Are you ever reading your favorite epic fantasy, filled with dynamic characters, complex plot lines, supernatural events, and mind-blowing twists and contemplate its relationship to its expansive, and well adapted version on television? If so you may be referring to the diverse and endless world of Westeros and possibly some of Essos. For those still confused I am referring to the fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin as well as the adaptation of the series Game of Thrones. Both the text and the show adaption have experienced immense success and has brought this series to become a household name. The two platforms of text and television have varying differences in storytelling and have varying appreciation. Many argue that the show has changed or simply removed valuable aspects of the plot, while many fans believe the books are too long and drag out a worn down plotline. Just read some of Daenerys's chapters in A Dance with Dragons where she contemplates her lackluster love life or Jamie’s invigorating chapters of him sieging an already won castle if you don’t believe me (Why the TV version just won). However, considerably boring these chapters are they are also important pieces to the overall story, which will be addressed in the forthcoming paragraphs. Furthermore in the adaption there are certain elements of the novels that are inevitably lost in the transition to the TV screen. For example, Martin is famed for much of his internal dialogue and internal conflict of characters, which is impossible to display in an hour episode. Therefore once examined closely the adaption Game of Thrones loses many important aspects such as, character development, world building, internal conflict, and foreshadowing that the text A Song of Ice and Fire, displays more effectively. 

Before jumping straight into the argument at hand it is first appropriate to introduce the series context. The novels were originally meant to be a trilogy, but after the first three books - A Game of Thrones (1996), A Clash of Kings (1998), and A Storm of Swords (2000) – Martin realized his series was much more than that. Fueling off of the popularity of the first three books Martin scratched the trilogy plan and continued his writing process and released two novels – A Feast For Crows (2005) and A Dance With Dragons (2012) - in the series that occurred in the same time frame of the plot, but split up the main characters (ASOIAF Wiki). These two novels have received as much positivity as they have negative criticism. 

The criticism has arisen from fans who disagree with the writing style of splitting characters up and the seemingly unmoving plotlines. An example of this is the path that Daenerys’s took in the fifth book, A Dance with Dragons, where she rules in Meereen for the entirety of this novel, instead of her highly anticipated invasion of Westeros and her taking of the Iron Throne. This was frustrating to read for many fans and even encouraged some to believe Martin spent more time on paragraphs describing food than movement of plot. Let’s look at Cersei’s third chapter in A Feast For Crows, “To break her fast the queen sent to the kitchens for two boiled eggs, a loaf of bread, and a pot of honey” or maybe Tyrion’s first in A Dance with Dragons, “The serving men brought out a heron stuffed with figs, veal cutlets blanched with almond milk, creamed herring, candied onions, foul-smelling cheeses, plates of snails and sweet breads, and a black swan in her plumage.” Hungry yet? Many believe Martin was hungry when he wrote those chapters, but some believe it adds to the realism and depth of description to the story. Regardless of the negative criticism of these novels, A Game of Thrones still premiered in 2011 and was a hit.

 Although the transition may seem simple now, at the beginning Martin believed that his series would never be adapted to the big screen because of the strong sexual content, complex intertwined story lines, massive battles, and an endless number of characters that would ultimately be too expensive. This belief was eventually weakened by the success of the adaption of, The Lord of The Rings in the early 2000’s. The popular trilogy grossed millions of dollars and brought the fantasy genre into the spotlight (An Adaptation of Ice and Fire: D. B. Weiss And David Benioff's Television Adaptation Of George R. R. Martin's Unfilmable A Song Of Ice And Fire). This would eventually allow for two graduate students David Benioff and D. B. Weiss to pitch the adaption to George R. R. Martin as a TV show for HBO. The pitch went very well for the two writers because Martin said, he only envisioned the series as a show and when prompted with the question of who Jon Snow’s mother was, – a very popular question amongst fans now - the writers answered correctly, (David Benioff - Behind the Scenes of HBO's 'Game of Thrones': Talks at GS Session Highlights). This launched the adaption process for A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) and furthered the popularity of this series. 

The adaption process had a major focus to stay as true as possible to the story while still making a hit series. This is very evident in the first season of Game of Thrones where the plot line stays concurrent with the first novel of A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF). Both display major events such as the rising tension throughout the kingdoms, the dire wolves of house Stark, the capture of Tyrion, king Robert’s reign and death, Jon Snow’s induction to the Night Watch, Daenerys’s marriage and birth of dragons, and of course Eddard Stark’s shocking death. This consistency with the novels stayed mostly true until the fifth and sixth season where the show started to diverge drastically from the books. This is especially true for the sixth season, which actually takes place past the events of the last written book A Dance with Dragons. This is very relevant to the series because the show/adaption is actually ahead of the original text that is still being written. This has allowed for some very interesting changes to the plot and assumptions made by the writers of the show who no longer have the novels as a guideline for the show. The changes of adding and subtracting characters, changing plot lines, the order of events, and lack of depth that is in the books makes some fans believe that the novels are a better medium for series. For other fans they believe that the show is a better medium because it is more concise and interesting to watch.

In the books many character arcs seem too strung out whereas in the show the story is more concise and the characters seem to have more purpose. For example, in season five of Game of Thrones, two fan favorites, Jamie Lannister and Bronn Stokeworth, team up to rescue the endangered Myrcella in Dorne. This creates a much more interesting character arc for these two instead of what happened in the books for these two. In the novels Jamie is sent to wait out a siege at Storms End for the majority of the fifth book and Bronn is married off to a very ugly and fat Lolly Stokeworth (A Feast of Crows). Many fans agree that this change made for a much more interesting plot. Another change made in show that makes things more interesting is how Sansa quickly learns from Petyr Baelish and transforms from the whinny, self-loathing girl into a revenge-seeking woman. In the novels Sansa is taken by Petyr to the Vale where she goes under the name of Alayne and stays there for the remaining books, not doing too terribly much. This is another very slow character arc that was sped up in the show and worked well. In the show Sansa goes through this process, but is eventually given to Ramsay Snow as a bride. At this point she is tortured and raped by Ramsay, but is eventually rescued by Brienne and sent to the Night’s Watch and meets her half-brother Jon Snow, who takes her in. The rescuing of Sansa by Brienne, completes the promise she made in both mediums of rescuing the Stark girls, which is another example where the show gives purpose to a character who spends the majority of the fifth book roaming around Westeros with no evident purpose. In short this change allows for more purpose for multiple characters and is much more concise. It also sets up for the major climax of season six, which is the Battle of The Bastards.

An important part of the medium of television is the visual capabilities available that reading simply does not have. The episode, The Battle of The Bastards shows the climatic conflict between Jon Snow and Ramsay Snow as well as the climactic battle in Meereen between Daenerys and the slavers (Season 6, Game of Thrones). Both battles are highly anticipated and hinted at in the latest books, but have yet to occur. One fan claims that the show does well to release these climaxes because as fans, “we want to know who will win the game of thrones and survive the winter that's coming” (Why the TV version just won). In the show these battles are executed perfectly and are amazing to watch. For many fans they prefer being able to watch battles happen instead of reading thousands of pages for the one chapter of action. This is another reason that many believe the show is better because it allows the watcher to enjoy the best parts of the novels and not commit the time to reading. Other aspects to consider is how well the actors develop their characters and connect with the viewer as well as the fact that TV stimulates intelligent conversation just as reading does.

In the past and still today it is a common belief that television is a waste of time and is detrimental for your mental health. This belief arose because many Americans would watch television to procrastinate and would lie on the couch becoming sedentary. Another problem in the past was that television was not intellectually stimulating and had very poorly made shows that lacked depth and realism (Watching TV Is Good For You). Also if a show premiered at a certain time then that time was the only opportunity to see the show. Over time this has slowly subsided and if anything it is completely opposite. Now television shows can be watched anywhere at any time. The viewer is no longer confined to a certain time to watch their shows and can now watch TV in their free time (Watching TV is Good For You). Another improvement is that television is produced by professionals who have years of experience in making shows that entice the viewer and invoke discussion. An example of this could be from the popular show The Walking Dead, which actually has an hour recap show, The Talking Dead that is simply for discussing the show in an intellectual way. Another obvious example is the topic at hand, Game of Thrones, which again stimulates conversation and is so well developed that many fans believe the show is better than the books. This has become the norm amongst shows in which fans avidly discuss their shows with friends, on social media, and especially Reddit. Overall television is no longer a pit fall to waste time and can be argued as a valid use of time. This idea further establishes the belief that the adaption Game of Thrones is a better medium than the text of A Song of Ice and Fire because the medium of television is on par with reading and can no longer be considered as a waste of time. For the record this is true in some aspects, but not entirely and will be addressed, but regardless there are many similarities and strengths of the two mediums. Altogether there is an abundance of reasons why the adaption of ASOIAF is fantastic and I believe there is much common ground between the two sides of the argument.

Regardless of your preferred medium I believe it is safe to say that the series as a whole has enlightened and delighted many fans. It’s difficult to argue that The Battle of The Bastards was not an excellent episode filled with action. It’s doubtful that anyone can dismiss the outstanding work done by actors or producers of the show, nor could the enjoyment of the quicker, more concise adaption be taken away. It’s also hard to get around the vast and endless pages of the novels and the fact that television is a valid medium. All of these reasons are completely valid however, the novels are the better medium for many reasons previously stated, including: character development, world building, internal conflict, and foreshadowing. 

The internal conflict of characters and development of said characters within Martin’s books are what truly set the text apart from the show. A specific example of this could be the development of Tyrion throughout the course of A Dance with Dragons. Fresh off the murder of his favorite mistress Shae, his father Tywin Lannister, and leaving behind everyone and everything he ever knew, living in exile, Tyrion was setup for some serious character development. The opening line of his first chapter in ADWD, - which is the first chapter since his last in the third book, A Storm of Swords – is, “He drank his way across the narrow sea” (Tyrion I, ADWD). During this time Tyrion constantly reflected on his actions and the poor cards of life he was dealt. Specifically, Tyrion reflects on the fact that the woman he first loved, Tysha was taken from him by his brother and father, “Wherever whores go, Tyrion had warned his father not to say that word… he would have taken the crossbow from my hands, as once he took Tysha from my arms” (Tyrion I, ADWD). This along with the spiraling out of control events that surround Tyrion throughout this book, led Tyrion into a deep depression. Eventually Tyrion progresses from his self-pity and alcoholism, to his witty and humorous self. 

Tyrion prominently shows this development by his progress towards and expression of compassion, specifically for Ser Jorah, who was no friend of Tyrion. Jorah was going to be sold as a warrior to fight and die in a fighting pit, but Tyrion speaks up, “He was no friend to me, Yet Tyrion Lannister found himself turning to Nurse and saying, ‘You cannot let her have him’, Tyrion pointed, ‘that one is part of our show’” (Tyrion X, ADWD). This ultimately saved Jorah, a man who hated Tyrion. This act of compassion by Tyrion shows his development as a character and reflects on his ability to push through adversity. Needless to say this is something that is not covered in the show because it would take too long to explain. Instead the show glosses over Tyrion’s journey and development and fast-forwards him to becoming Daenery’s advisor. This is one example among many where the show is unable to produce the internal development and internal conflict of characters and word-building the text does. 

This problem is also very apparent in season five and six in the storytelling of Daenerys, which lost information in the adaption. In ADWD Daenerys’s character arc is often overlooked and misunderstood. Many believe that her storyline is as follows, Daenerys believes she must stay in Meereen until peace is achieved, which is not possible because of a terrorist group called the Sons of Harpy, the unhappy slaver families, and the threat from other slaver cities. So in an effort to make peace Daenerys accepts the marriage proposal Hizdahr zo Loraq offered her to align her with the slavers and stop the killings. It is also believed by many that this storyline is unnecessary. However, there is a completely underlying plot taking place throughout this novel. This subliminal story crafted by Martin displays many motives for characters and changes the way the story overall is understood. Needless to say this convoluted and intricate plotline rewards the close reader and is not available in the show because of time constraints and the inability to be as ambiguous as the text is. 

Another major reason that the novels are a better medium than the show is the fact that the text allows things to be more ambiguous and can foreshadow more effectively. The show is unable to do this because this medium only allows for 60 minutes to tell the story of each episode, which covers hundreds of pages. However, in the novels Martin is able to convey the story effectively while leaving cues to future events and having underlying storylines, just like the previously mentioned Meereen plot. An example of effective foreshadowing in the books is the cues of who Jon Snow’s parents are, which is now popularly believed to be Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. In the beginning the reader is given small pieces that add up throughout the books to prove this, while in the show they make this blatantly obvious because the show has to establish this as fact to further the plot. The show specifically does this in episode ten of season six, where the show flashes back to what Eddard Stark sees in the Tower of Joy. In this scene Lyanna Stark is lying in bed dying and says, “Promise me Ned” (Season 6, episode 10). By putting so much emphasis on this conversation it helps confirm who Jon’s parents are and why Eddard Stark fostered Jon. This takes away from the art of ambiguity that is available through text and leaves the show clear and definite. Whereas in the books they are open to much more interpretation, which allows for conversation. Another problem associated with the transition to television is the fact the actors do not accurately represent the characters described in the novels.

This is a definite problem with casting actors is that they can never truly match the traits and characteristics that are so uniquely defined in the text. For example, Arya Stark is described and called by the nick-name “Arya Horseface” (ASOIAF Wiki) in the novels, but is portrayed by Maisie Williams who is from a completely objective standpoint is attractive. This also clearly shown through the portrayal of Tyrion, who is a “dwarf, with stubby legs, a jutting forehead, mismatched eyes of green and black, and a mixture of pale blond and black hair” (ASOIAF Wiki), but has the actor of Peter Dinklage, who again is objectively attractive or at least in comparison to the character described by Martin. This is also apparent in many other characters in the show and limits the well-defined characteristics that Martin crafted. Another aspect to consider is the lack of realism this creates for the show. Having a cast of beautiful people in a very complex and realistic world takes away from the experience that was created in the novels. Conclusively this is one of the many problems with the adaption of the novels. 

In comparison to what was previously said about television, it is valid to realize that generally speaking, “Too much television can undermine academic achievement (and) TV negatively impacts reading comprehension skills, reduces recreational reading, and depreciates reading” (Turn off the Televison and Read). This is another problem with the medium of television and gives more favor to the novels because television limits learning. The prior stated fact that television limits ambiguity also contributes to this idea. This is because when a story becomes more definite it limits conversation amongst fans and is not as effective as text. Altogether the claims presented throughout favor the original text over the adapted show.

Overall the television adaption has done well to stay true to the novels, especially in the first season, but the show lacks many elements and loses much of the context that is available in the novels, thus making it a weaker medium. The opposite can also be said in favor of the show because of its visual elements and more concise storyline. However, the show lacks much of the realism and character development that is evident in the novels; among many other valuable aspects. Therefor in objective comparison the show is ultimately the weaker of the two mediums because it lacks many elements available in the books such as, character development, world building, internal conflict, and foreshadowing.
