Game of Thrones - Top 10 Best & Worst Changes from the Books 

"the night king is the best villain in the show" oohhh this didnt age well.

"When that showdown happens -- dragons versus walkers -- they're going to deliver, because, how can't they?" Oh my sweet summer child.

The fact that Ghost is so prominent in the books and seems so important yet in the show he's nonexistent. That's the one big difference I hate.

Hard to judge Varys and Little finger in the show since they lose 15 IQ each season for no particular reason.

15:30 "they're going to deliver because...how can't they ?" Ehhhhh

"The White Walkers" section didn't age well haha

"When that showdown happens, the song of ice and fire, dragons vs walkers, it's going to be that much better because we've been patient and we've waited. They're going to deliver because how can't they." Well you'd think that but...

The honourable mention for best change in the show is definitely the aging-up of the younger characters. GRRM himself regrets making them so young because he had intended to do a time skip at some point in the books so that it would skip forward and they would be older, but it didn’t end up happening.

Really surprised the change made to Tyrions and Jamie's conversation wasn't mentioned. I thought that was one of the worst changes in the show, how they omitted Jamie confessing to Tyrion, that Tysha, the girl he had married, was never a prostitute, that Jamie had not hired her, but that Tywin had forced Jamie to lie to Tyrion so Tywin could have the marriage undone. Its the whole reason why Tyrion kills his father Tywin in the books and gives him a much better reason for killing his father, it just seemed so random in the show when they did not include the reason for him getting so angry.

15:24 "they wont let us down. How can they?" Easily apparently.

I actually forgot that in the books they were all Wargs. Now that I am reminded, I am annoyed that they took all of the Starks abilities.

I actually think that no. 1 is spot on. A lot of the problems of the final season I felt were a negative consequence of not having the Young Griff character. Like, imagine Daenerys' whole "they don't love me, they love him" schtick being about someone who actually WANTS the throne and is actively trying to get it instead of some knucklehead constantly going "buh i dunt want it" over and over again. It also makes so little sense. The people of Westeros don't love Jon Snow, the people of the North do. The populace of King's Landing probably don't even know who Jon Snow is let alone love him. The only thing I really disagree with is the White Walkers being done better in the show. I feel like this is mostly just a consequence of us not really having seen much from them in the books thus far, but at any rate I vastly prefer the mysterious and ethereal quality they have in the books. For example, one of the coolest details they explain about them in the books is that when they walk on the snow, they don't sink into it and leave no footprints. Just how they sort of feel like they're the cold incarnate.

I think Stannis' season 5 arc should've been in the worst list.

What I love most about the interactions between Lady Arya and Lord Tywin is how those scenes allow us to view Lord Tywin differently. To me, he goes as far as to appear kind to Lady Arya.

I miss one of the funnier parts of Bronn's story in the books, now that he is a knight he just goes around knighting his friends and acquaintances to the point of making knighthood mean nothing. He probably takes a bit money for knighting people too. It is funny as hell and such a Bronn move XD

"They are going to deliver because......how can't they?" Dumb and dumber :- "I'm about to end this man whole career"

So it’s a blessing and a curse. POV book chapters let’s you live in the character’s head, but the show gives you interactions you could never have in the books POV format.

Ollena has to be one of my fave from the show. Even her death was boss

Rickon’s death in the show pissed me off. They literally just wasted a whole Stark heir away.

The difference between Stannis in the show vs. The books should have been included. Stannis is still an essential character in the books pushing the northern forces towards winterfell. He was disliked in the show because he murdered shereen, however this is inaccurate via the books. Stannis deserves a lot more attention and respect than given. Long live The Mannis aka The One True King!

Ilyn Payne, Wilko Johnson is still alive! He beat his battle with cancer..... The Headsman is alive!!!!

You forgot about MANCE fuckin RAYDER surviving in the books due to Melisandre using magic to make the lord of bones look like Mance and burning him instead.

Joffrey isn't a psychopath? Doesn't he cut open a pregnant cat in the book and show one of the babies to Robert?

What about Tyrion and his wife Tysha. The story that changed Tyrion’s Character in the book that was only mentioned in a couple scenes of the show

I know this is old, but I was really disappointed they took the Lovecraftian element of the books out of the show: the things that made Euron Greyjoy so terrifying and Patchface.

I think the descision to age up characters like Dany was the best one. It would have been creepy as hell if Dany was 13.

Stannis burning his daughter alive was the worst imo. They only did it for the shock value.

"they're going to deliver....because, how can't they?" *Dumb & Dumber* : "Allow us to introduce ourselves...."

What about Rickon? HE just showed up and died in the show, but his status in books is so much cooler. He could be riding unicorns with Shaggy Dog on Skagos.

Surprised you guys didn't mention the Stannis' character assassination and the switch of arcs with Jon

Also they dumbed down Roose Bolton into a generic Tywin-lite who was sentimental and dumb enough to hug Ramsay. Seriously go look up Roose moments and quotes from the book, they're some of the best of the series.

I also thought Kevan Lannister was really nerfed in the show There's this one great scene, that the show missed out on where he came to visit cersei in the sparrows' dungeons after her Trainwreck of a reign and says pretty much "your reign is over" then precedes to tell her how he fixed pretty much all the the crown's short term problems Then there was the brilliant epilogue in aDwD, where Varys kills him simply because he's fixing all these problems and poses a serious threat to Danaerys and Aegon. This also adds a lot to Varys as a character, making him seem more willing to go through with getting his hands dirty for the good of the realm.

The Night King, not the Night’s King. The Night’s King is an entirely different character.

I was really sad over Margery's death. I actually liked her character.

Imagine the battle scene where Daenerys and the Dothraki fight the Lannisters, Jamie rides on the attack Daenerys but Barristan is defending her and they are forced to battle, and Jamie is forced to kill his mentor and most looked up to the person apart from his father. Like, they both wouldn't want to do it, but they must. Missed opportunity.

“They are going to deliver because how can’t they”. I am here after season 8 episode 3 and 4 to tell you that they CAN’T deliver....

Another GREAT scene was the one between Robert and Cersei in Season 1 Episode 7,where they talk about their personal feelings.

I actually don't agree with Ramsay's change being better for the show. To me it's a more neutral change. I enjoyed Ramsay in the show, but fleshing him out came at the cost of Roose Bolton's character development, who I thoroughly enjoy as a villain in the book. Because while Ramsay is a psycho, Roose is a genius!

I ilike arya with tywin...i like arya with the hound...i like arya with the faceless man. Arya is a whole story herself.

8:03 Wilko Johnson, the guy who played Ilyn Payne, is still alive. He got cancer, but then fortunately recovered from it.

The poor handling of the Sand Snakes and Ellaria really depressed me as a book fan.

it was really f*cked up to kill Barristen Selmy lile that.

I prefer the book white walkers they are described as beautiful etc where as they look like ice devil's on the show, quite a nice twist having the main threat be these beautiful unreal creatures

Books: Barristan arrests Hizdarh zo Loraq and is a good fighter Show: Barristan gets killed by a bunch of rich terrorists in an alley

I also hate how they didn't make all the Starks wargs. Jon was one , of course Bran, Rickon too but he's too feral, Sansa was , Arya was and it was part of her training, and Robb was one because it was said he would be in the war room for hours just staring at nothing

"The only good part about Dorne is Oberyn." Yes!

Another great change that wasn't mentioned is Oberyn Martell. In the books he's not given much build up and you don't really know much about him until his fight with the Mountain. The show puts more effort into characterising him and choosing his charm and charisma so it gives the fight the added tension above how it will affect Tyrion's fate.

No. 1 Best change: ageing up all of the main characters No. 1 Worst change: Euron Greyjoy

Arya brought out a warm side of Tywin we didn't see at any other time.

Honestly Dorne and Stannis Baratheon were gutted like fish in the show. Stannis was a loving father and he would NEVER sacrifice his daughters for stone dragons, let alone good weather in the show. Total Bull$h!t. Also, they could of easily made a scene were Doran pulls Ellaria aside and tell her "Hey I have a plan, I've met with Varys and were going to support Dany Targaryen. Were going to usurp the Lannisters, just wait!" That's all they had to do, but instead she decides to kill the family of the man she loved. WTF!

She protecc She attac But most importantly She make Tywin Lannister laugh

Watching this video after the show's finale just makes me sadder.

Tywin was also much better in the show

Wilko Johnson who played Illyn Payne is not dead. He was diagnosed with cancer and had radical surgery and is in recovery.

It's over Night's King! I have the high ground!

Don’t forget about Jaime’s confession of Tysha, Tyrion’s character arc just felt kind of stagnant after fleeing Westeros

Well the point about the WW didn’t age well

I thought they kinda hurt Varys and Littlefinger as characters. Littlefinger was made creepy and untrustworthy when most book characters actually trust him. Meanwhile Varys was "yeah good guy Varys" instead of "I cut out the tongues of my little birds so they can't spill my secrets" Varys.

Oberon was such a great character. Damn! I could have watched him for years. That was a brutal loss.

Update: the show didn't deliver the White Walkers and the Long Night. After 8 years of mystery and tension building, the Night King finally stormed Winterfell! To kill Theon Greyjoy...

Ser Bron of the FOOKING Black Water.

I actually prefer the Others from the books over the show.

I wish Victarion was in the show

The Dorne story is the one that literally gives me sleepless nights! Like why would they???!!! Dorne has great stories!! I wish they did the dorne story and Griff's story!

Why did they NOT include the Tysha twist when Jaime releases Tyrion. It makes Tyrion's killing so much more understandable, and develops him even further. God, what a let down the series has been past s5.

A terrible change you missed out imo is the Tyrion's trial/discussion with Jamie in the cell. Like in the show it sort of seems out of the blue why Jamie saves him/he murders Tywin, and Shae's betrayal is a lot less impactful because it already seemed like they were 'on the rocks', but in the books it's just so much darker when Jamie explains his 'debt' and he goes to murder Tywin. I just felt that was so much more depth to Tyrion that they took out in the show

Imagine a future when the books are finished and someone with a lot of money makes an animated series where it mostly follows the story of the books while keeping all the good stuff from the show and casting all the available show actors to voice themselves. I think that'll be amazing

8:15 Wilko Johnson who played Ilyn Payne didn't die. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer so he left the show. He only had a few months to live but the time came and past and they eventually found out that he was misdiagnosed. His cancer was much more treatable than previously thought. He's still alive actually.

One of the changes I hate the most was Stannis burning his daughter and the Davos arc (making lord Manderly a more active character and not just that fat guy who agrees with lady Lyanna Mormont)

I love that moment where Jon clashes swords with a white walker. First Jon stares at his sword. Then the walker stares at the sword. And then they give eachother that confused look.

I think all book readers and even most of the TV show watchers would cherish a fully adapted Animated Series that follows the books 100%, no deviations. It could only be done when the books are completely finished or 4 or 5 years after Winds Of Winter. It would be also cool if it was done in POV perspective.

"she was the only one who made tywin lannister laugh ." tywin's laugh : "HA."

"They made the fans root for Cersei." I could have sworn I was happy watching her get beaten and starved, so if rooting for her death is what you meant then I fully agree.

I thought I was the only one that wanted Joffrey to come back to Kill The Sparrows 😂

The actor who plays Ilyn pain is still alive he beat his battle with cancer

"they are going to deliver, because how can't they" Oh boy, only if he knew now

Dorne was easily the biggest fucking let down of the whole show.

Euron is my favorite character in the books. Smart as Tyrion and as evil as Ramsey. The show is such a letdown.

I am very happy to correct you guys on something. Wilko Johnson, the actor who played Ilyn Payne, did not actually pass away. He was thought to be suffering of a terminal form of cancer but he miraculously got better. He lives to this day (at 73). I was very glad to learn that so I wanted to share.

I think my least favourite change was Robb's marriage storyline. It was handled much better in the books where he had to abandon his oath to protect Jeyne and his honour as opposed to just putting everything at risk because he fell in love

Stannis isn't dead in the book. Read the winds of winter chapters. Stannis is going to use holes in the ice to trap Rooses horses it's weird

I think Jon in general is done better in the books. There's so much politics in the Night's Watch too that just get completely disregarded on the show. And here's a thing about the Sansa-Ramsay marriage... I think that in itself was not a bad idea. But I think we should've seen Sansa pull a Margaery on Ramsay. Have her control Ramsay like Margaery controlled Joffrey. Because in my opinion, that's where season 4 left her. It left her in a position where she seemed like she was going to become a player. Destroying the Boltons from within and preparing Winterfell for a Vale take-over would've been great, imo.

I think Yara’s (Asha’s) raid to free Theon should be remembered as a terrible invented plot twist by the show. It was the first real instance where the show seemed to completely disregard the realities of the world of the books - especially geography and time frame. It was contrived mostly for the sake of some Hollywood-like action / fight-scene and some unimportant plot / character points. In the books, sailing from the Iron Islands around to the east side of Westeros and up a river to the Dreadfort would be a journey of months - unthinkable.This effing with the map and the timeline accelerated in later seasons. By season 7, all sense of time and distance were out the window and it really undermined the important world-building aspects of fantasy. We all know that by Seasons 7 & 8, the action was jumping around across all of Westeros - with certain characters crossing the continent and appearing in scenes in multiple distant locations within a single episode. In the early seasons, there was a proper sense of time - a trip up/down the King’s Road from Winterfell to King’s Landing took weeks, even in peacetime with the best of horses. Same for Dany’s travels across Essos. The audience felt this because it would take several episodes for a character to arrive somewhere and stuff usually happened along the way. D&D totally lost that side of the story by the end, and Yara's needless raid was the first time they allowed themselves to ditch that part of the books.

Their optimism and hopes for Season 8 broke my heart...

I think Young Griff is just unnecessary for the show. It’s a great storyline, but there isn’t enough time to do it right

After watching Season 7 and looking in retrospect regarding Ser Barristan Selmy's death, they had to kill the military expert off, otherwise all of Tyrion's and Dany's stupid decisions would be promptly rebated by him (more like laughed out at). What a cheap way to get rid of a character, but then.. there's Littlefinger's death that is even more ridiculous..

One of my favorite scenes in the books is when Selmy talks to Daenerys and pretty much says that you do not have the support of the common people in Westeros. It was a great growing up moment for her and I wish that they kept it instead of the whole break the wheel/but I'm still queen thing

15:29: "They're going to deliver, because how can't they?" ... Oh my sweet summer child.

Yeah I was so confused by the exclusion of the young Gryff story. Because eliminating him and Quentin takes away some of the tension of "well, Dany's coming for Westeros, but Westeros is coming for Dany". It weakens her connection and lessens her impact, because in the show no one knows WTF Dany has been up to.

What about Ygritte not letting Tormund finish his bear story??

in the book, it's not explicitly shown to us whether or not the white walkers are evil and that's great. hardhome was such a great episode that I let it pass but having the walkers kill the three eyed raven is bullshit. it pretty much cements how evil they are.

Hardhome hasn’t happened in the books yet...in a dance with dragons Jon is planning to go North but it hasn’t happened yet. So you can’t really compare them

I think people may disagree but the first difference that struck me was the fact Dany was raped by Khal Drogo where as the books described it as consensual. The rape just made there future close relationship awkward and I could never work out how Dany felt about Drogo.

I was introduced and fell in love with the show way before I read the books. but After season 5 disappointment, I started reading the books and couldn't believe how rich and amazing the books are. I now understand why alot of book readers get so Frustrated with the show runners. unfortunately, after season 4 the show went on a completely different path from the books. I really don't understand why the show runners wanted to leave so much out from the books, while adding their own lame plots, plus speeding up the process. GRRM gave them pure Gold! but for some crazy reason the show runners elected not to use that gold!!

i liked how they did robb stark in the show, kinda sucked that he was older but richard madden's performance made up for it

I love Brienne in the books, you get some awesome scenes (like Brienne vs Rorge/Biter. And Shagwell the Fool at the Whispers) but more importantly you get to see more of the world and the impact of the war which just makes the world feel so much more lived in and real.

No mention Stannis Plot line Slaughter?

"The only good thing about Dorne was Oberyn" - Exactly

Margery and olenna are so excellent in the show, and I love their chemistry and how they clearly came in here to fuck shit up and keep each other safe. They always give a sense of being the most aware and the most prepared

I hated having Sansa married to Ramsay too, however, I'm not sure how you can say you don't understand what Dan and Dave were doing when they made that change. In the books, the last time we see Sansa, Littlefinger is scheming to marry her off to Sweet Robin's heir, Ser Harrold Hardying ("Harry the Heir) so she can reveal her true identity to the Lords of the Vale and to reclaim Winterfell in her name. Around the same time in the books, the Boltons are marrying Jeyne Poole off to Ramsay, pretending she is Arya so THEY can claim Winterfell (this, too, was set up by Littlefinger, btw). Since doing both of these stories would have required introducing 2 new characters to achieve the same goal of following Sansa's arc and "Reek" being able to transform back into Theon, melding the 2 storylines together makes a lot of sense. Yes, it is terrible what Sansa has to endure; it is no less traumatic to read just because it's Jeyne Poole and we are not as invested in her. But it does accomplish the goal of truly making you despise Ramsay if you thought what he did to Theon was something Theon deserved (I did...at first, but there came a point when his suffering far outweighed his crimes), and gave the audience a reason to root for Theon again and sympathize further with Sansa. Moreover, it makes Theon's climb back to sanity more powerful because you can clearly see in the show that he thinks of Sansa like a sister and he fights his way back to being Theon because it means something to him to rescue her from this situation. If the overall goal is to show us Sansa getting control of Winterfell again and Theon reborn, then the show achieved the same ending as the books with a more confined storyline. **SPOILER** Incidentally, the preview chapters released for the next book do show that Theon and Jeyne are rescued by Stannis, just like in the show, and plans are underway to get Arya(Jeyne) to her brother at Castle Black, just like what happened with Sansa in the show