Game of Thrones: The Book vs. The Show

Game of Thrones: The Book vs. The Show – My Perfect Strategy

Whenever a book is adapted into a movie or series, I have a golden rule: watch the adaptation first and only then read the book. Why? Simple—once I’ve read the book, I can never look at the movie the same way again!

That’s exactly what happened with Game of Thrones. I waited for the show to progress before diving into A Song of Ice and Fire. Spoiler alert: I was not disappointed!

Reading After Watching: A Game-Changer

Diving into such a vast universe can feel overwhelming at first. Too many characters, countless locations, and no real frame of reference… But if you’ve seen the show, everything falls into place quickly: names get faces, voices come alive, and reading becomes an even richer experience.

Reading A Game of Thrones (the first book in the series) felt like rewatching the show in an "extended edition." Every chapter brought new scenes, deeper dialogues, and—best of all—direct access to the characters’ thoughts. Suddenly, every action takes on a whole new meaning once you truly understand their motives.

How Faithful Is the Show?

At least in this first book, I was impressed by how closely the show followed the source material.

The differences are minimal, aside from a few details—especially regarding Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo. But if you read carefully, you’ll quickly understand why these changes were made.

George R.R. Martin: A Master of Fantasy

Martin didn’t just write a story—he built an entire world. Cultures, lands, mythologies, religions, legends… Everything is so well-crafted that Westeros and Essos feel as real as any historical era in our own world.

The success of this saga is no accident, and Martin deserves every bit of praise he gets. Now, there’s only one thing left to do: pick up the second book and continue this epic journey!

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