in (general) anonymity with Dunk, during a time of uneasy peace, provided him a perspective few in his family ever had. He interacted with people as far from the royal court as possible. Dunk and Egg’s time wandering Westeros will provide a totally different perspective of the Seven Kingdoms. That means totally different characters and stories, which will allow the series to differentiate itself from the other two Thrones shows.

A Delicate Peace and a Looming Threat Makes for Compelling Storytelling

Dunk and Egg met after the first Blackfyre Rebellion, the second great Targaryen civil war. Unlike “The Dance of the Dragons,” where mostly terrible people fought for power, the Blackfyre Rebellion was a battle between two worthy claimants. And the outcome very nearly went against Egg’s side of the family. The war inevitably splintered the Seven Kingdoms into two factions, even after it ended. The losing side did not quickly forget. They firmly believed, with sincere and understandable cause, that their king had been the rightful heir.

The wounds of the war were fresh while Dunk and Egg traveled during a time of peace. Not everyone Egg came in contact with had supported his side of the Targaryen family. The Blackfyre forces were not fully defeated. either For years they tried to reclaim the throne, a threat both Dunk and Egg were not immune from even while Aegon hid his true identity. Two of Martin’s three novellas embrace both of these circumstances with great success. This time period, when a tenuous peace barely concealed the deep wounds of the Realm, is ripe for great and compelling storytelling.

The Dunk and Egg Series Can Go Anywhere and Everywhere in Westeros

“The Tales of Dunk and Egg” are action-adventure stories. All three novellas (of which Martin has said he’d like to write as many as 12) take place in decidedly different locales. Yet all involve epic showdowns and battles. But they only provide a small glimpse into the places the pair went, the things they saw, the people they met, and the troubles they encountered. We know they went up, down, and across all of Westeros. They roamed from Dorne to the Wall, and crossed from the Sunset Sea in the west to the Narrow Sea in the East.

Game of Thrones showed us some truly amazing places, like the Eyrie in the Vale and Casterly Rock of House Lannister. But we never saw the important seat of House Baratheon: the ancient castle Storm’s End. Nor did we travel to the mysterious island known as the Isle of Faces, where Children of the Forest might still live. And we don’t know if cannibals really do live on the Northern island of Skagos. Dunk and Egg’s adventures are the perfect vessel to opening up the entire Realm—and maybe even beyond. They aren’t fighting a war. Two can move a lot easier than an army.

The Future Three-Eyed Raven

One of Game of Thrones‘ biggest omissions from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels was the Three-Eyed Raven’s backstory. In the books Bran’s mentor was known as the Three-Eyed Crow, a pale white figure who was more tree than man. (The character originally looked like that, but his appearance was greatly altered when they recast Max von Sydow in the role.) Long before he became Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch and disappeared beyond the Wall, the Three-Eyed Crow was the mysterious and feared Hand of the King, Ser Brynden Rivers. Many called him Bloodraven, though never to his face. His life story is one of the most fascinating and consequential in all of Westerosi history.

Bloodraven was one of many highborn bastards of the detestable Aegon the IV. Known as “the Unworthy,” King Aegon legitimized those children on his deathbed. That decision ultimately led to the Blackfyre Rebellion, fought between Aegon’s lawfully sired children and his legitimized bastards. But Bloodraven did not fight with his fellow bastard-born siblings. He stayed loyal to the crown and his half-brother, King Daeron II, Egg’s grandfather. Few though, including the common folk and even Egg, ever truly trusted Brynden Rivers. People believed he possessed dark magical powers that let him see everything, everywhere, at any time. We know from his future as the Three-Eyed Crow the whispers were true.

It’s hard to overstate how big a role Brynden Rivers played in Westeros. First as a member of the royal court, then beyond the Wall where he outlived his natural life by many years. He looms over Dunk and Egg’s adventures. A series about the duo is also a perfect way to explore one of the most fascinating and important characters the Seven Kingdoms ever knew.

Read more about Bloodraven, his abilities, and his importance with our “History of Thrones” series.

We Could Get More Dunk and Egg Written Stories

George R.R. Martin has always had big plans for Dunk and Egg on the page. In 2014 he said his “intent” was to “write a whole series of novellas” about them. But so far he’s only finished three, even though the first was published in 1998. An announced fourth, set at Winterfell, was supposed to be published in 2013. It still hasn’t been released. Considering we all might be Melisandre’s age when (IF!) he finishes The Winds of Winter, let alone the seventh and final book in A Song of Ice and Fire, we might never get another Dunk and Egg story from him. We might not even get more of their general story unless he finishes part two of his Targaryen family history, Fire and Blood. That’s a long of unfinished projects for a notoriously slow writer.

A TV series is our best chance at getting more tales of this memorable pair. That means meeting more great characters—heroes, villains, and those in-between—like the ones who populate the novellas. And since Martin has told so few official stories, a show would come with plenty of mystery and intrigue about what we will see. We know where their story is going, but not much about how they got there.

Westeros has thousands of stories to tell. But few are as perfect for the screen as those of Dunk and Egg.

Originally published January 22, 2021.

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A new report from Variety says HBO is “actively” discussing an Aegon Targaryen Game of Thrones spinoff. This isn’t the first time the network has contemplated doing a series about the man who started his family’s dynasty in Westeros. It was among the original group of spinoff ideas HBO considered as far back as 2016. That version would have presented the legendary Conqueror as a “drunken lout.“

It’s a long path to go from an idea to an actual television show. That’s a road only House of the Dragon has walked flown in Westeros. But should you root for this Aegon series to be the next one to make that journey? That depends on whether you think the pros outweigh the cons.

The Cons of a Game of Thrones Spinoff Series About Aegon the Conqueror

1) There’s not a lot of mystery around the events of his invasion

Aegon’s Conquest is one of the most transformative events in Westeros’ history. That’s why his victory is so well-chronicled, both in-world and in George R.R. Martin’s books. There’s very little we don’t already know about the two-year Conquest’s biggest events. Even Aegon’s failures in Dorne, the one kingdom he never brought under his rule, are well-established.

2) Aegon’s battles were one-sided affairs without much drama

Tywin Lannister once explained to Arya Stark that “Aegon Targaryen changed the rules” of warfare forever. He did that by easily defeating all of his enemies. (Either on the battlefield or when they surrendered before the fight even began.) As fun as it would be to see three dragons sweep over the continent together, almost all of the actual Conquest’s biggest moments are anti-climactic. Even Aegon’s most visually stunning battle, the Field of Fire, would be a letdown. We’ve essentially already seen it on Game of Thrones when Daenerys wiped out the Lannister forces in the Loot Train Attack.

And while Aegon still had wars to fight after being crowned, they’re not as exciting as what we saw on Game of Thrones or what awaits on House of the Dragon.

3) There are maybe too many Targaryens and dragons already

How many Targaryen centered stories do we need or want? Daenerys was a main character on Game of Thrones. And House of the Dragon covers the era of House Targaryen when the family had the most dragons ever under its control. Westeros’s history goes back tens of thousands of years and involves countless families, heroes, and villains. There’s also an entire world of stories beyond its borders. Do we really need yet another series about that one clan of surviving Valyrians? At what point do even dragons get boring?

4) House of the Dragon already revealed the most important secret of Aegon the Conqueror’s story

Why did Aegon suddenly turn his attention west one day? Why did House Targaryen spend a century on Dragonstone before anyone thought to unleash the greatest weapon in history on the Realm? House of the Dragon already told us: Aegon’s Dream drove his conquest. That prophecy convinced him a unified kingdom under his family’s rule was the only thing that could save the world from a White Walker invasion someday.

That was a monumental, franchise-shattering revelation on House of the Dragon. It completely reframed everything we knew about House Targaryen and Aegon the Conqueror. There’s nothing else we could learn about Aegon that would be anywhere near as important.

The Pros of a Game of Thrones Spinoff Series About Aegon the Conqueror

1) An Aegon series could explore what it’s like to truly have power

Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are about the fight for power. Aegon’s story is about truly having it. That’s a very different perspective to explore. What are the burdens and pitfalls of really ruling the world? How did Aegon avoid the fate that befell someone like Robert Baratheon after his own conquest? And how did Aegon shape the way history remembers him and his legacy? Those questions, and all the possibilities for storytelling that come with them, would come to the forefront in a story about the most powerful figure in the history of Westeros.

2) We don’t know the real Aegon

For all its battles, magic, dragons, and shocking moments, Game of Thrones worked because it always centered its story around its characters. From their desires and failures, to their personal relationships, the show mattered because we cared about the people in it. The same is true on House of the Dragon, and it would be true on an Aegon spinoff.

While we know much about the big events in his life, we know very little about the man he actually was. What did he care about when no one was around? What was he afraid of? How did he get along with others? Did he relish his Conquest or bemoan the awesome responsibility that launched his invasion? Even the legendary, larger-than-life Aegon the Conqueror was a real person. Meeting that man in an intimate setting would be fascinating in the best tradition of the franchise.

3) Aegon isn’t the Conquest’s most interesting figure. His sisters are.

History calls it Aegon’s Conquest, but as Arya reminded Tywin, it did not solely belong to him. Aegon’s two sister-wives, Visenya and Rhaenys, helped him take the Realm and ruled alongside him. That’s why House Targaryen’s sigil is a three-headed dragon. Centering all three of them equally would make for a compelling spinoff that could tell a captivating story about family, power, legacy, and love. Aegon didn’t do this alone. His sisters, both very different in personality and in their relationship to their brother-husband, were conquerors, too. There’s even more to learn about them.

4) Family Drama, with a capital “D” for dragons

If you love nothing more than seeing Westeros’s most powerful families engage in some good old-fashioned infighting and drama, a Game of Thrones spinoff series with Aegon and his sister-wives will provide plenty of that. He truly loved one but only married the other out of duty. One was also a fierce and imposing warrior, the other a charming beauty adored by all. Seeing the three of them interact together while currying favor at court would make this spinoff worth it. Far more than the actual invasion.

So do the pros outweigh the cons? Is this a Game of Thrones spinoff idea HBO and Warner Bros. should make a reality? Or is it time to stop focusing on House Targaryen? Not everyone will agree. But if Aegon’s Conquest does come to life, we doubt anyone will complain about seeing Balerion take to the sky.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at  @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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House of the Dragon is another global hit for HBO, and more Game of Thrones spinoffs are on the way. Despite all that success, though, most viewers don’t know the name of the woman whose contribution to the franchise helped make all of that possible. Because had author Phyllis Eisenstein not convinced George R.R. Martin to “put the dragons in” his story, most of us might never have met Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and Princess Rhaenyra. Those fantastical beasts have cast a spell over mankind—transcending both culture and time—for as long as people have told stories. They’ve also continued to capture our imaginations since the moment we started putting moving pictures on screen. And without dragons, Westeros might not be the magical phenomenon it’s become.

Dragons have been part of mankind’s myths since the beginning of civilization itself. The first such legend dates back to Ancient Sumer during the 4th or 3rd millennium B.C.E. Those mythical animals started appearing in stories from China, Egypt, and India not long after. Ancient Greece then followed with its own famous dragon tales starting 4,000 years ago, with more societies around the world independently contributing their own tales to dragon lore. (Possibly after finding dinosaur skeletons.) The classic English dragon tales that endure to this day—ones where brave knights battle giant beasts of fire—began earlier than many realize. The Medieval story “Saint George and the Dragon” traces its origins back to around 300 C.E.

The specifics surrounding tales of large reptilian monsters differ throughout history. In some parts of the world dragons are benevolent and heroic. In others they’re cruel and dangerous. Some fly and breathe flames, while others swim or crawl on land. Others have no wings at all, but sport great horns or even antlers. But while their features, size, and personalities change, dragons’ enduring place in our myths and folktales do not. That didn’t change as the way we tell stories do, either. Just as they’ve long adorned works of art, scrolls, and books, they’ve been part of our movies and TV shows for as long as we’ve had those.

The first dragon appeared on screen in Austrian director’s Fritz Lang’s 1924 “Die Nibelungen.” A dragon made its animated film debut in Disney’s 1931 film The China Plate. (They’ve remained a staple of Disney movies ever since.) Those magical beasts then made the jump to TV in 1946 on Kukla, Fran and Ollie. (The final name in the show’s title refers to the puppet Oliver J. Dragon.) The advent of CGI has only made dragons’ place on screen more ubiquitous during the 21st century. Between live-action stories, cartoons, video games, and tabletop adventures, in many ways dragons are more prevalent in society than ever before. The 21st century makes Arthurian legends seem dragon-light.

Dragons owe their oversized place in modern pop culture to the written word just as much as moving pictures, though. J.R.R. Tolkien’s tales of Middle-earth began with The Hobbit, an adventure about defeating a greedy dragon. We’ll never know if that novel would have been beloved without Smaug. Nor if publishers would have gone forward with The Lord of the Rings had the author’s introduction to his fantasy world not been so well received. But we know Bilbo’s journey led to us meeting Frodo, Gandalf, and Sauron, as well as generations of fantasy stories inspired by the Fellowship of the Ring. Without a dragon at the start we wouldn’t have many of the most beloved and influential fantasy epics we have today. That very much includes George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire.

Westeros is not interesting merely because it has dragons. It’s too rich and layered a world to only define it by one element. But it wouldn’t be the same without dragons. Those creatures add a grandeur and mystical quality the story might not otherwise have. (And, let’s be honest, dragons are always cool.) But most importantly they give A Song of Ice and Fire a timeless quality that speaks to people everywhere.

There’s a reason countless cultures, separated by both time and distance, came up with their own dragon myths. It’s the same reason their place in our stories, both for kids and adults, remains steadfast to this day. Dragons represent the power, beauty, and danger of nature. They represent both the perilous challenges and incredible possibilities all humans face. Dragons are supernatural yet made of flesh. They’re seemingly impossible to defeat or even tame, yet vulnerable as any creature. They can be good or bad or something in-between, same as us. They are a fantasy that capture the horror and wonder of the real world.

And George R.R. Martin almost didn’t include them in his story.

Martin originally considered giving House Targaryen a dragon sigil but no actual dragons. Instead he would have imbued Targaryens with “a psionic power” that was like a “pyrokinesis” where “they could conjure up flames with their minds.” Ultimately, though, his friend and fellow fantasy author Phyllis Eisenstein wisely told him to include actual dragons, forever changing the trajectory of not only Martin’s novels but the entire world of pop culture. Would his books have been as good or successful without dragons? Would HBO have adapted them without that success? And would Game of Thrones, a true global phenomenon, have found its massive audience minus an element that has long been a part of mankind’s stories everywhere?

We’ll never have answers to those questions. We don’t want to know or need to know them anyway, because we know what happened with dragons in the story. We’re reminded of that every time we watch or discuss House of the Dragon, a prequel about the time when House Targaryen had its highest total of dragons ever in Westeros.

Martin dedicated 2000’s A Storm of Swords, arguably the best book in his series, to his friend. But while Phyllis Eisenstein saw the world embrace Game of Thrones, she passed away in 2020. She never got to see dragons take to the sky on House of the Dragon.

Every time they do, though, we should remember her role in making it all possible and be grateful for what she did. Because she recognized something mankind has always known: dragons always have—and always will—make any story better.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon, adapts George R. R. Martin’s book, Fire & Blood. The stories leads to one of the most brutal chapters in Westeros’ history: the Dance of the Dragons. Introducing a new group of Targaryen characters and their various allies and enemies in Westeros, House of the Dragon depicts the Targaryens at their most powerful, almost two centuries before the events of the original Game of Thrones show. 

The Dance of the Dragons was a civil war that sprung up over succession to the Iron Throne. It is one of the precipitating events that eventually brought down the power of House Targaryen in Westeros. Princess Rhaenyra, the heir appointed by King Viserys, battled for the right to rule. And while disputes of succession are by no means new to the world of Game of Thrones, the Dance of the Dragons revealed how hostile Westeros was to the idea of a female ruler. Even though Princess Rhaenyra established herself as the most level-headed option for King Viserys’ heir, the king’s male children from his second marriage to Alicent Hightower further muddied the waters of succession to the Iron Throne. 

So far, HBO’s adaptation of Fire & Blood has stayed largely faithful to the book. However, it lacks one specific aspect that enhances the story’s focus on how society stifles women in positions of power. Fire & Blood, unlike other Game of Thrones books, is an oral history. Instead of following the story from different characters’ perspectives, Fire & Blood offers a macro view of how narratives of the past are constructed, and the political ends that they can serve. This is apparent when the narrator reveals that two different historical accounts exist for the Dance of the Dragons, one written by Maester Eustace, and the other written by a court fool named Mushroom.

Maester Eustace’s account is a sober recollection of House Targaryen’s fall; Mushroom’s is a deeply sensationalized look at Princess Rhaenyra’s life in particular. In turn, this is a perfect framework for the story of House Targaryen, because of how morally complex many of the characters are. With the narrator unsure of which version of history is true, the book leaves it to the reader to determine how much they want to believe from either one. 

This discrepancy comes to a head when the scheming Prince Daemon, brother of King Viserys and uncle of Princess Rhaenyra, returns to King’s Landing. The narrator admits that the history gets muddled between Maester Eustace and Mushroom’s accounts. According to Maester Eustace, Daemon “seduced his niece the princess and claimed her maidenhood,” leading Rhaenyra to later tell her father that she was in love with Daemon. Mushroom, on the other hand, wrote that Rhaenyra longed for Ser Criston Cole, her personal guard, leading Daemon to teach her how to seduce men. This involved sneaking the princess out of the castle and into the Street of Silk, King’s Landing’s red light district. Rhaenyra then tried to seduce Criston Cole, only to have him reject her. Mushroom’s story soon came to light, and Viserys denied his daughter’s wrongdoing before Daemon confirmed that it was true. 

House of the Dragon settles this debate by adapting many details from Mushroom’s account. The main difference is Criston Cole accepted Rhaenyra’s advances. In doing so, it tacitly accepts Mushroom’s version as the truth, without interrogating the political ends the story had in the first place. After all, it was Mushroom who leaked Rhaenyra’s purported activities to the court. Clearly men, including Daemon, had much to gain from sullying the princess’ image. 

The show did try to replicate the discrepancies in the book. We see it in a scene where Queen Alicent confronts Rhaenyra about her rumored activities with Daemon. However, it falls short of presenting the most central fact of Fire & Blood: the hindsight of men forges history. Rather than unfolding in the present through a neutral party, the history of Fire & Blood frequently presents as a collaborative project, one in which the readers themselves are complicit. Fire & Blood pulls readers in to teach them the early history of House Targaryen. Then, it shows them the patchwork of lies and incomplete truths governing the narrative. In the end, they walk away with no definitive account of what really happened. In this sense, Fire & Blood is less a history of House Targaryen, and more a portrait of the construction of history in Westeros in the first place. 

This lack of subjectivity in House of the Dragon is intriguing, given that so much of the show’s themes circle around the subjugation of women like Rhaenyra. By leaving out the roles that Maester Eustace and Mushroom played in documenting the history of House Targaryen, House of the Dragon misses the book’s most damning revelation: even at the height of their power, House Targaryen was never in control of their own narrative. As they terrorized Westeros with their display of dragons and military might, the Targaryens’ power eroded from the inside thanks to men with political agendas watching their every move. While it may be easy to wipe out entire armies full of men with a dragon, not even the Targaryens could extinguish a story spread by men like Maester Eustace and Mushroom. 

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Unlike most book adaptations, House of the Dragon is based on unreliable source material. George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood is “written” by an archmaester who lived long after the Targaryen civil war. And that fictional historian’s retelling relies on primary sources whose accounts are not only questionable, they frequently contradict. But that’s a good thing for viewers and readers alike. The spinoff series is giving us answers to some of Fire & Blood‘s most debated events, including one of the most important moments in Ser Criston Cole’s life. We now know he was the one who asked Rhaenyra to run away with him. But that wasn’t the only huge revelation the show’s explosive fifth episode gave us about the dishonorable Kingsguard. And everything we learned about him will frame his upcoming role in the Dance of the Dragons.

Fire & Blood is full of conflicting reports about signature events from this era of House Targaryen. That includes the matter of whether Princess Rhaenyra or Ser Criston Cole asked the other to run off to a life together in Essos. Now we know Rhaenyra’s sworn protector beseeched her to abdicate her throne. That wasn’t surprising, given what we know what Rhaenyra will do to claim the Iron Throne later in life. But Ser Criston’s reasons for making that outrageous request were.

Long before we got a definitive answer of who made this request, it always seemed clear it was one of love. Fire & Blood leaves no doubt Ser Criston Cole and Rhaenyra Targaryen had an intimate bond when she was younger. It was also easy to imagine why Cole would make such a desperate, outrageous plea. It’s easy to understand why a lovesick nobody from a minor house, raised to prominence by the princess he swore to keep safe, would think a fairy tale ending awaited them.

But House of the Dragon made clear the true story was far more complicated—and a lot less noble—than we ever thought. Ser Criston’s offer was not merely one of the heart, it was a selfish one. He loves Rhaenyra, but he also wanted her to rescue him from his own actions. He’s struggling to live with himself since he broke his vows (and continued breaking them) with the princess. He violated his white cloak, the “only thing” he has to his “f***ing name.” If she would merely give up her family, her title, her home, her responsibilities, and her future crown, he wouldn’t have to feel so badly about himself. She could save his honor for him.

Throw in that crate of oranges and it’s incredible she turned him down! What an offer! Rhaenyra gives up literally everything so the guy that took advantage of a drunk teenager can feel better about himself.

Whatever you think of Princess Rhaenyra and her own decisions, Ser Criston Cole clearly did not act purely out of love when he asked for her hand in marriage. Nor was he heartbroken because she said no. He was angry. He was angry at himself before, now he’s angry at her, with little self-reflection for why he is solely responsible for his own actions.

And as though that wasn’t bad enough, Criston Cole then violated Rhaenyra’s trust to Queen Alicent. He was so lost in self-pity he confessed to a crime no one accused him of. Only his guilt and need for absolution mattered to him in that moment. He gave no consideration to what his admission would mean for Princess Rhaenyra, a girl already dealing with powerful forces seeking to deny her the Iron Throne. That’s a shocking confession not found in Fire & Blood, one that has completely changed our understanding of the story.

At least Ser Criston’s anger and guilt only led him to betray Rhaenyra’s secret. Cole took out his anger and guilt on naive Ser Joffrey Lonmouth’s face, in one of the most despicable moments in Kingsguard history. Ser Criston responded to a toothless “threat” with a cold blooded murder in the throne room before half the Realm.

Ser Criston Cole’s story would have ended right then had Alicent not stopped him from taking his own life in the Godswood. And that might be this episode’s single most important revelation. It didn’t just answer some big questions about the infamous knight; it marked a major change for the Queen. She now realizes King’s Landing and its heir—which cast away her father in service of a lie—are not as sweet and innocent as she thought. Queen Alicent is finally ready to play the game of thrones.

And she begins this deadly game with a secret that could ruin Rhaenyra. A secret Ser Criston Cole is desperate to keep hidden. And what he’ll do to make sure it does—including to whom he’ll swear allegiance in the future—will forever change Westeros.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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House of the Dragon‘s third episode did more than deliver another chapter in one Westeros’ most notorious events. “Second of His Name” also rectified George R.R. Martin’s biggest Game of Thrones regret. Years after Robert Baratheon walked into the woods for the last time, the prequel spinoff finally showed the author knows what a royal hunt actually entailed. That endeavor, full of great Easer eggs, was more than a fun callback, though. The King’s lavish event is a harbinger of what’s to come. Because if House of the Dragon is willing to put this many resources into killing a single deer, imagine what it will do when dragons start fighting dragons.

In author James Hibberd’s Game of Thrones oral history, Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon, George R.R. Martin was unequivocal about his “least favorite scene in the entire show, in all eight seasons.” But it’s almost certainly not a moment viewers would pick or even consider. It was a brief season one sequence, when Robert Baratheon went on his fateful hunt in the Kingswood. Here’s what Martin said about why that roughly 90-second scene bothered him so much:

Four guys walking on foot through the woods carrying spears and Robert is giving Renly shit. In the books, Robert goes off hunting, we get word he was gored by a boar, and they bring him back and he dies. So I never did [a hunting scene]. But I knew what a royal hunting party was like. There would have been a hundred guys. There would have been pavilions. There would have been huntsmen. There would have been dogs. There would have been horns blowing – that’s how a king goes hunting! He wouldn’t have just been walking through the woods with three of his friends holding spears hoping to meet a boar. But at that point, we couldn’t afford horses or dogs or pavilions.

Martin can now rest easy. Everyone has seen a “real” royal hunt take place in his fictional world. House of the Dragon‘s version had everything he ever wanted and more. The celebration for Prince Aegon’s second name day was a grandiose gathering with lots of important lords and ladies. And also lots of horses, dogs, and pavilions.

Like King Viserys, Robert went hunting in the Kingswood for a white hart, a rare, older majestic deer considered magical. And like Viserys, Robert got very drunk during his hunt. (Lancel Lannister secretly gave Robert fortified strongwine to endanger the king.) House of the Dragon showed how a wild animal could fatally wound an inebriated monarch. Viserys was stumbling and unable to focus and, even with the deer tied up, he was at risk. And we also saw how dangerous a charging boar is when it almost killed Rhaenyra. Viserys’ hunt really did give us everything Robert’s didn’t.

In fairness to Game of Thrones, though, its royal hunt was brief. It did everything it needed to quickly. It would have made more sense to cut it entirely than go all out. House of the Dragon‘s royal hunt was far more important. It was a major gathering of important figures, some new to the show, that took up half the episode and helped moved numerous plots forward.

It was also a lot of easier for the spinoff to execute an extravagant royal hunt, too. The original show’s first season had a per episode budget of $6 million. That was a lot for 2010 when Game of Thrones began production, but a far cry from what HBO lets House of the Dragon spend every week. The prequel’s per episode budget comes in just under $20 million. That’s a Brienne of Tarth-sized increase over its predecessor. (Even if you account for inflation, $6 million in 2010 is roughly $7.4 million in 2021, when House of the Dragon filmed.) Meanwhile, Game of Thrones‘ final season budget was “only” $15 million per episode.

Speaking of comparisons, the first episode of House of the Dragon gave us the kind of royal tourney Martin wanted for Game of Thrones. The author also told Hibberd the original show had to dramatically cut back on the scope of King Robert’s jousting tournament. Despite the budgetary restrictions, Martin doesn’t hate that scene. He just wishes it could have been a lot bigger, and seven bloody hells is that exactly what we got in House of the Dragon‘s premiere.

The difference between the two is staggering. Just look at them.

HBO is giving House of the Dragon the kind of financial backing it took Game of Thrones years to earn. It’s the single biggest advantage the prequel has over its predecessor. Game of Thrones‘ success is House of the Dragon‘s gain. But that doesn’t mean the show is only using that money to satiate A Song of Ice and Fire‘s creator. It’s also delivering for fans, and looks like it will throughout the entire run.

By the time “The Dance of the Dragons” ends, this royal hunt should seem quaint in scope. The first Targaryen civil war features some truly epic moments, both on the ground and high in the sky. If House of the Dragon is willing to invest massive resources in royal tournaments and hunts, imagine what it will do when dragons battle dragons.

Of course, we’re fine with the show spending money to rectify Game of Thrones‘ biggest issues. Just so long as those issues aren’t limited to just George R.R. Martin’s regrets. House of the Dragon should put money into making sure we can see dragons go to war. And, most of all, in delivering an ending we all love.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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We know a lot about House of the Dragon‘s story. We know all the major figures and events, who will survive, and how it will end. But despite all of that knowledge, the show’s premiere still managed to drop a huge revelation. It’s a monumental piece of lore that reframes the series, Aegon’s Conquest, House Targaryen, and Game of Thrones. Because a dream brought fire and blood came to Westeros to one day lead the fight against the White Walkers.

Once King Viserys decided to name his daughter heir to the Iron Throne, he told Rhaenyra a family secret few Targeryens ever even knew. It’s also a secret never before shared in all of George R.R. Martin’s grand story – the real reason Aegon conquered Westeros.

Before Aegon’s Conquest, House Targaryen stood as the world’s last dragonlords for nearly a century. A minor noble house of Old Valyria, they fled the empire twelve years before its Doom. They only left because Lord Aenar Targaryen’s daughter, known as Daenys the Dreamer, foresaw Valyria’s fall. When the Doom consumed all of the empire and its dragons, House Targaryen was safely on Dragonstone.

But despite possessing the greatest power in the world and residing along Westeros’s eastern coast, House Targaryen barely involved itself in the Realm’s affairs for nearly 100 years, let alone attacked. Aegon didn’t either initially. Before looking west he cared more about what was happening across the Narrow Sea in Essos. That only changed—or so we thought—when King Argilac Durrandon of Storm’s End insulted Aegon. One act of violence from a single old stubborn king led Aegon to conquer the whole continent, not just Argilac’s kingdom.

Until now there’s always been something strange about House Targaryen’s century of inaction followed by Aegon’s overreaction to Argilac. Westeros, rife with in-fighting and millennia old animosity, was ripe for a dragon invasion. And House Targaryen had good reason to do just that. Dragonstone was not the easiest place to live. Now thanks to House of the Dragon we know what changed Aegon’s thinking, and therefore the world forever. Here’s what Viserys told his daughter about Aegon the Conqueror:

Ambition alone was not what drove him to conquest. It was a dream. And just as Daenys saw the end of Valyria, Aegon foresaw the end of the world of men. It is to begin with a terrible winter, gusting out of the distant North. Aegon saw absolute darkness riding on those winds, and whatever dwells within will destroy the world of the living. When this great winter comes, Rhaenyra, all of Westeros must stand against it. And if the world of men is to survive, a Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne, a king or queen strong enough to unite the Realm against the cold and the dark. Aegon called his dream “The Song of Ice and Fire.” This secret has been passed from king to heir since Aegon’s time.

House Targaryen has a long recorded history of prophetic dreams starting with Daenys. In the novels Daenerys has them. As did a prince named Daeron the Drunken and the Targaryen bastard Daemon II Blackfyre. Now we know Aegon had them as well. He saw the return of the Night King three centuries before the White Walkers breached The Wall. That dream, more than personal ambition, pushed him to take over Westeros. That also helps explain why he let those who bent the knee keep their lands and titles rather than install lords loyal to him. From Aegon’s perspective, he was there to conquer so he could unite Westeros, not destroy or remake it. That was the only way to ensure a Targaryen could lead the charge against the Long Night. His dream fundamentally changes everything we know about Aegon came to Westeros with his sisters.

(Note: Dragons didn’t even exist during the first Long Night. Neither did House Targaryen.)

But the ramifications of this prophecy, shared only with a king’s heir, changes everything we know about every Targaryen king who followed Aegon. Each carried the burden of a dark secret that involved the very fate of the world. That huge responsibility re-contextualizes every decision any of them ever made. That even includes (without condoning or excusing) Viserys’s decision in House of the Dragon‘s premiere to sacrifice his wife for an heir. Viserys’s obsession with having a son whose claim could not be challenged was at least partly about ensuring a Targaryen sat on the Iron Throne until Aegon’s dream came true.

Aegon’s prophecy now also reframes why Rhaenyra will soon fight a savage civil war to claim the Iron Throne. Her father entrusted her with the most important responsibility in the world. But that secret doomed some of Aegon’s other ancestors, too. It’s the same secret King Daeron the Young Dragon knew of while singularly focused on bringing Dorne under his rule. It’s also a dream Aegon the Unlikely knew about when he died trying to hatch dragon eggs.

But this prophecy also changes everything we know about Game of Thrones and the events leading up to it. That includes how Daenerys Targaryen never knew about her ancestor’s dream, and why Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark’s love led to mankind’s salvation.

One day Rhaegar Targaryen—son of the Mad King, heir to the Iron Throne, and older brother of Daenerys—suddenly decided he had to become a great knight. Some believe he made that decision because he read about the Prince That Was Promised prophecy and thought he was that prince. Now we know it might have been because his father told him of Aegon’s secret. But no matter what made him pick up a sword, eventually he likely believed his future son would be the world’s greatest hero Aegon dreamed of.

Like Aegon’s dream, that Prince That Was Promised prophecy said a great hero would defeat the darkness and save mankind. But it was not Rhaegar who united the Realm against the White Walkers, nor even a king. It was Rhaegar’s son and rightful heir Jon Snow, whose real name was Aegon Targaryen. Jon Snow never knew about Aegon’s dream, either. But he was the son of Lyanna Stark, and his song was a song of ice (Stark) and fire (Targaryen).

In ways Aegon the Conqueror never could have predicted, his dream came true. A Targaryen united (enough of) the Realm to stand against the Night King and save the living. For nearly three centuries before Game of Thrones, though, that dream also influenced the lives of everyone in Westeros, because it influenced every Targaryen ruler who sat—or, like Rhaenyra, was mean to sit—on the Iron Throne. So much for what we “knew” about House of the Dragon, the Targaryen family, and why dragons came to Westeros.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Game of Thrones adapted George R.R. Martin’s (sigh…still unfinished) A Song of Ice and Fire series. But HBO’s prequel spinoff isn’t based on those novels. House of the Dragon begins two centuries before Robert Baratheon asked Ned Stark to serve as Hand of the King. Unlike with the original hit show, though, we already know a great deal about the Dance of the Dragons that will take place in House of the Dragon thanks to the 2018 book Fire & Blood. It’s part one of Martin’s (planned two-part) history of House Targaryen.

However, it’s not the only source we have for the civil war that pitted dragon against dragon. Even that prequel has prequels. Here is a rundown of the books that House of the Dragon is based on.

What Is George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood About?

For millennia Old Valyria ruled over much of Essos. House Targaryen was only a minor dragonlord family of the empire’s 40 ruling noble houses. But things changed twelve years before the “Doom of Valyria” killed all the other dragonlords in 114 BAC (Before Aegon’s Conquest.) Fire & Blood begins the Targaryen story in Westeros with those events and is the main book that House of the Dragon will be based on. But exactly happens in this Game of Thrones prequel book?

Lord Aenar Targaryen, to the bemusement and scorn of the other Valyrian rulers, moved his family to the empire’s most western outpost of Dragonstone. His daughter Daenys had a prophetic dream about Valyria’s end. When it came true a dozen years later the Targaryens stood as the only remaining dragonlords in the world. But they did not use “fire made flesh” to take over Westeros for another century. That’s when Aegon and his two sisters brought fire and blood to the Realm. The book that takes its name from the words of House Targaryen covers the first half of the family’s three centuries-long dynasty in the Seven Kingdoms.

Fire & Blood covers the family’s story starting from Aegon’s reign and then following the five kings that came after him. It then ends with the Targaryen civil war the Dance of the Dragons, which House of the Dragon will bring to life. The Game of Thrones prequel book concludes halfway through the reign of the seventh Targaryen ruler in Westeros, the one who ascended to the throne when the war finally ended. We won’t name that person for those hoping to avoid spoilers for the show. But that monarch’s reign marked the final time anyone saw a dragon until Daenerys Stormborn.

Is House of the Dragon Based on Any Other Books?

Fire & Blood—presented as in-world history from Archmaester Gyldayn—is the most complete source we have for both House of the Dragon and the first half of House Targaryen’s reign in Westeros. But House of the Dragon may not be based on only one book; there are a few other sources that we could see come into play.

Before its release, fans of A Song and Ice and Fire learned about that civil war and its major participants from other official sources. The most important is the 2014 compendium The World of Ice & Fire. This book covers tens of thousands of years of Westeros’s history. That includes a large section on House Targaryen’s reign spanning every ruler from Aegon until Aerys II, the Mad King. However, that section is just a fraction of what Fire & Blood reveals.

Written by Martin along with Elio Garcia and Linda Antonsson, The World of Ice & Fire is also presented as an in-world history from Maester Yandel. The Maester wrote it for the benefit of the newly crowned King Joffrey Tommen. (Joffrey’s name is actually written over.) However, readers already knew some aspects of the Dance of the Dragons prior to that book’s release. Martin previously shared tales about some of the war’s major figures in short story collections the author contributed to.

And as though that’s not enough, A Wiki of Ice & Fire covers all of the lore and history known about A Song of Ice and Fire. The website is part of Westeros.org, run by The World of Ice & Fire co-writers Garcia and Antonsson.

All of Martin’s companion books are canon. And A Wiki of Ice & Fire is an invaluable, meticulously curated source. But sometimes the maesters’ “writing” these histories have conflicting sources. In some instances all we officially know is that no one in Westeros officially knows what happened. House of the Dragon will seemingly give us some answers to the war’s greatest mysteries, though. Martin said the show will not tell all three versions of events from the civil war’s primary historical sources.

Are There White Walkers in Fire & Blood?

The original Long Night ended in Westeros before the birth of dragons halfway around the world in Valyria. The forces of ice and fire never crossed paths during House Targaryens rule on either continent. For thousands of years most people believed the White Walkers were simply an old wive’s tale. It wasn’t until Daenerys Stormborn flew beyond The Wall on Game of Thrones that a dragonlord saw the dead.

House of the Dragon‘s story doesn’t involve White Walkers in anyway. But considering how many dragons will die roughly 170 years before the Night King returns, the ice lord’s presence will loom over everything. More dragons would have helped dealing with wights, even if they couldn’t harm the Night King himself.

Does House of the Dragon Have Anything to Do with The Winds of Winter?

No, not at all. Well, at least from a story point of view it doesn’t. The prequel show is yet another project requiring time and focus from George R.R. Martin. Which means it’s one more project slowing him down from finishing a book that is long, long, long overdue.

And since he plans on releasing part two of Fire & Blood, which could someday lead to another HBO series, technically everything he does is related to The Winds of Winter. But we’re going to try and enjoy House of the Dragon anyway and see how it lines up with the Fire & Blood book. At least we don’t have to worry about it running out of source material.

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In a recent “Not a Blog” post, Martin offered fans an update on his many current projects. He says he’s committed to finishing novel six in his main series (LOL). He’s also working on other books works in the franchise. But he’s also heavily involved in Game of Thrones spinoffs in development at HBO. Here’s what he said about those series:

Those have taken a ton of my time and attention this year. I have seen some comments out there questioning how much I am involved in these new series. The answer is: a lot. Deeply, heavily involved in every one of the new shows. It’s my world, and while I have been working closely with some fantastic writers and showrunners, ultimately it is up to me to try to keep the canon…well, canonical…and to do all I can to help make the new shows great. (And I love these stories too).

The author did not share the exact total of shows under consideration. But he said HBO is working on live-action series while HBO Max is developing animated shows. And while he knows “not all” will make it to air, he does “hope that a number of these shows will” beyond just House of the Dragon. (Of which he’s seen some early footage.)

At HBO, Martin says Bruno Heller (Rome) is writing a pilot script for a Corlys Velaryon series. It had been tentatively titled Nine Voyages, but its new working moniker is now The Sea Snake. That’s so it’s not confused with another spinoff idea, Ten Thousand Ships. That project, spearheaded by Amanda Segel, would follow the legendary Queen Nymeria. She rescued her people from the Rhoynar and ultimately settled in Dorne. (She was a hero of Arya Stark’s, given she named her direwolf for Nymeria.) Martin writes Segel has already “delivered a couple drafts” for the show and they “are forging ahead” with it.

As for the third live-action project, a Dunk & Egg series from Steve Conrad, Martin says he and his team “have had some great sessions with Steve and his team” where they “really hit it off. The pair are one of the most beloved duos in all of Martin’s Westeros. And it sounds like Conrad wants to make a version of their story that will please their dedicated fans. From Martin:

He’s determined to do a faithful adaptation of the stories, which is exactly what I want; these characters and stories are very precious to me. The first season will be an adaptation of the first novella, “The Hedge Knight.” Contrary to what you may have read on line, the show will not be called Dunk & Egg, which could be mistaken for a sitcom by viewers unfamiliar with the stories. We’re leaning toward A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for the series title, though The Hedge Knight has its partisans as well.

As for HBO Max’s possible animated series, Martin is under orders to remain mum on most specifics. That could change soon, though. Martin writes work on those are “moving very fast.” And also that he loves some of the concept art he’s seen for them. The animated series he’d admit to being in production is one set in Yi Ti. It’s developing under the title The Golden Empire.

Obviously, we don’t know which of the ideas will make it to air. But we expect the ones that do, will have a very wide audience. Especially book readers with nothing else to do.

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What is dead may never die, but what is hugely profitable lives forever. That seems to be HBO’s mantra when it comes to Game of Thrones. The network is already following up its global phenomenon with the prequel series House of the Dragon, a story about the first Targaryen civil War “The Dance of the Dragons.” It will premiere in 2022. But HBO isn’t waiting around to see if common folk want more tales of Westeros. The network has now hired a writer and executive producer for another A Song of Ice and Fire series in development. HBO has tapped Steve Conrad to bring George R.R. Martin’s fan-favorite “Dunk and Egg” novellas to the screen.

Random House Publishing

Deadline reports HBO has taken a big step in its “The Tales of Dunk and Egg” project. Conrad, who created the Prime Video series Patriot, will write and serve as executive for the series. While it still has yet to receive an official order, this move makes clear HBO is serious about making it the next Game of Thrones spinoff.

It’s based on three Martin short stories about the tales of a future Targaryen and his sworn protector. The pair traveled the Seven Kingdoms together meeting common folk and royalty alike in the Realm. Martin’s novellas include “The Hedge Knight” (1998), “The Sworn Sword” (2003), and “The Mystery Knight” (2010). He released all of them in different anthologies originally. But in 2015, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms finally collected them into one book. The novellas have also each received graphic novel versions. And Martin has also said he has more installments planned for the future. (But we know how that can go.) Conrad’s hiring confirms earlier reports the series is a major priority for the network.

“Dunk and Egg” were always one of the likeliest choices for a prequel series. The novellas are popular with readers. And they give insight into Westeros before the Mad King destroyed his family. Egg, short for Aegon, would go on to sit atop the Iron Throne as King Aegon V. He was also known as Aegon the Unlikely. As he was the fourth son of a fourth son. As a child, which is the time period of the novellas, he served as the squire to the hedge knight Ser Duncan the Tall, who would eventually serve as King Aegon’s Lord Commander. Ser Duncan was one of the most legendary knights in the history of Westeros.

Mike S. Miller/Jet City Comics

Despite dying in a terrible tragedy long before the events of the show, both also had connections to Game of Thrones. Egg was the brother to Maester Aemon, sworn brother of the Night’s Watch. And Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk) is Brienne of Tarth’s ancestor. Though the specifics of how remain unknown.

While this hiring brings the show closer to becoming a reality, it’s unlikely we’ll see it anytime soon. If we ever do. A different Game of Thrones prequel filmed an expensive pilot. Yet HBO did not order it to series. But we still like Dunk and Egg’s odds. Their an amazing pair with a fascinating story. Fans of the series already love them. And, most importantly, franchises that make money never die.

This post originally published on January 21, 2021.

Featured Image: HBO

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Those taking bets on whether George R. R. Martin would finish the The Winds of Winter novel or the game Elden Ring first can finally pay out. And once again, if you bet on the very long-awaited sixth book in the A Song of Ice and Fire saga, you’re disappointed and out some money. Thursday as part of Summer Games Fest, Bandai Namco and FromSoftware unveiled their first gameplay trailer for Elden Ring which Martin co-created with FromSoftware’s CEO and Dark Souls mastermind Hidetaka Miyazaki. And it’s just as epic as you might hope.

This was one of the games we were most hoping we’d see as part of E3 2021, but hey, we’ll take it a day early. And though we definitely have no idea what’s exactly going on, it looks like the perfect synthesis between the two creators we hoped for. This represents Miyazaki and From’s return to a high-fantasy setting following its most recent game, Sekiro, which took place in a stylized feudal Japan. If you ask us, this looks like vintage Dark Souls stuff: tons of gorgeous and ominous areas; medieval weaponry and armor; a mix of possible fighting styles; and enormous, eldritch bosses with crazy legs and beards and stuff.

On paper, a melding of Miyazaki and Martin’s storytelling seemed too good to be true, and now that we’re finally seeing the first look, we’re even more excited. Martin famously creates dense and intricate fantasy realms and histories and lore, which is exactly the kind of thing players find in games from From Software, with its lengthy item descriptions and environmental storytelling. We will definitely have to pour over this trailer for the next seven months but when it looks this good, why wouldn’t we?

Luckily as of early November, we have 15 minutes of gameplay to keep us entertained. Where the trailer hinted that the title would bear more of a connection to other From games besides director, this gameplay show it’s basically just exactly a From Software game. Specifically Dark Souls 3, except with a horse to get you around, and a jumping/vertical path mechanic. Even the jumping existed in a From game before; its most recent title Sekiro introduced aerial traversal.

But anyway, complaining that a Miyazaki game looks too much like a Miyazaki game is a bit silly. There appears to be enough new elements to make Elden Ring stand out. But we definitely did a doubletake when the demo showed the player character doing a visceral attack on a boss.

Elden Ring has a scheduled release date of January 21, 2022.

Originally published June 10, 2021.

Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!

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The haunting score, the schemes, the hint of wars to come, we’re officially back on Westeros, baby. It’s been quite the ride since HBO revealed plans for a Game of Thrones spinoff. First there was the five pitches floating around, then the canceled pilot. Things were a bit fraught in Thrones spinoff territory. But, from the ashes The House of the Dragon rose, and now we have our very first look at the upcoming TV series. And, we have to say, it has us pretty intrigued.

The upcoming series, based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, is a deep dive into the Targaryen family. According to HBO, the series takes place 200 years before the events in Game of Thrones—meaning we’re steamrolling towards a Targaryen civil war. Which, of course, is known as “The Dance of the Dragons,” and is the deadly war that brought dragons to extinction… well, until Daenerys shows up more than 100 years later.

The trailer also gives us a glimpse of just a few of our major players. There’s Paddy Considine on as King Viserys I; Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower; Rhys Ifans as Hand of the King Otto Hightower; Steve Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon; Fabien Frankel will play Ser Criston Cole of Dorn; Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria; Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.

And, of course, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, who, in the chilling voiceover, says, “Gods, kings, fire, and blood. Dreams didn’t make us kings, dragons did.”

HBO Max

In addition to this exciting first glimpse of the series, HBO also revealed a slew of new casting additions, all related to Toussaint and Best’s characters—so extended members of the Targaryen clan. They are Wil Johnson as Coryls Velaryon’s younger brother, Ser Vaemond Velaryon; and John Macmillan, Savannah Steyn, and Theo Nate as Coryls and Rhaenys’ children.

The series is co-created by Martin and Ryan Condal, both of whom are executive producing. Condal, who is also writing on the series, is co-showrunner with Miguel Sapochnik, a Thrones’ alum who directed several acclaimed episodes. Sapochnik, who is also executive producing, is directing the pilot as well as several additional episodes.

We’re incredibly curious about what to expect from the new series. And luckily it’s not too far off. House of the Dragon debuts in 2022.

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Doctors were baffled. What was at first assumed to be some sort of skin infection failed to respond to the normal course of topical steroids and antibiotics. But it didn’t look like eczema, psoriasis, or ringworm. They even threw out the dreaded word “leprosy” once or twice before quickly dismissing it. Repeated biopsies and allergy tests were inconclusive. I was passed from specialist to specialist. Most visits concluded with the doctor calling in every single intern and nurse to gather around and gawk at my naked body. 

It wasn’t until one of the lesions on my left shoulder blossomed into a tumor—growing rapidly, until it was the size of a tangerine—and the surgery to remove it, that doctors were finally able to diagnose me. I had a rare form of Non-Hodgkins lymphoma called Mycosis Fungoides: a normally slow growing (but incurable) cancer that causes my t-cells to grow thick, scaly patches and tumors all over the skin. Early stages’ treatment may include phototherapy (a form of UV radiation akin to burning your naked body three times a week) to try and slow the spread. But once it progresses internally, the only options become chemotherapy and eventually a full stem cell transplant.

Essentially, I had greyscale. 

HBO

I saw Shireen Baratheon’s scarred face for the first time in 2013, three years before my diagnosis. I remember laughing to myself and thinking, “Her face is scarred just like my butt!” I connected with this lonely young girl. My then undiagnosed illness had not yet spread to my face, but I felt the pressure she was under to stay hidden. To shelter myself from stares and murmurs. The perverse need to protect others from having to see my deformities. She was walled off and isolated by her family as I was walling off myself. I wore tights and long sleeves and purchased so much Sally Hansen Airbrush Leg foundation they should have made me an honorary spokesperson. 

Even after I had a name for it, I had to guard myself. People, even family members, fearfully assumed I was contagious. There was one horrific Thanksgiving in 2016 where a relative refused to share a plate of food with me because they “couldn’t risk catching what I had.” 

I won’t even go into what it was like trying to date in Los Angeles with it, but I will say that watching Shireen’s bravery and kindness were brief calms in the storm. True, she was a sheltered and naive child, and she didn’t get much screen time. But I took comfort in seeing her moments of goodness. And when Game of Thrones brutally sacrificed her, as it often does, I mourned her loss bitterly. But then the show gave me Jorah.

HBO

Jorah, unlike Shireen, became infected much later in life after grappling with a dreaded “Stone Man.” And much like his zombie flick predecessors, he hid his wound and his infection from the rest of his crew. He had a mission to complete and could not risk social exile or execution.

So intent on ridding himself of the disease, Jorah risked an experimental and dangerous treatment. He let Samwell Tarly flay the skin from his back and chest. Watching this excruciating scene, I found myself empathizing with Jorah. Unfortunately, chopping off my tumors was not a permanent solution. The cancer always came back. Instead, I endured constant second degree burns in order to kill the cancer cells in my body; when that stopped working, I enlisted in several clinical trials and eventually chemotherapy.

I sacrificed some of my hair, the feeling in my hands and feet, the contents of my stomach, and even my thyroid. (I’m currently in a new clinical trial study as I write this.) And so I understood his desperation. His need to do whatever it took, endure whatever he could, if it meant a cure. If Shireen was my lesson in patience, Jorah became my symbol of tenacity and endurance. Whatever I could do to stop the cancer from spreading further into my internal organs, I would do it. 

HBO

George R.R. Martin did not invent the idea of greyscale exactly. Greyscale and “Stone Men” come from a long tradition of popular culture viewing skin deformities as monstrous. We see it in The Bible; society deemed the lepers “unclean” and cast them out as a way to protect communities from infectious diseases. Ever since, the binary of clear skin as pure and blemished skin as corrupt has remained constant. Often depicted as moaning, wailing mobs, sufferers are one step removed from the violent bloodlust of zombies. Game of Thrones depicted the final stage of greyscale, the Stone Men, as mad, mindless marauders—driven to attack and infect others with their affliction. And much like with zombies, the most common treatment for greyscale involves amputating the infected limb and hoping for the best.

The fear of contagion has seeded a more sinister fruit. This notion of being “unclean” has become synonymous with corruption and evil; that which destroys your outsides must also destroy your insides. Or perhaps even, that your rotting soul itself made you vulnerable to this decaying of your flesh.

We see this on a minor level with the greasy, pimply, acne-scarred bullies of teen comedies like Grease. In Ionesco’s classic play Rhinoceros, the transformation of people into grey, scaly-skinned beasts serves as a metaphor for the rise of antisemitism and fascism that he witnessed as a child in Romania.

20th Century Studios

The body horror of mutating, pustulating skin is the hallmark of director David Cronenberg. But this fate always afflicts characters who have, due to a fatal flaw, in some way “earned” it. In The Fly, Brundle’s hubris and impatience lead to his transformation into the grotesque monster. In Videodrome, Max Wrenn earns his “new flesh” by callously trying to capitalize on the torture and murder of anonymous victims. 

And for as many times as we hear the cliches that “beauty is only skin deep” or to “not judge a book by its cover,” these stories maintain the opposite. Our culture obsesses over the idea that beauty means purity. In 2019, the skincare market in the United States generated $18 billion. Our skin, society teaches us, represents our health, our morality, and our worth. 

Despite their grizzly ends, I look back on Shireen and Jorah and I take solace in seeing their stories subvert the popular tropes. Yes, the show depicts hoards of violent Stone Men trying to infect others. But they are not just the terrifying Other. Shireen and Jorah are afflicted, but the show treats them with the empathy and complexity that all humans deserve.

Shireen has accepted her condition; Jorah tries his hardest to defeat it. In both stories, we see the repercussions of living in a world that hates and fears you for an illness outside of your control. And as a living Stone Man, I appreciate that.

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You would think HBO’s efforts to turn Game of Thrones into its very own MCU would keep George R.R. Martin plenty busy. Especially since he’s still (we hope) working on The Winds of Winter. But his schedule just got a bit fuller. This week, the author announced that he is  developing a new series for HBO. Meanwhile, one of his own stories is heading to the big screen.

Lionsgate

Paul W.S. Anderson, director of the Resident Evil films, will lead a movie adaptation of Martin’s 1982 short story “In The Lost Lands.” (News we first heard at The Hollywood Reporter.) The film will reunite Anderson with Milla Jovovich once again. The two recently also worked together on Monster Hunter. She’ll star as the “desperate” Queen Gray Alys, who hires a sorceress to help the queen “fulfill her love.”

Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Dave Bautista will play her guide, a drifter named Boyce. They’ll travel through a “ghostly wilderness” known as the Lost lands. They’ll have to survive man and demon alike as they battle forces of good and evil.

Sony

Jovovich was originally attached to star as Alys way back in 2015. So while this is a “new” project, it’s been in development for a long time.

This news comes only one day after Martin himself confirmed Deadline‘s report that he is developing a new series at HBO. This one is not one of his own stories; it’s based on the late Roger Zelazny’s 1979 fantasy novel Roadmarks. The official synopsis of the book highlights why it’s such an appealing premise for a TV show. From Goodreads:

“The Road runs from the unimaginable past to the far future, and those who travel it have access to the turnoffs leading to all times and places—even to the alternate time-streams of histories that never happened. Why the Dragons of Bel’kwinith made the Road—or who they are—no one knows. But the Road has always been there and for those who know how to find it, it always will be!”

Amber Ltd

Martin says the story was one of five sci-fi and fantasy stories he pitched to HBO last year. He says the network made a good call going with Roadmarks. Not only because the story offers limitless possibilities, but because Martin has a special connection with its creator. He called Zelany “a friend, a mentor, and one of the greatest science fiction writers who ever lived.” The first script Martin ever had produced on television was also based on a work by the late author.

Though Martin is developing the show, he isn’t writing it. Kalinda Vazquez (Star Trek: Discovery, Fear The Walking Dead) is onboard to write. So far the series only has a pilot order. Martin says viewers are at least a year or two away from seeing it. Whenever it airs, we know one thing. Someone who was already very, very busy is going to have even more on his plate.

Featured Image: CBS

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A maester could write tomes about all of the changes Game of Thrones made from George R.R. Martin’s books. The most controversial one of them all, though, might have been the show’s exclusion of Lady Stoneheart. Readers waited years to see the character appear on HBO’s hit series—but she never showed up. Now we finally know why. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have broken their silence and explained why they didn’t include her. However, disappointed fans of A Song and Ice and Fire might not agree with their reasons.

HBO

Entertainment Weekly‘s James Hibberd shared the real story of why the infamous character was cut from the HBO series. It will be included in his upcoming behind-the-scenes book about the series, Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon.

HBO

Lady Stoneheart is the resurrected Catelyn Stark. Ser Beric Dondarrion brought her back to life with a kiss, which killed him. (Unlike the show, where he made to the Battle with the White Walkers, book Beric bows out of the story much earlier.) The mostly mute Lady Stoneheart, whose skin is gray and who still bears the throat wound from her execution, made her shocking return at the end of A Storm of Swords, the third novel in the series.

She also made one appearance at the end of A Feast for Crows. She haunts the Riverlands with the Brotherhood Without Banners, seeking vengeance against everyone who betrayed her and her family, especially those responsible for the Red Wedding.

Her appearance is one of the best, most shocking moments in the books. And she seems primed to play a major role in the story going forward. Which is why readers always anticipated Michelle Fairley’s return. She never did, and the series’ showrunners, who also said there was very little debate about using the character, told Hibberd there were three reasons why.

The first reason they wouldn’t get into the specifics of, because it would be a spoiler for Martin’s last two books. The last time Lady Stoneheart was seen she was demanding Brienne kill Jaime Lannister. Those two might have very, very different fates in the books than they did on the show.

The second reason had to do with Jon Snow. Benioff and Weiss long knew they’d be bringing the Lord Commander back from the dead and they didn’t want to lessen the impact or shock of that moment by bringing back another major character too.

HBO

Finally, they thought bringing back Fairley for a primarily non-speaking role would not be fair to her or her great final scene. They didn’t want to retroactively lessen the impact of the iconic Red Wedding’s last moment, one of the best in the show’s run.

Martin disagreed with their decision to exclude her, and a lot of book readers still do. The Red Wedding is even more devastating in the books, and Lady Stoneheart’s shocking return doesn’t change that. Also, the character is fascinating and offers so much promise for amazing future plot twists. And Michelle Fairley, whose onscreen rage was incredible, could have excelled in the role.

So while Benioff and Weiss had their logical, defensible reasons for not including her, that doesn’t mean they were right.

Featured Image: HBO

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike, and also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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Here’s everything we know about The Winds of Winter so far.

NBC

A Song of Ice and Fire‘s History

The Winds of Winter will be the sixth novel in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. The author began writing his award-winning fantasy saga in 1991, when he originally envisioned it as a trilogy. The previous installments include A Game of Thrones (1996), A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000), A Feast for Crows (2005), and A Dance with Dragons (2011). The previous two books have concurrent timelines, and The Winds of Winter will be a direct followup to both. It will also cover parts of the story Martin originally planned to include in A Dance with Dragons.

The announced title for the theoretical seventh and final book is A Dream of Spring.

Cover Image

Bantam Spectra

The official cover for the book, whose authenticity Martin confirmed in early 2016, features an image of a horn. A Song of Ice and Fire has mentioned two major horns. One is Euron Greyjoy’s Dragonbinder, also known as the hellhorn, a massive black horn adorned with bands of red gold and Valyrian steel. Six feet long and made from the giant horn of a large dragon, it’s covered in Valyrian glyphs and is warm to the touch. Strangely it’s smooth, shiny surface reflects a distorted image. And when played the glyphs glow red hot before turning white.

Euron’s dubious story is that he found the horn in the ruins of Valyria. But his claim it can control dragons is more plausible. The red priest Moqorro also said it can tame dragons, but added it will kill any many who blows it. It killed the man who blew it for Euron. It burned his lungs.

Euron plans to use Dragonbinder to control Daenerys’s three dragons so he can take the Iron Throne.

The other major horn mentioned in ASOIAF is the famed magical Horn of Winter, also known as Joramun’s Horn. Joramun was the Wildling king who teamed up with the Night’s Watch to defeat the infamous Night King long ago. Tales say he blew it to wake giants from the Earth.

HBO

The free folk believe blowing the ancient Horn of Winter will bring down the Wall. Ygritte told Jon Snow that Mance Rayder looked for it by digging up old graves, but never found it despite Mance’s claims. The wildling king said an eight foot, black horn with gold bands covered by runes engraved by the First Men was the Horn of Winter.

Melisandre and Stannis burned that horn. But Tormund told Jon the same thing Ygritte did—Mance never found the real one.

The horn on the cover of The Winds of Winter could be Dragonbinder. Or it could be the real Horn of Winter that was never found. And if the legends are right, and it falls into the hands of the Night King, it could be an omen that the Wall will come down in the novel.

Released Chapters

HBO

Each book uses a point-of-view (POV) chapter format. Chapters are told from a single character’s perspective. Typically those major characters receive multiple chapters throughout the book. The exceptions are prologue and epilogue chapters, normally written from the POV of a minor character who does not get a second chapter.

Martin has released or publicly read eleven preview chapters from the novel. They are, in order, with links to the available ones:

• Theon I
• Victarion I
• Tyrion I (no existing video or transcript)
• Arianne I
• Barristan I
• Barristan II (no existing video or transcript)
• Tyrion II 
• Mercy (a.k.a. Arya)
• Alayne I (a.k.a. Sansa)
• Arianne II
• The Forsaken (a.k.a. Aeron “Damphair” Greyjoy)

Martin said on his “Not a Blog” blog in 2017 he would no longer be releasing any more chapters ahead of publication.

POV Characters

HBO

In addition to the characters with chapters already released, Martin has said Areo Hotah and Cersei Lannister will appear in the novel as POV characters. He has also confirmed the seemingly obvious fact Bran Stark will also be in the book, and seems a likely candidate to return as POV character. In 2016 the author’s answer to a question about Asshai seemed to indicate Melisandre will also get her own chapters again.

But the least likely source of insight came in 2014 during a segment on John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight. A shot of Martin writing at his computer appeared to show him working on a chapter for Asha Greyjoy (known as Yara on the TV series).

Cliffhangers

HBO

A Dance with Dragons ended with major plot lines left to be resolved, some of which Martin originally intended to include in the fifth novel. That includes the Battle of Meereen, where the forces of a still-missing Daenerys are under threat by the former slave master’s. The novel will also deliver the Battle of Winterfell looming between Stannis Baratheon and Roose Bolton, both still alive in the books.

Martin has promised to get to both quickly in The Winds of Winter. In a 2012 interview he said, “There were a lot of cliffhangers at the end of A Dance with Dragons. Those will be resolved very early. I’m going to open with the two big battles that I was building up to, the battle in the ice and the battle at Meereen—the battle of Slaver’s Bay. And then take it from there.”

HBO

He also said the last two novels—which unlike the HBO series have shown very little of the Others (called the White Walkers on Game of Thrones)—will travel further into their icy lands than ever. “I don’t want to give too much away, but you’re definitely going to see more of the Others in The Winds of Winter,” he said. “And what lies really north in my books—we haven’t explored that yet, but we will in the last two books.”

There’s also the question of whether or not Bran ate Jojen. (Seriously.)

Oh yeah, and Jon Snow is still dead.

HBO

Members of the Night’s Watch murdered him at the end of A Dance With Dragons. It didn’t take long for him to be resurrected on the show, but on the page he’s been dead since 2011. If Martin never finishes the book he’ll never come back.

Expected Publication Date (LOL)

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:deep breathe:

After the release of A Dance with Dragons in 2011, George R.R. Martin originally thought he might be able to finish Winds in three years. That would have marked a huge improvement over the six years he took between the previous two books. It didn’t seem impossible either. He already had five chapters finished by the end 2010, equaling almost 100 pages. And in March of 2012 he had finished 200. For a while he was even confident he would actually finish the last two books entirely before Game of Thrones caught up to him.

None of that happened.

HBO

He cancelled appearances in both 2014 and 2015 to focus on finishing the novel. In April of 2015 he hoped to have it finished before Game of Thrones‘ sixth season in 2016. In January he told fans the book would not be finished in time to reach that goal, as the show would finally surpass the novels for good.

Since then Martin has hinted multiple times The Winds of Winter could be months or a year away, only to then pull back and say it would not be out for at least another year or two. But his most forceful, hopeful statement came in May of 2019. On his “Not a Blog” website, he wrote:

“But I tell you this — if I don’t have THE WINDS OF WINTER in hand when I arrive in New Zealand for worldcon, you have here my formal written permission to imprison me in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid, until I’m done.”

Martin all but guaranteed the book would be at least finished by August 2, 2020, even if it had not yet been published.

That did not happen either.

HBO

Despite some sweet summer children (:sadly raises hand🙂 believing this time around was different, Martin announced on June 23, 2020 that the book was not done. But he did give an update about how he was using social distancing to work on the novel.

“I am spending long hours every day on THE WINDS OF WINTER, and making steady progress. I finished a new chapter yesterday, another one three days ago, another one the previous week. But no, this does not mean that the book will be finished tomorrow or published next week. It’s going to be a huge book, and I still have a long way to go.”

He also wrote he hopes the book will be done by next year. And on July 19 he another update. It’s the most George R.R. Martin update possible:

“Three more chapters completed this past week. And good progress on several more.

Still a long long way to go, though. Do not get too excited.”

Getting too excited isn’t much of a problem for fans at this point.

HBO

So when will The Winds of Winter come out? At the earliest some time in 2021, but based on how many times Martin has been woefully wrong about his own timeline, it could be years.

Or he’ll never finish it.

Winter is coming, but no one knows if The Winds of Winter is.

Featured Image: Bantam Spectra/TBS

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That day is August 1, 2020. Yes, 2020 as in this year 2020. And I promise it’s not as crazy a prediction as it sounds.

HBO

Martin has been his own worst enemy when it comes to setting expectations for the book’s release. Each year he says “next year.” Then it doesn’t come out. Yet somehow that doesn’t even capture how wrong he’s been. Martin once expected A Song of Ice and Fire to be finished before Game of Thrones caught up to the books. That’s hilarious in retrospect. Well, it’s funny so long as you don’t actually read the books. The rest of us aren’t laughing.

All that disappointment is why some fans have given up hope that it will ever be finished. (Let alone ever getting the seventh and final novel in the series.) But if, like me, you haven’t given up hope yet, the most promising update came from Martin in May 2019. He wrote on his website, Not a Blog, that he was going to be at New Zealand’s Worldcon in 2020. In that entry he gave a status update for his eternally delayed book:

“But I tell you this—if I don’t have THE WINDS OF WINTER in hand when I arrive in New Zealand for worldcon, you have here my formal written permission to imprison me in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid, until I’m done. Just so long as the acrid fumes do not screw up my old DOS word processor, I’ll be fine.”

Martin is the Boy Who Cried Direwolf. But that prediction felt more tangible and specific than most previous updates. And then some promising signs followed.

NBC

In November, Martin wrote about a trip to New York. While there, he checked in with all his publishers, editors, and “friends and colleagues at HBO.”

He posted that on November 18. Then, in early December, an eagle-eyed fan noticed that thewindsofwinter.com was transferred to a new owner from whomever had been squatting on it.

That transfer happened on November 24, shortly after Martin had met with his editors and publishers in New York.

If you just got a little tingle that means you’re alive, dammit.

HBO

Since then, the world experienced a global pandemic that has forced everyone to stay home. There’s likely never been a better opportunity for a notoriously slow writer to hunker down and get to work. And Martin said he used his quarantine time to work on Winds. So why, after a decade of anticipation and six years of broken promises, am I pointing to a specific date?

Martin was positive he’d have the completed book in hand when he went to the now-cancelled New Zealand Worldcon 2020. He met with publishers a few months later. Days after that someone bought the domain name for a potential website for the book. And the original dates for Worldcon were July 29 to August 2.

That would have also coincided with a very special anniversary in the history of A Song of Ice and Fire. The first book in the series, A Game of Thrones, came out on August 1, 1996.

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…Now that‘s a tingle right there.

Am I the biggest fool in the entire fandom? The odds, common sense, and even my own past theories, say so. But after six years of disappointment I’m going to enjoy six weeks of being hopeful. And if, on August 2, there’s still no announced date for The Winds of Winter? I’ll start looking into real estate with Martin in the middle of that lake of sulfuric acid. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Featured Image: TBS

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike, and also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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“A Song of Ice and Fire” scribe George RR Martin spoke to German magazine Welt recently, where he dropped some clues to his best-selling books series’ future… and past? Dan translates into the common tongue for you on today’s Nerdist News!

Was the ending to the Game of Thrones TV series *that* bad? Let us know in the comments!

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“A Song of Ice and Fire” author George R.R. Martin took to his “Not-A-Blog” this week to discuss recent developments in the life of the franchise. But when oh when will we finally get our hands on the next installment of the series, “The Winds of Winter”? Amy reads between the lines on today’s Nerdist News!

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Over the past few days, the behind the scenes world of the hit fantasy series Game of Thrones has become almost as chaotic as Westeros itself. Earlier this week, it was revealed that HBO had pulled the plug on the in-development “Age of Heroes” prequel starring Naomi Watts; a few days later in an HBO Max announcement, it was confirmed that another Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon—a straight to order ten-episode series centered on the rise of the Targaryans—would premiere on the new streaming channel.

Now, author George R.R. Martin has weighed in with his thoughts on all the recent news with a new update on his “Not A Blog,” revealing that the House of the Dragon series has actually been in development for years. Martin writes, “It was actually the first concept I pitched to HBO when we started talking about a successor show, way back in the summer of 2016. If you’d like to know a bit more of what the show will be about… well, I can’t actually spill those beans, but you might want to pick up a copy of two anthologies I did with Gardner Dozois, DANGEROUS WOMEN and ROGUES, and then move on to Archmaester Gyldayn’s history, FIRE & BLOOD.”

HBO

Martin also notes that for this particular series, there will be a writer’s room assembled, and that while there’s still considerable prep work to be done, things are already well underway in terms of scripts and location planning. Rest assured, however, that even though Martin has expressed interest in writing some of those scripts himself, he’s vowing that his commitment to Winds of Winter, the long gestating next installment of Game of Thrones, will take priority:

But… let me make this perfectly clear… I am not taking on any scripts until I have finished and delivered WINDS OF WINTER.  Winter is still coming, and WINDS remains my priority, as much as I’d love to write an episodes of HOUSE.

As for the “Age of Heroes” prequel that’s no longer happening? Well, Martin has some thoughts on that as well. “It goes without saying that I was saddened to hear the show would not be going to series,” he writes. “Jane Goldman is a terrific screenwriter, and I enjoyed brainstorming with her.” While he doesn’t know why HBO decided to not move forward with the series, he notes that he doesn’t believe its demise had anything to do with The House of the Dragon.

If television has room enough for multiple CSIs and CHICAGO shows… well, Westeros and Essos are a lot bigger, with thousands of years of history and enough tales and legends and characters  for a dozen shows.   Heartbreaking as it is to work for years on a pilot, to pour your blood and sweat and tears into it, and  have it come to nought, it’s not at all uncommon.   I’ve been there myself, more than once.   I know Jane and her team are feeling the disappointment just now, and they have all my sympathy… with my thanks for all their hard work, and my good wishes for whatever they do next.

HBO

The good news out of all this is that we definitely get to look forward to more dragons…and maybe the possibility of more stories in the expansive Game of Thrones universe? It’s Westeros—anything is possible.

Featured Image: HBO

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The first Game of Thrones prequel to film a pilot has come face to face with the Stranger. The show’s creator, Jane Goldman, has contacted the cast and crew to inform them the series, set thousands of years ago during Westeros’ mysterious Age of Heroes, is not being picked up. But what is dead may never die, and while this news might be disappointing to some, it’s not totally surprising. More importantly it doesn’t mean the end of HBO’s time with George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. It just means that when the network returns to the Seven Kingdoms it’s more likely to do so with a different storyline.. And that’s good news if you really love dragons.

HBO

For the last year it certainly seemed likely Goldman’s series, which George R.R. Martin also worked on and kept referring to as “The Long Night,” would be the first Game of Thrones prequel ordered to a full series. Out of the five ideas originally developed by HBO in 2017, it was the only one to get a full pilot order, which it finished shooting over the summer. However, in September a new report said a second prequel idea, this one based on the era of Targaryen rule in Westeros, was also going to shoot a pilot. It wasn’t impossible both could be ultimately be produced, especially in such a competitive TV/streaming site landscape, but it definitely wasn’t a great sign for Goldman’s show.

If HBO was fully committed to “The Long Night” and expected to pick it up, would they have been putting major resources into yet another idea so soon? After the sour reaction to Game of Thrones‘ final season, that would have been a lot of money and resources invested in a franchise that might not have a large built-in audience anymore. HBO might have Lannister money, but even Tywin’s goldmines ran dry eventually. Now it appears that second pilot order really was as ominous as it appeared.

We don’t know yet why HBO passed on a story set thousands of years earlier during a very different time in the Realm’s history. It could simply be the pilot was bad (though a disastrous first pilot didn’t stop Game of Thrones from being produced), or maybe executives decided the story itself wasn’t compelling enough (even if there were lots of reasons to think it would). What we do know is the second pilot has a lot more in common with the worldwide phenomenon that ended this year.

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Though the specifics remain unclear, the prequel idea in development now is based on part one of George R.R. Martin’s Fire and Blood history of House Targaryen. Instead of being set millennia ago, before either dragons or Targaryens existed, it will only date back at most 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones. And if it ends up being an anthology series (please please please), it could eventually end with the Mad King’s death, connecting it to the original series.

The story of the Targaryen kings is a three century long tale of betrayal, families, war, love, and the true cost of power. It’s Game of Thrones without the Night King. Ultimately that could be why it has more appeal to HBO than “The Long Night” did. Set during the first White Walker invasion which lasted much longer than the second, it would have had far more fantasy elements, and maybe even evil Starks to root against. It was an idea with a lot of intriguing elements to explore, but this could be a case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and a story about powerful people fighting over the Iron Throne definitely worked.

And everyone likes dragons. Well, maybe not everyone. King’s Landing probably doesn’t.

Featured Image: HBO

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This is a different prequel than the now-canceled one starring Naomi Watts. Set 300 years before Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will chronicle the start of House Targaryen’s conquering of Westeros.

#HouseOfTheDragon, a #GameofThrones prequel is coming to @HBO.

The series is co-created by @GRRMSpeaking and Ryan Condal. Miguel Sapochnik will partner with Condal as showrunner and will direct the pilot and additional episodes. Condal will be writing the series. pic.twitter.com/9ttMzElgXm

— Game of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) October 29, 2019

From the press release:

Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the series, which is set 300 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” tells the story of House Targaryen. Miguel Sapochnik will direct the pilot and additional episodes. Condal and Sapochnik will partner as showrunners on the series, which will be written by Condal.
“The ‘Game of Thrones’ universe is so rich with stories,” says Casey Bloys, president, HBO programming. “We look forward to exploring the origins of House Targaryen and the earlier days of Westeros along with Miguel, Ryan and George.”
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON marks Sapochnik’s first project as part of an HBO overall deal where he will develop and produce content for both HBO and HBO Max.

Sapochnik is easily the show’s standout director, just ahead of Neil Marshall. He won an Emmy for the episode “The Battle of the Bastards” in season 6 and a nomination for directing “The Long Night” in season 8. Other standout episodes include “Hardhome” and “The Winds of Winter”.

Ryan Condal was the co-creator and showrunner of Colony for three seasons. He was the writer of MGM’s Hercules and is currently adapting the graphic novel Analog as a feature for Lionsgate.

So yes, this means dragons ya’ll.

HBO

It seems this new series would draw heavily from Fire & Blood, Martin’s 2018 book that told the history of House Targaryen. In fact, Martin has been hinting in the past that Fire & Blood would likely inspire one of the many Game of Thrones prequel series that were being developed by HBO. Fire & Blood begins with the saga of Aegon the Conqueror, who created the Iron Throne. It continues on to tell the story of several generations of Targaryens leading up to their civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons. All of this is supposed to be the basis for the upcoming series.

Bantam Books

It makes sense that HBO would go for this particular pitch over some of the other ones made about the world of Westeros. After all, it contains two key pieces of Game of Thrones iconography — the Iron Throne, and badass fire breathing dragons. Even the throngs of people let down by the series ending could find the pull of so many enticing elements irresistible. No word yet on the date for when this new pilot would shoot, but we imagine it’ll be a while before we see Targaryens in Dragonstone again. Let’s hope it’s all worth the wait.

Images: HBO

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A new deepfake video shows Jon Snow apologizing for Game of Thrones’ final season. Does Jon Snow finally know something after all or is this indicative of a deeper, more disturbing trend? Join us as we break it down on Nerdist News Edition.

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Martin teased in his latest Livejournal blog post that he has recently “consulted on a video game out of Japan.” He offered no further details, but Gematsu had some extra information based on sources they’ve spoken to. According to the site, YouTube channel Spawn Wave posted a video back in March that claimed Martin was working with From Software, who previously developed games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne. The game is allegedly an “open-world title” and Martin is said to be one of the lead writers on the project, which will allow players to explore various kingdoms and kill their leaders for knowledge.

Is the game based on Martin’s world of ice and fire, or is it a separate IP? We’re not sure, and even the additional information from Gematsu doesn’t seem to clear it up. They say that the project is currently being worked on under the code name “GR” and has been in development for the last three years. Japanese game director Hidetaka Miyazaki is said to be working with Martin, with Bandai Namco Entertainment Publishing.

Gematsu says to expect an official announcement about the game, which will likely come with loads more details than we’re able to piece together, at Microsoft’s E3 conference this June. We’ll definitely have our eyes peeled for more information as it comes in.

Images: HBO

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Two years ago we reported HBO was developing five possible spin-offs for Game of Thrones, and while we never expected all of them to make it to air, we were optimistic at least a couple would. However, in the last year, as the network has made major progress with one of the projects, a prequel set thousands of years earlier during the first Long Night when the White Walkers first came to Westeros, a show set to film its pilot soon, it seemed as though the other four spin-offs were dead. But as anyone who has ever visited the Iron Islands knows, what is dead may never die, and George R.R. Martin himself has announced at least two other series are still alive.

Martin posted on his website (in a story we first came across at EW) we shouldn’t “believe everything” we read, because even though Bryan Cogman’s unknown project was cancelled, and one of the others is also not moving ahead, the rest are all still on track.

“We have had five different GAME OF THRONES successor shows in development (I mislike the term “spinoffs”) at HBO, and three of them are still moving forward nicely. The one I am not supposed to call THE LONG NIGHT will be shooting later this year, and two other shows remain in the script stage, but are edging closer.

We thought we had only one potential spin-off. Praise the gods both old and new that three of five projects could still reach the air. As for what those two unknown ones could be about, we don’t know. However, Martin did give a telling hint about the era and family they will involve.

“What are they about? I cannot say. But maybe some of you should pick up a copy of FIRE & BLOOD (the first of his planned two part history of the Targaryen dynasty) and come up with your own theories.”

Uh, like we haven’t already. We’d love to see the Dance of the Dragons, George, or maybe the sordid tale of Aegon’s sons.

But we’ll be happy to see more of anything.

Images: HBO

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Both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Game of Thrones reached pivotal crescendos in the same week, with Avengers: Endgame hitting theaters and destroying the box office, and Game of Thrones’ “The Long Night” keeping everyone on the edge of their seats with the Battle of Winterfell. It might go down as the single most epic nerd week in history.

As it turns out, the world of Marvel was a big influence on the world of Westeros. When writing the original A Song of Ice and Fire novels on which Game of Thrones is based, George R.R. Martin was heavily influenced by the original Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, which he had read in his youth. In the video down below from Fast Company (via Laughing Squid), Martin talks about how one Avengers comic in particular influenced his writing style: 1964’s Avengers #9, which introduced Wonder Man.

It seems without the villain-turned-hero Wonder Man, we might not have had the redemptive story arcs for characters like Jaime Lannister and Theon Greyjoy. Interestingly, Marvel Studios keeps teasing Wonder Man, but they have yet to pull the trigger on having him actually appear in a film. The closest we have come was almost seeing Nathan Fillion make a cameo in the form of a movie poster featuring Wonder Man’s actor alter ego Simon Williams in the background of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. He remains one of the biggest Avengers characters to not appear yet in the MCU, along with Namor and She-Hulk. But with the team needing to fill out their ranks here soon, we think it’s high time he showed up.

Maybe Marvel can get get George R.R. Martin to work on a Wonder Man movie or series for Disney+? On second thought, that guy has some books to finish first. Let’s not distract him.

Images: Marvel Comics/HBO

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Literary critic Harold Bloom called it “the anxiety of influence”: the struggle of authors to overcome the influences exerted by earlier texts or writers over their writing. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they don’t, but those influences are always unavoidably present in the process of creation.It’s a concept very much at work in the TV series Nightflyers, currently airing on Syfy. Like many science fiction dramas, Nightflyers showcases a cast of characters who want to leave their pasts behind; no one in a Syfy show boards a spaceship without something to hide, or at least something they want buried. In this case, two of these somethings are controlling predecessors. While super-soldier Melantha Jhirl (Jodie Turner-Smith) grapples with the sense of duty fostered by the forces that dictated her life, captain Roy Eris (David Ajala) is struggling to escape his mother’s shadow.As Turner-Smith noted in an interview, Melantha “has spent her whole life on a path that was set out for her by other people.” Becoming a genetically engineered super soldier and setting out on a dangerous mission in outer space “weren’t necessarily her choices,” and now she’s “being thrown out into the sea with a bunch of people who have been exploring the galaxy for years.” She added that Melantha’s situation was eminently relatable for her, having grown up in a family of Jamaican immigrants in Britain. “You’ve got this idea of the expectation of your community or the expectations of the institutions you’re a part of…and how that pressure affects you.” In space, no one can hear you break down internally.On a similar note, during an on-set interview Ajala described Roy’s relationship with his mother Cynthia as “an internal horror” rooted in “almost a psychological bondage.” Although the show takes place after Cynthia’s death, her hold over her son remains—not least because she founded the Eris Corporation, the company that owns the Nightflyer and most of the galaxy. For Roy, said Ajala, the big question is, “My mother has so much control over me; what would happen if I choose to go my own way?” That’s where his personal horror lies, in the influence of a dead but powerful authority figure.But surely lots of characters in lots of shows have parental issues or deal with the duty-versus-individuality problem, you might say, and you’d be right. So why talk about Nightflyers?The short answer: context. Long before it aired, Nightflyers was compared to various landmark movies and TV shows, to the point where it couldn’t possibly live up to all of them. The horror on a spaceship plotline = Alien, with shades of Event Horizon and classic straightforward horror. Other outlets compared the show to such movies as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Solaris and The Shining. Then, of course, there were the slew of comparisons to Game of Thrones, mainly because Nightflyers is loosely based on a 1987 novella of the same name by George R.R. Martin. “This spooky series is no Game of Thrones,” said CNet. The AV Club called it “more Event Horizon than Game of Thrones,” in a referential twofer. It’s worth noting that beyond a shared author for their source texts, Nightflyers bears almost no relation to Westeros’ finest, but that doesn’t stop the pop culture processing machine.Not that this is a new phenomenon. Every other movie, show, franchise, etc. seems to be sold under the guise of “It’s [Existing Pop Culture Product] meets [Other Existing Pop Culture Product], but in [Setting]!” Like marketing Mad Libs.”It’s Game of Thrones meets Rick and Morty, but in a 1950s alternate-reality Britain!””It’s Doctor Who meets The Office, but in post-apocalyptic Japan!””It’s E.T. meets Stephen King, but in suburban 1980s America!” (Oops, that’s just Stranger Things.)Now here comes Nightflyers—Alien meets Event Horizon meets the late 2010s, in future space—trying to escape the looming shadow of Game of Thrones and Kubrick and the famous quotes and scenes from the many influences it can’t seem to shake off. Like its own Melantha and Roy, it’s trapped in a pattern of impossible expectations. Maybe the only way to get past that is to break out, to carve a new path across the airwaves that resists comparison to anything. Or maybe the anxiety of influence is too strong, and it’s already too late.

Images: Syfy

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This review of the first five episodes (of ten) for Nightflyers is spoiler-free.Nightflyers begins with a perfect opening scene. It’s a tense, terrifying flash forward of the nightmare to come. It’s so good the network released it early in its entirety (you can watch it below). But with it comes the burden of expectations, both for where the show is going and how it will get there. There is also the burden that Syfy‘s new science-fiction horror series is adapted from a George R.R. Martin novella about a haunted spaceship. Combined, these two things are a promise to viewers the series will live up to this moment. Whether or not the show will fulfill that promise remains to be seen, but if it does, Nightflyers will have taken a long time to get there.

The series starts with Gretchen Mol’s Dr. Agatha Matheson flying through the gravity-free Nightflyer, a massive ship clearly in chaos. She keeps looking back to see if she’s being followed, and we find out why when a big, bearded, axe-wielding man (Angus Sampson) comes looking for her. He looks like he walked out of The Amityville Horror house, which turns out to be a fitting parallel when we go back to the start of the story and learn he’s actually a very likeable scientists named Rowan. Something awful about this heinous ship has changed him into a murderous psychopath. But the real surprise comes at the end of the scene, when Dr. Matheson takes a saw blade to her own neck. Things have turned so badly on the Nightflyer that death is preferable than even trying to escape. That is if escape is possible at all. It’s a fantastic moment of terror that lets the audience know anything can and will happen.This opening captures the show at its strongest and most captivating. It creates claustrophobic uneasiness in which you are always being watched and no one feels safe. It’s not clear who–or what–anyone can trust, with each character carrying their own secrets and unknown motivations. Terrible, often deadly things keep happening on the Nightflyer, right from the start, and no one is sure why. The chief suspect is the complex and intriguing Thale (played by Sam Strike), a dangerous telepath with unimaginable telekinetic powers. He was brought along to communicate with an alien ship the Nightflyer is trying to reach, but not everyone thinks his presence is worth the risk, and with good reason that is made clear immediately.At times Nightflyers feels like a perfect amalgam of other classic horror movies. In addition to The Amityville Horror, there are elements of Alien and The Thing. And thanks in part to the clever inclusion of a natural, wooded area on the ship, there are touches from slasher films like Friday the 13th and Halloween. Stephen King’s Room 1408 also lurks in the show’s undercurrents.However, the show feels slow and more like work when it plays out like a collection of trite horror tropes. Since the source material is a novella that would probably be best suited to a five or six episode mini-series at most, the amount of people on the ship has been greatly expanded. When terrible things happen to those minor, secondary characters, it doesn’t have much oomph. Has anyone ever cared about the death of a red shirt? Here, those fatalities feel like filler designed to pad out ten episodes: these are the overly gruesome, overtly funny deaths you see in horror movie franchises that have run out of ideas.It’s especially frustrating because the main cast is genuinely interesting. The show is better when it spends time with them–Lommie, Thale, Rowan, the mission’s director Karl D’Branin, and Brían F. O’Byrne’s Auggie, a longtime crew member. The main characters have stories worth caring about; the minor characters have deaths that don’t matter.The show also gives up some of its biggest secrets too early. The main mystery that drives the tension of the first few episodes doesn’t remain a mystery for long, nor do many of the characters’ own personal demons. That might have been a consequence of expanding the source material into a much bigger story, but it does undercut what the show does best.It’s not clear through the show’s halfway point if the series will deliver on the promise it made with its opening scene. Sometimes it seems like it will, but as the Nightflyer hurtles deeper into space, the further away the show gets from its compelling introduction. Still, there’s ample time to reach that terrifying promise land, and we’re just invested enough to stay onboard.Nightflyers debuts on all Syfy platforms on December 2nd.

Images: Syfy

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HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel will return to the darkest days in the history of Westeros, when the Age of Heroes gave way to the Long Night. It’s an infamous time seeped in lore and myth, remembered only through legends, tall tales, and larger-than-life figures. All of the mystery makes it an appealing setting for a prequel series, because we don’t know what, if any, stories from that era are real or when they actually took place. And George R.R. Martin just made those possibilities even crazier, because he confirmed the timeline of Westeros is far more compact, and therefore far more interesting, than we thought.Martin told EW that the prequel series will take place 5,000 years before Aegon’s Conquest of Westeros. (For reference Game of Thrones takes place roughly 300 AC, “After the Conquest.”) Previously, the prequel series was thought to be set roughly 8,000 years earlier; this might not seem like a major change, but this is a stunning confirmation of a theory both fans and masters alike have long held. To understand this, you have to understand the previously accepted timeline in Westeros.

The Standard Westeros Timeline

Westerosi prehistory covers the time before the First Men came over from Essos, when the Children of the Forest and the Giants roamed the land. The First Men are thought to have come around 12,000 BC (“Before the Conquest”). For 2,000 years mankind is said to have fought with the Children, before the two sides agreed to a peace treaty known as The Pact, believed to have happened around 10,000 BC.The two races lived together peacefully for roughly 2,000 years, during a legendary time period called the Age of Heroes. That era, full of seemingly conflicting, frequently impossible stories, saw some of the greatest Houses of Westeros come into power, as the Realm as we know it began to take shape. Monumental figures—possibly real, possibly fictional—lived during this era. That includes Bran the Builder and Lann the Clever, founders of House Stark and Lannister. (Read more about Bran’s incredible life and Lann’s mysterious subterfuge at our History of Thrones series.)Sometime between 8,000 and 6,000 BC, the world was cast into darkness during the first Long Night when the White Walkers invaded. Mankind was almost plunged into darkness, until the “last hero” Azor Ahai led men and Children to victory at the Battle for the Dawn. Shortly after the Wall was built by Bran the Builder, and a few years later a Night’s Watch Commander is said to have laid with a woman of pale skin and blue eyes. He is remembered by history as the Night King.The Andals from Essos, believed to have invaded from Westeros anywhere from 6,000 to 2,000 BC, brought with them writing. The days of history as pure legend came to an end. But some maesters and fans have always thought those dates were way, way off, and now we know they were right.

What It Means for the Prequel

If the timeline we knew is off by as much as 5,000 years, the possibilities for who and what we could see in the prequel are even wilder than we thought. It makes it possible that all of those conflicting stories and legends, the ones that previously might have been separated by hundreds or even thousands of years, happened close to one another. That means the prequel series could reveal Bran the Builder and Lann the Clever both lived during many monumental moments in the Realm. Garth Greenhand, a cross between Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, and Zeus, might really have done as much as he’s credited with.And did Winterfell truly earn its name because it was built on the spot where the White Walkers were defeated? Did Azor Ahai win the Battle of the Dawn alongside Bran the Builder, on the land where the Starks then built their home? Is it called Winterfell because that is literally where winter fell?Game of Thrones has consistently shown that even the wildest, most unbelievable legends tend to prove real in Westeros. Could every wild myth from the Age of Heroes also be real? Do those legends only conflict because we didn’t realize the timeline wasn’t nearly as long as anyone realized.

The Past, Present, and Future of a World of Ice and Fire

This isn’t a case of Martin changing his own fictional history. The timeline always seemed too long, even just considering the notion that the Houses have existed for thousands of years when a single bad epidemic could have wiped them all out; even the maesters have cast doubt on the timeline. In short, Martin has been setting up this far more interesting revelation for a long time. He gave us a complicated, incredible history of the Age of Heroes without ever actually telling us what was real or when it happened, let alone that it all may have happened at the same time.And if the Age of Heroes was much more recent than we thought, it’s possible prehistory was too. Maybe the Giants were still living in the mainland when the White Walkers came. Did they fight giant ice spiders? Were the Children of the Forest far more involved with mankind for far longer? Are the Reeds their human descendants?This truncated timeline could have a major payoff for yet another spin-off too. Martin said the prequel won’t have dragons or Targaryens. The timeline is still messy, but it’s thought the Valyrian sheepherders didn’t find dragons until after the Long Night ended. What if the day ice was defeated in the West fire came to life in the East?This corrected timeline means those two moments might have happened much closer to each other than we ever thought, and that changes everything.What do you think this shortened timeline means for the prequel? Tell us in the comments below.

Images: HBO

The post The GAME OF THRONES Prequel Timeline Just Got a Lot More Exciting appeared first on Nerdist.

HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel will return to the darkest days in the history of Westeros, when the Age of Heroes gave way to the Long Night. It’s an infamous time seeped in lore and myth, remembered only through legends, tall tales, and larger-than-life figures. All of the mystery makes it an appealing setting for a prequel series, because we don’t know what, if any, stories from that era are real or when they actually took place. And George R.R. Martin just made those possibilities even crazier, because he confirmed the timeline of Westeros is far more compact, and therefore far more interesting, than we thought.Martin told EW that the prequel series will take place 5,000 years before Aegon’s Conquest of Westeros. (For reference Game of Thrones takes place roughly 300 AC, “After the Conquest.”) Previously, the prequel series was thought to be set roughly 8,000 years earlier; this might not seem like a major change, but this is a stunning confirmation of a theory both fans and masters alike have long held. To understand this, you have to understand the previously accepted timeline in Westeros.

The Standard Westeros Timeline

Westerosi prehistory covers the time before the First Men came over from Essos, when the Children of the Forest and the Giants roamed the land. The First Men are thought to have come around 12,000 BC (“Before the Conquest”). For 2,000 years mankind is said to have fought with the Children, before the two sides agreed to a peace treaty known as The Pact, believed to have happened around 10,000 BC.The two races lived together peacefully for roughly 2,000 years, during a legendary time period called the Age of Heroes. That era, full of seemingly conflicting, frequently impossible stories, saw some of the greatest Houses of Westeros come into power, as the Realm as we know it began to take shape. Monumental figures—possibly real, possibly fictional—lived during this era. That includes Bran the Builder and Lann the Clever, founders of House Stark and Lannister. (Read more about Bran’s incredible life and Lann’s mysterious subterfuge at our History of Thrones series.)Sometime between 8,000 and 6,000 BC, the world was cast into darkness during the first Long Night when the White Walkers invaded. Mankind was almost plunged into darkness, until the “last hero” Azor Ahai led men and Children to victory at the Battle for the Dawn. Shortly after the Wall was built by Bran the Builder, and a few years later a Night’s Watch Commander is said to have laid with a woman of pale skin and blue eyes. He is remembered by history as the Night King.The Andals from Essos, believed to have invaded from Westeros anywhere from 6,000 to 2,000 BC, brought with them writing. The days of history as pure legend came to an end. But some maesters and fans have always thought those dates were way, way off, and now we know they were right.

What It Means for the Prequel

If the timeline we knew is off by as much as 5,000 years, the possibilities for who and what we could see in the prequel are even wilder than we thought. It makes it possible that all of those conflicting stories and legends, the ones that previously might have been separated by hundreds or even thousands of years, happened close to one another. That means the prequel series could reveal Bran the Builder and Lann the Clever both lived during many monumental moments in the Realm. Garth Greenhand, a cross between Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, and Zeus, might really have done as much as he’s credited with.And did Winterfell truly earn its name because it was built on the spot where the White Walkers were defeated? Did Azor Ahai win the Battle of the Dawn alongside Bran the Builder, on the land where the Starks then built their home? Is it called Winterfell because that is literally where winter fell?Game of Thrones has consistently shown that even the wildest, most unbelievable legends tend to prove real in Westeros. Could every wild myth from the Age of Heroes also be real? Do those legends only conflict because we didn’t realize the timeline wasn’t nearly as long as anyone realized.

The Past, Present, and Future of a World of Ice and Fire

This isn’t a case of Martin changing his own fictional history. The timeline always seemed too long, even just considering the notion that the Houses have existed for thousands of years when a single bad epidemic could have wiped them all out; even the maesters have cast doubt on the timeline. In short, Martin has been setting up this far more interesting revelation for a long time. He gave us a complicated, incredible history of the Age of Heroes without ever actually telling us what was real or when it happened, let alone that it all may have happened at the same time.And if the Age of Heroes was much more recent than we thought, it’s possible prehistory was too. Maybe the Giants were still living in the mainland when the White Walkers came. Did they fight giant ice spiders? Were the Children of the Forest far more involved with mankind for far longer? Are the Reeds their human descendants?This truncated timeline could have a major payoff for yet another spin-off too. Martin said the prequel won’t have dragons or Targaryens. The timeline is still messy, but it’s thought the Valyrian sheepherders didn’t find dragons until after the Long Night ended. What if the day ice was defeated in the West fire came to life in the East?This corrected timeline means those two moments might have happened much closer to each other than we ever thought, and that changes everything.What do you think this shortened timeline means for the prequel? Tell us in the comments below.

Images: HBO

The post The GAME OF THRONES Prequel Timeline Just Got a Lot More Exciting appeared first on Nerdist.

You’ll notice we said Game of Thrones creators, plural, not A Song of Ice and Fire creator, singular. That’s because, while George R.R. Martin is the creator of all the Westeros characters we know and love and loathe, the TV show has more parents than just him. And you can bet David Benioff and David Weiss never thought there would be toys made of them. You can drink all you like, but you don’t know these things until they actually happen, even if you’re Tyrion Lannister. But in the grand tradition of convention exclusives like Taika Waititi for San Diego Comic-Con, New York Comic Con will be debuting a three-pack of Martin, Benioff, and Weiss. The showrunners come with scripts in hands, to signify the work they do day to day. Martin has nothing in his hands, because he’s stalling, damn it!

But now that you have the characters in hand, you can create scenarios with other Funko toys that make them more motivated. Perhaps Sexy Jeff Goldblum can charm The Winds of Winter out of the notoriously slow author? Or maybe Audrey II can make him go crazy by yelling “Feed me!” over and over, until he complies with the literary feast we need?

Well, winter may not be coming yet, but New York Comic Con is. And if you can’t make it there,. leftover stock on this set should be showing up at Barnes & Noble afterward. The store where so many people first encountered the work of George R. R. Martin.

Do you need these creators for your collection? Want Benioff and Weiss now before they become Star Wars guys? Let us know in comments below!

Images: Funko

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Later this year, Syfy will unleash a new adaptation of Nightflyers, George R.R. Martin‘s short novella that was originally published in 1980. A theatrical adaptation followed in 1987, but the upcoming Nightflyers TV series will expand the story and further explore the sci-fi universe created by Martin. However, the newest teaser from Syfy hints at the horrors ahead for the crew of the ship, as Bronte Carmichael’s Skye D’Branin shares some ominous words about what to expect. “Kill, hate, burn, death.” It definitely sounds like a GRRM story!

Nightflyers stars Gretchen Mol, Eoin Macken, David Ajala, Sam Strike, Maya Eshet, Angus Sampson, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Brían F. O’Byrne as a team of scientists who are on a potentially historic first contact mission to meet an alien race described as “ancient” and “nomadic.” However, their voyage will become a living nightmare as they begin to fall to something malevolent on the ship. There’s nowhere to run in this scenario.

Martin has previously described Nightflyers as a haunted house story set on a spaceship. That’s not an inaccurate way to set up audience expectations, but there’s more to this tale than just a few scares. Because this is an expansion of the original story, the Nightflyers TV series will have the opportunity to flesh out the characters and the universe they inhabit. Once the initial tale is adapted, Nightflyers could potentially have a much bigger canvas to play with. We’re very excited about the possibilities.

What do you think about the latest teaser trailer for Nightflyers? Strap in and share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Images: Syfy

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The post Syfy’s NIGHTFLYERS Teaser Brings Terror To Outer Space appeared first on Nerdist.

Sometimes I can’t help but envy fans of A Song of Ice and Fire series who are convinced George R.R. Martin will never finish the novels. I envy them because their certainty means they don’t spend time or energy being disappointed by his missed deadlines and never-ending delays. They don’t hopelessly fall for every new rumor that ultimately proves incorrect, or get angry when he announces he’s working on another project altogether. They’ve made peace with the nightmare possibility that he will never complete the last two books, forever leaving behind unanswered questions about the fates of numerous characters and plot lines that aren’t a part of Game of Thrones. For these lucky masses, the Long Night is already here, so there’s no need to worry that winter is coming.

And yes, they may be right. Which is why I am painfully aware that what I am about to say might make me sound like the dumbest, most naïve simpleton in the Seven Kingdoms: I think The Winds of Winter is already done and George R.R. Martin is actually in the process of finishing the seventh and final book, A Dream of Spring.Please stop laughing. I swear to the old gods and the new that’s not a totally insane idea.

For a long time I’ve hoped this was the case, mostly as a coping mechanism to avoid falling into the same pessimistic abyss of those described above. Earlier this month, though, Miles Surrey at The Ringer put together a timeline of the world’s predictions of when Martin would finish the sixth book, factoring in the author’s own many (many) wrong guesses. Upon looking at Martin’s array of mistakes, I realized something: It almost looks as though he were hiding something from us.

In 2012, Martin predicted The Winds of Winter, for which he already said he had chapters completed in 2010, would be released in 2014. In early 2015 he said he thought he could finish it in a few months, then later in the year said he was hopeful it would be out before the spring of 2016. That would have kept the books ahead of the show, a goal he repeatedly said he was confident he could achieve. In January of 2017, he said he thought it would be released that year, but recently he said it won’t be before 2019.

Seeing it all laid out like that really highlights how insane this journey has been. But not because he hasn’t had lengthy delays and missed deadlines before. A Dance of Dragons was released in 2011, six years after A Feast of Crows came out, despite them having concurrent timelines and having been at least partially written at the same time. No, what’s insane is that he has consistently made such predictions and announcements knowing the entire world was tracking his every move because his books risked being surpassed by the most popular show in the world. People notice when you say you are only a few months away from being done with something and then don’t finish for another five years and counting. Even with his other projects and responsibilities, that’s an almost impossible miscalculation.

So what are the possibilities we are left with to explain this almost unfathomable delay? The first is that his notoriously slow writing pace has come to an almost paralyzing crawl, and that even if he does finish The Winds of Winter, a book he will have needed nine years to write, next year, we could be another decade away from the final novel A Dream of Spring.

(Hold on one sec, I have to drink a barrel of wildfire after writing that paragraph…)

The other, more hopeful possibility, is that Martin wasn’t that crazy back in 2012 when he said he’d be done in 2014, nor was he off the mark by four freaking years when he said he just needed a couple more months in 2015. But if that’s true, it raises the obvious question: Why? Why not announce that the book is done? Why keep putting out fake predictions for a novel that is long complete?

There are two possibilities. One practical for a writer, and the other strategic as a public figure.

It makes sense he wouldn’t release the penultimate book in his series until he finishes the final one, in case he runs into any logistical problems with the story. A Song of Ice and Fire boasts an incredible large universe, with so many characters and plots that it doesn’t seem possible to keep track of all of them. The closer he gets to the end, the fewer opportunities Martin will have to work his way out of any snags in the canon; less story time limits where he can go. Martin may be holding onto The Winds of Winter in case it needs some narrative tweaking based on a problem he hits toward the end of the Song of Ice and Fire epic. He obviously wants to nail the landing on the defining work of his career, and this could be the best way to ensure that happens.

But if this is indeed what he’s doing, why not just tell his faithful readers the plan? He can’t buy a cup of coffee without someone asking about The Winds of Winter—wouldn’t he be eager to put those questions to rest? Well, if fans are losing their minds about when he will finish it, how do you think they’d handle it if they knew for a fact the novel was done but being kept from them? Plus, in this scenario, Martin doesn’t really have to worry about backlash when the truth comes out, because for as annoying as it will be to find out we could have had the book years earlier, think about how amazing it will be to read an announcement that we’re getting The Winds of Winter in 2019 and A Dream of Spring in 2020? It would more than make up all of the frustration and fear we’ve had over whether the novels would ever be finished!

(It also doesn’t hurt that by delaying the release of The Winds of Winter, HBO, who will likely produce at least one Game of Thrones spin-off, was able to maximize interest in the show. There isn’t a single reader who won’t read the last two novels just because the show finished first, so Game of Thrones getting ahead of the books was never going to hurt Martin’s sales.)

See? It’s not that crazy. Definitely not any crazier than the idea he has managed to miss his original prediction of needing just two more years by about 250%.

Still, I know it’s more likely that I am the Charlie Brown of Westeros, the gullible fool who thinks that this time Cersei will definitely hold onto that football, even though every missed publication date always ends with me on my back feeling like The Mountain is squeezing my head like a lemon. But it’s better than thinking The Winds of Winter is never coming. And how else can you get through the Long Night unless you believe in A Dream of Spring?

What do you think? Is there any chance this is true, or are we more naïve than a Stark in King’s Landing? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Images: HBO, NBC, TBS

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The post Here’s a Possibly Insane Theory That THE WINDS OF WINTER Is Already Finished appeared first on Nerdist.

Last week, HBO announced that the first (and possibly only) of the five prospective Game of Thrones prequel spin-offs to get a pilot order will go way, way, way back into Westeros’ past, to a time period before recorded history, where the truth is lost in a fog of legends and myths. Of all the eras worth exploring, it’s the one with the most question marks, which is why it makes the most sense for a new (old) story. More than any other period from George R.R. Martin’s insanely deep and complex history of the Seven Kingdoms, it offers the most freedom to tell a story even the most ardent fans of A Song of Ice and Fire don’t already know. Unfortunately that’s exactly why, along with a familiar enemy, it could end up hurting the original show.

This is the official synopsis for the series from HBO:

“Taking place thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones, the series chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. And only one thing is for sure: from the horrifying secrets of Westeros’s history to the true origin of the white walkers, the mysteries of the East, to the Starks of legend … it’s not the story we think we know.”

George R.R. Martin himself further revealed how much the story will revolve around the infamous invasion of the dead; he thinks the unnamed series should be called “The Long Night,” suggesting that, just like on Game of Thrones, the blue-eyed ice demons will likely be the show’s big baddies. But also like with Game of Thrones,there are still tons of other important figures and events from that era, which in many ways shaped the Westeros we know today.

The Age of Heroes is the time period after the First Men and the Children of the Forest had ended their war with one another and lived in peace. Thought to have taken place 10,000 years ago—though, as Martin points out, the maesters think it was only half as long ago (and I think the maesters are right)—it features larger-than-life figures like Bran the Builder, the founder of House Stark credited with building the Wall, Winterfell, and Storm’s End, as well as Lann the Clever, founder of House Lannister. And those are just the most well-known figures for Game of Thrones viewers, who might not be as familiar with other important historical figures (real or legend), like Garth Greenhand and Durran Godsgrief, not to mention the founding of the Night’s Watch.

While the generally accepted timeline of Westeros puts the Age of Heroes at 10,000 years ago, until the start of the Long Night roughly 2,000 years later (8,000 years before Aegon’s Conquest), the timeline is completely unreliable. Recorded history didn’t begin in Westeros until long after the first Long Night, when the Andals invaded from Essos anywhere between six and two thousand years before the events of Game of Thrones. I tend to think all of these numbers are hugely inflated, simply because it’s hard to keep one single house in continuous existence for 10,000 years when a single plague could wipe out an entire family.

A compacted, accurate time period would make for a much more exciting show, because it would create far more overlap with these hugely important historical figures and events. Maybe Bran the Builder really was just one person who did all of these things, and maybe he knew all the other great heroes, including Azor Ahai (who might also have been the original Prince That Was Promised), the “last hero” who is credited with leading the First Men to victory over the Night King.

The fact that we don’t really know is why this is a perfect time to set a prequel. I am fascinated by the Targaryen kings, and I’m especially obsessed by the famed Blackfyre Rebellion that nearly tore the family apart. But not only do I know how that story ends, I know most of the major players and events of that Civil War. I still hope HBO turns it into a spin-off series, but it would be limited in what new information it could bring in ways this Age of Heroes series wouldn’t be. There’s also the fact that magic in the world might never have been greater than it was when the White Walkers first invaded (on the backs of giant ice spiders!), as opposed to the mostly magic-free world of Westeros under the post-dragon Targaryens. Game of Thrones is better for having magic present in the story, so wouldn’t a spin-off series also want to keep that element?

But giving us answers to mysterious questions isn’t always a good thing, and when mishandled they can even hurt the original story. I love the theory that Brandon Stark from Game of Thronesis also Bran the Builder from the myths, and that all Brandon Starks in history are in fact the same person. Not because I agree with it, but because it’s fun to debate and think about. That all goes away if we find out that all Brandon Starks merely have a high midichlorian count.

A big part of what makes George R.R. Martin’s insanely detailed history so intriguing to obsessives like me are all of the spots where we don’t have answers, because it allows us to explore the gaps without being disappointed by where we end up. I genuinely trust Martin’s judgment, and if he believe this is a story worth telling it probably is, but the freedom granted by this time period also includes going down roads we will have preferred to avoid.

On top of this, the new show seems like it will have, in some form, the exact same main villain as Game of Thrones, with the White Walkers playing a major role. It’s possible the Night King might have been an important member of House Stark, or someone even more shocking, and that the beginning of the White Walkers’ story could be far more fascinating than their end, which we will presumably get one way or another with Game of Thrones. But either way, their mere presence will only invite comparisons to the original show, which could unfairly hurt it in the eyes of viewers. Any spin-off of the single most popular TV series in the world will live in a huge shadow, one that will only get bigger by repeating the villain.

None of this means this series won’t work, or that the show won’t actually enhance how we view Game of Thrones if its answers add new depth and nuance to original story. The Age of Heroes and the first Long Night offer a bounty of incredible possibilities for an amazing story full of fascinating characters, fantastic elements, and major events, because what we “know” about that time period is made of sand that can be molded into something great.

But if it’s true that sometimes what you don’t know won’t hurt you, the opposite is true too.

What do you think? Do you want to learn more from this mysterious time period, or would you rather some question remain unanswered? Tell us why in the comments below.

Images: HBO

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Last week, HBO finally gave a greenlight to film a pilot episode for one of the five Game of Thrones spinoff series that were in development at the network. George R.R. Martin and Kingsman screenwriter Jane Goldman are producing the still untitled show from Goldman’s script, which will be a prequel story set thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones. While it may be two years or more before we finally see the new show on HBO, Martin has offered an update on the project and reconfirmed its setting.

“Yes, this is a prequel, not a sequel,” wrote Martin on his blog. “This one really puts the PRE in prequel, since it is set not ninety years before Game of Thrones (like Dunk & Egg), or a few hundred years, but rather ten thousand years (well, assuming the oral histories of the First Men are accurate, but there are maesters at the Citadel who insist it has only been half that long). We’re very early in the process, of course, with the pilot order just in, so we don’t have a director yet, or a cast, or a location, or even a title.”

Martin added that The Long Night would be his preferred title for the new series, but he expects HBO to keep Game of Thrones in the title. He also indicated that only one of the potential prequel series has been shelved and that the other three prequel scripts may eventually be filmed as well.

“Three more Game of Thrones prequels, set in different periods and featuring different characters and storylines, remain in active development,” said Martin. “Everything I am told indicates that we could film at least one more pilot, and maybe more than one, in the years to come. We do have an entire world and tens of thousands of years of history to play with, after all. But this is television, so nothing is certain.”

Do you want to see more than one Game of Thrones prequel series? Take flight in the comment section below!

Images: HBO

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HBO‘s president Casey Bloys has been hinting at, walking around, and teasing Game of Thrones spinoffs (plural) for years. The massively successful adaptation of George R.R. Martin‘s A Song of Ice and Fire books has opened the door to the wide world of Westeros, and on Friday, we learned HBO officially ordered a pilot for a Game of Thrones prequel written by Jane Goldman and George R.R. Martin. Via Entertainment Weekly, this prequel will go way back into the past.

HBO’s official description for the prequel pilot:

“Taking place thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones, the series chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. And only one thing is for sure: from the horrifying secrets of Westeros’s history to the true origin of the white walkers, the mysteries of the East, to the Starks of legend … it’s not the story we think we know.”

Going so far back offers them the opportunity to explore a time period that is not tied to the current timeline. With this different of an era, they could redesign Westeros if they want. They have creative freedom and a place for Game of Thrones fans to visit after the series comes to an end after season eight.

Martin has touched on some of Westeros’ past in A Song of Ice and Fire and in The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros. We’ve learned a little about the Age of Heroes and now legendary names such as Bran the Builder and Garth Greenhand. Many of the major Houses in Game of Thrones can trace their legacies back to the Age of Heroes. Goldman and Martin could pull threads from what we know, but they have so much room to tell new stories.

Is this what you had in mind for the HBO prequels? Are you excited? Feeling as cold as an ice dragon about this news? Tell us in the comments.

Images: HBO

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If there’s one thing to really love about George R.R. Martin, it’s that he still appreciates the fine art that is LiveJournal blogging. The fantasy author has used his trusty “Not A Blog” account to share thoughts and news for many years, and now he’s one-upping himself by delivering a nugget of new information in the comment section.

In a February 7 post about Hugo Awards nominations, Martin let slip in the comments section that we can expect a new A Song of Ice and Fire book in 2018. Sadly, it’s not The Winds of Winter, but instead the first volume of a companion story collection called Fire and Blood.

via GIPHY

If you’re making the Sad Jon face, you’re not alone. But chins up, because Fire and Blood actually sounds pretty cool, and, according to Martin, is mostly made up of recycled material from his encyclopedic The World of Ice and Fire, meaning there probably wasn’t a lot of extra writing involved to distract him. The collection will focus on “fake histories of the Targaryen kings,” from Aegon’s Conquest to the regency of boy king Aegon III.

Back in 2017, Martin jokingly referred to Fire and Blood as “the GRRMarillion” (a play on J.R.R. Tolkien‘s The Silmarillion). He also hinted that The Winds of Winter will come out between the releases of Volumes I and II of Fire and Blood. That doesn’t tell us much, but it does sound like there’s at least some sort of publishing schedule in place, even loosely.

Luckily, A Song of Ice and Fire fans are a strong breed and are prepared to wait a long time for that thing they love. In addition to the long drought before The Winds of Winter, we also have a full year before the final season of Game of Thrones hits TV screens in 2019. Hopefully Fire and Blood can fill the void of anticipation in the meantime.

Images: HBO

More news from Westeros

• Altered Carbon has a Game of Thrones Easter egg
• What will Benioff and Weiss do with Star Wars?
• Pokémon meets Game of Thrones in this mash-up

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Waiting for George R. R. Martin to tell us when The Winds of Winter is coming out can be maddening. We’ve been waiting for over seven years, and all he can say is that the book is underway. But thanks to the wonder of neural networks, our wait may finally be at an end.

According to Motherboard, programmer Zack Thoutt created a neural network to write sample chapters from The Winds of Winter, under the joke pen name “George AI Martin.” The network compiles existing text from previous books in the Song of Ice and Fire series and reveals some of Martin’s authorial quirks in the process. As chapter one shows, dude loves his old-timey phrasing like “donned,” “rough-hewn,” and “the [X] of [X]”(e.g. “the second son of Ser Whoever” rather than “Ser Whoever’s second son”). Motherboard only has the first chapter, but you can read further chapters here.

The syntax isn’t great—neural networks aren’t as hot on complex sentence structure as they are on, say, band names—but once you get into the writing, it almost feels like prose poetry or narration from The Sound and the Fury… if Faulker wrote about swords and direwolves instead of the collapsing Southern gentry:

“It is an effort. Mine uncle had do the same color. She could hardly count by death.

It made Ned better stop until the fire was falling, standing beneath the arch of a shattered still distant field where the shadow tower paid the camp behind. The elder brother had known no sun and chunks of broken buildings and ash wailing towns; four hundred thousand ravens, his own torsos.”

Isn’t that gorgeous? My favorite bit is “ash wailing towns.” Just…chills.

Granted, the neural network doesn’t always deliver. Other parts are less poetic and more WTF:

“She Baratheon is one of the crossing. The second sons of your onion concubine.”

Is an onion concubine the sexy version of an Onion Knight? Also, there’s that “the [X] of [X]” business. Just say “your onion concubine’s second sons.”

“What do you want without shelter?” asked Jared.

If you read this and said, “He went to Jared!” to yourself, you’re not alone. Encountering a guy named Jared, even in an A Song of Ice and Fire parody, is disconcerting. It’s like meeting a knight named Ser Brayden, or an archer named Mike. If he must be there, his name should at least be spelled funny. “Jeryd,” maybe.

“Catelyn wondered if he knew she was fool.”

All I can think is: BUT WHO WAS PHONE?!

“Petyr Baelish jerked his head off, threw himself over the shaft, and pushed it off his shoulder.”

So that’s why we never saw what his hands were doing under his cloak on Game of Thrones.

Wait, what if this is actually how he dies in the books? I wouldn’t put it past the non-AI George R. R. Martin to kill him in the most upsetting fashion imaginable.

I’ll leave you with the top contender for Moments I Wish We’d Seen In The Show:

“Meera kicked the turtle warily at Tyrion’s face”.

Which is your favorite line from the neural network version of The Winds of Winter? Tell us below!

Images: Flickr/Gage Skidmore, HBO, Giphy

WANT MORE GAME OF THRONES?

• Why are there no female White Walkers?
• What role might Bran play in Game of Thrones‘ endgame
• How Dany’s House of the Undying vision prepares us for Thrones‘ future

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