The popular American series House of the Dragon season 2 premiered on HBO in August 2024. Soon after its release, author George RR Martin criticised showrunner Ryan Condal’s choices in the second season, claiming that the series had deviated from his novel Fire & Blood, in a now-deleted blog post. As season 3 goes into production, Ryan, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, addressed the author’s criticism. (Also Read: HBO responds after George RR Martin criticises House of the Dragon changes)
Ryan Condal addresses George RR Martin’s criticism
Addressing George’s blog post, Ryan revealed that he hadn’t seen it himself but was informed about it, adding, “It was disappointing. I will simply say I’ve been a fan of A Song of Ice and Fire for almost 25 years now, and working on the show has been truly one of the great privileges of not only my career as a writer but also my life as a fan of science fiction and fantasy. George himself is a monument, a literary icon in addition to a personal hero of mine, and was heavily influential on me coming up as a writer.”
He continued, “It’s this incomplete history, and it requires a lot of joining of the dots and a lot of invention as you go along the way. I will simply say I made every effort to include George in the adaptation process. I really did. Over years and years. And we really enjoyed a mutually fruitful, I thought, really strong collaboration for a long time. But at some point, as we got deeper down the road, he just became unwilling to acknowledge the practical issues at hand in a reasonable way.”
What George RR Martin Said
Martin expressed disappointment over changes to House of the Dragon, particularly the removal of Maelor Targaryen. He felt this weakened the Blood and Cheese sequence, as Helaena’s “Sophie’s Choice” moment—offering her life to save her son—was lost. Initially, George accepted the change, believing Maelor’s birth would be postponed to season 3, but later discovered he had been removed entirely. He acknowledged practical reasons such as budget and child actor constraints but argued that these changes disrupted the story’s logic and emotional weight.
He also hinted at more significant changes in future seasons, stating, “And there are larger and more toxic butterflies to come if House of the Dragon goes ahead with some of the changes being contemplated for seasons 3 and 4…”
About House of the Dragon
The American fantasy drama television series is based on parts of Martin’s 2018 book Fire & Blood. The series premiered on 21 August 2022, with the first season consisting of ten episodes. Following its success, the second season premiered on 16 June 2024, with eight episodes, and the show has now been renewed for season 3.
