Game of Thrones: 5 Times The Books Were Better Than The HBO Show (& Vice Versa)

The recent golden age of TV was certainly spearheaded by Game of Thrones. Since 2011, the show captured the attention of audiences around the world, even drawing in viewers who typically wouldn’t be interested in the fantasy genre.

While the show famously had an ending that disappointed fans around the world, many still held out hope that the still yet-to-be completed book series would correct these mistakes, resulting in a far better ending. While the book series is held in higher regard than the show, the mediums of book and TV show each have their own advantages.

10 Books: Magic

One aspect of the series that the show tried to constantly play down was the magical elements of the story. While it is true that the White Walkers and Dragons do appear in the show, other more magical elements are cut out.

The most obvious example of this is the resurrection of Catelyn Stark as Lady Stoneheart. While she promises to be very important in the books, she was cut out of the TV series, much to fans’ disdain.

9 Show: Easier To Follow

While the show is certainly simpler than the books, with the show ignoring several plot points and characters that appeared in the books, this also means that it is far easier to follow than the book series.

While this doesn’t necessarily make the show better than the books, or makes the books bad, it is far easier to understand what is going on and where certain characters are.

8 Books: Political Scheming

While the series definitely did well to convey the broad strokes of the political scheming seen in the book series, the show also didn’t go as far into the intricacies as the books did, with the series even cutting out several plot points.

One of the most obvious examples of the show removing important plot points is the Young Griff story. For those unaware, in the books a character named Young Griff appears, who Illyrio and Varys claim is actually Aegon Targaryen. Fans, however, believe that Griff is a Blackfyre.

7 Show: Robb

One of the things that George RR Martin wished he had done with the books is give Robb Stark a POV chapter. In the books, the reader learns much of Robb Stark’s journey through Catelyn Stark’s eyes.

However in the show, Robb Stark’s campaign is given a focus that is entirely different from the books. For instance, the audience gets to see Robb grow close to Talisa Maegyr (Jeyne Westerling in the books).

6 Books: Prophecies

A character in the books famously said ‘prophecy will bite your pr*ck off every time’. This quote shows the fantastic use of prophecy by George RR Martin. While the books are full of prophecy, it appears as though the focus isn’t on whether or not the prophecy is true, but rather on whether or not the person telling it believes it to be so.

While some prophecies appear to be true, such as Patchface’s prediction of the Red Wedding or Dany’s visions in the House of the Undying, other prophecies, most notably Azor Ahai, are incredibly vague and appear to simply push characters to act in certain ways depending upon their beliefs.

5 Show: Music

This isn’t really fair on the books as they couldn’t really come with a soundtrack, but this is one of the best advantages that the medium of TV has over the books. The soundtrack by Ramin Djawadi appeared to get better as the series progressed, culminating in an incredible soundtrack for season 8.

The music perfectly captures the feel of the characters and the houses. The House Stark theme is bittersweet and melancholic, whereas the Targaryen theme is powerful and fiery, with epic tones dotted throughout.

4 Books: Dorne

Famously, one of the worst elements of the TV series was the Dorne subplot in the fifth season, with Jaime Lannister and Bronn heading to Dorne in order to rescue Myrcella Baratheon from the clutches of the Martells.

In the books, there is a much larger subplot concerning Dorne, including the fact that Quentyn Martell was sent to Meereen to marry Daenerys, but ended up dying from dragonfire instead.

3 Show: Battle Of The Bastards

This could be considered cheating, as the books haven’t reached the point in which Jon Snow is set to win back Winterfell from the Boltons, but there’s no denying that the Battle of the Bastards was epic in scope.

The chaos on the battlefield was incredible to watch, as well as the intense hatred the audience had of Ramsay helping to drive forward Jon to victory.

2 Books: White Walkers

In the books, the White Walkers are clearly described as having their own culture. While little has been revealed of them, the prologue to A Game of Thrones shows that they’re beautiful creatures with their own language and culture.

In the show, however, the White Walkers are ugly old men who are seen to simply do the bidding of the Night King. Little is explored with regard to the messages they left behind (in the show) and their reason for attacking Westeros was certainly not very compelling.

1 Show: Hardhome

In season 5 of Game of Thrones, Jon Snow leads an expedition to the Wilding settlement of Hardhome. This eventually leads to one of the most iconic and terrifying moments in the show, with the White Walkers attacking and destroying the settlement.

In the show, the attack on Hardhome is shown in all its glory. However, in the books, Jon isn’t present. The reader hears about Hardhome through a letter to Jon, describing ‘dead things in the water’. While this is scary, it isn’t as epic as the show’s battle.

About The Author

Sam Hutchinson
(374 Articles Published)

Writer living in Adelaide, Australia. Long-suffering post-graduate student and lover of pop culture from Game of Thrones to DC.
Twitter: @samchinson

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