Fans Believe House of the Dragon is Actually Way Better Than Fire And Blood
TV adaptations rarely garner more fan love that their book originals, but it turns out there are always some exceptions to the rule.
Both Game of Thrones and its newest prequel, House of the Dragon, are based on George R.R. Martin's books. The prequel follows the arc described in Fire And Blood, telling the history of the Targaryen civil war that is also widely known in Westeros as Dance of the Dragons.
Even though books rarely get more praise than the TV adaptations, it would seem that this is exactly the case with House of the Dragon. Many fans actually believe that the HBO Max show managed to do it better than the book, even though Redditors prefer to call it an "unpopular opinion".
According to the TV show fans who also read the book, Fire And Blood "is an unreliable history full of exaggerations and lies." Other people only decided to start the book after watching the show — and it turns out the book is simply not as good for them as the series was.
"I read F&B after watching HOTD and can't finish it because Rhaenyra is just,.. ick in the books :( I was so sad and disappointed in these characters that I'd taken over and loved from the show," Redditor yee-veloso admitted.
Fans claim that Fire And Blood is too unrealistic even for a fantasy book that "ends up reading like a novel where everything is rushed and the characters are really thin." Others added that pretty much every character except the main ones, like Daemon and Rhaenyra, seemed "idiots", while House of the Dragon was "a massive improvement".
Naturally, the show also had to weather some criticism, but it looks like many people would actually prefer it to the books. With season 2 in sight, fans can't help but wonder just where the TV adaptation will head and how much will it deviate from the book (if it will).
Season 2 is expected to start shooting in early 2023. HBO Max will announce the premiere date later.