In a surprisingly unusual turn of events, we’re probably seeing for the first time that fans liked a TV adaptation of a book better than the original tale. House of the Dragon changed many plots from George RR Martin’s book Fire & Blood, and fans believe the changes are for the best. Thanks to HOTD writer Ryan Condal for doing a great job tweaking the storyline slightly just enough to make it make more sense. Redditors call this an “unpopular opinion,” while hardcore House of the Dragon fans who have also read Fire & Blood disagree.
Keeping uncomfortable time jumps aside, the House of the Dragon showrunners thought carefully about which aspects to change and keep as is. George RR Martin himself is closely involved in the production of the show, which is why we see his story told as smoothly as possible, unlike the disappointing final season of Game of Thrones. Therefore, it’s best to stick with the book, while making smart changes to better suit the viewers.
Such edits change the storyline entirely and the way viewers look at the characters. That’s why many fans think House of the Dragon is better than the original book. Here are two of the major changes that forever change how we look at House of the Dragon characters.
House of the Dragon creates more suspense than fire and blood
House of the Dragon and Fire and Blood Posters
House of the Dragon writer Ryan Condal took a more subtle approach while expanding on the story and character arcs. For example, in Martin’s Fire & Blood, Alicent Hightower wants Aegon II Targaryen to be king simply to gain more power and influence in the kingdom, which is exactly what his father Otto Hightower wants. However, in House of the Dragon, Alicent misunderstands the words of the dying King Viserys and makes it seem like Viserys named Aegon II his heir, when he was actually speaking of Aegon the Conqueror’s prophetic dream.
Additionally, in the Season 1 finale of House of the Dragon, Aemond ‘One-Eye’ Targaryen pursues Lucerys Velaryon, the second bastard son of Rhaenyra on his dragon Vhagar. In the book, Aemond deliberately pursues Luke to lure him into a dragon fight, knowing he will obviously win as he rides Vhagar, the greatest living dragon in Westeros. Aemond and Lucerys have a dragon fight in the air, in which Aemond orders Vhagar to kill Arrax and Lucerys. Unlike what we saw in House of the Dragon, in which Vhagar makes the decision to kill Arrax herself.
Fire & Blood readers don’t like Alicent Hightower and Aemond Targaryen, however, House of the Dragon viewers are now on the edges of their seats until 2024 when Season 2 comes out, because we the fans don’t. don’t think these characters are really bad guys.
House of the Dragon fans react to this
House of the Dragon’s Paddy Considine reacts to George RR Martin’s compliment
Leaving the fans aside, George RR Martin himself complimented Paddy Considine and said his Viserys was better than Martin’s original Viserys I Targaryen.
Fire And Blood, according to TV viewers who have also read Fire & Blood, “is an unreliable story full of exaggerations and lies”. Others started reading the book after seeing the program, and it turns out that the book just isn’t as useful to them as the series. According to a Reddit user:
“I read F&B after watching HOTD and I can’t finish it because Rhaenyra is just,..ick in the books 🙁 I was so sad and disappointed with these characters I picked up and loved from the show “, Redditor yee-veloso admitted.
Fans say Fire And Blood is implausible, especially for a fantasy novel, and that it “ends up reading like a novel where everything is rushed and the characters are really thin.” Others commented that every character in House of the Dragon, except for key characters, such as Daemon, Rhaenyra, Alicent, and Otto, came across as “idiots”, while House of the Dragon was “a massive improvement “, according to fans on the Internet. .
