When George R. R. Martin makes the news, it usually has to do with his difficulty in finishing the Song of Ice and Fire books. The Winds of Winter, the sixth book in the fantasy series, is 15 years late. This time, however, the Game of Thrones creator sat down for his most enlightening interview in a decade, reflecting on his legacy and revealing shocking details about the fate of his characters.
Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Martin expressed enthusiasm about HBO's new Game of Thrones spinoff, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, but voiced concern about his progress with A Song of Ice and Fire. The author had never been so candid about his writing process, self-expectations, and the future of Westeros, dropping bombastic reveals about the fate of beloved Game of Thrones characters in the book. Here are the main takeaways from his interview.
George R. R. Martin confirms that Jon Snow is alive in the books
Deep down, we all knew that Jon Snow was going to make it in the Song of Ice and Fire books just like he did in Game of Thrones. After all this time, however, Martin had never confirmed or denied this claim until now.
Talking about the difficult writing process of The Winds of Winter, the author casually revealed that Jon Snow is alive and well in the books: "'This Tyrion chapter is not coming along, let me write a Jon Snow chapter.’ If I’m not interrupted though, what happens — at least in the past — is sooner or later, I do get into it.”
It's possible Martin didn't even realize what he revealed at that moment. He's known for these slip-ups. In a deleted blog in 2024, the author inadvertently spoiled a major death that will happen in House of the Dragon's upcoming season 3. The Jon Snow reveal is the most obvious spoiler one could expect from The Winds of Winter, but it still is a major plot update.
George R. R. Martin can't see a happy ending for Tyrion Lannister
Perhaps the most shocking reveal in Martin's latest interview is that Tyrion will likely have a tragic fate in the Song of Ice and Fire books. The author says, "I was going to kill more people. Not the ones they killed [in the show]. They made it more of a happy ending. I don’t see a happy ending for Tyrion. His whole arc has been tragic from the first."
The ending of Game of Thrones sees Tyrion Lannister pretty much absolved of all of his crimes, which included the murder of his lover and his own father, and the betrayal of Daenerys, whom he served as Hand of the King. And he's named Bran's Hand shortly after! One of the main complaints about Game of Thrones' controversial ending concerns the lack of concrete consequences to actions that hold massive narrative impact. After all, Tyrion's betrayal led to Daenerys' death at the hands of Jon Snow.
Tyrion is a fan-favorite character in the books and in the HBO series. No one wants to see him die, but in Game of Thrones, the shocking deaths always served a clear purpose. It wasn't about shock value—characters died because there was nothing else they could do to avoid this outcome. If Tyrion has to die in the books, his tragic fate should at least make sense, contrary to the happy ending he earns gratuitously in Game of Thrones.