Although George R. R. Martin has more Game of Thrones books to write, he is presently praising the upcoming HBO series House of the Dragon. Martin expressed his delight for the impending prequel series starring Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, and others set in the setting of Westeros on his blog “Not a Blog.” Martin commented on his own excitement for House of the Dragon, even if he is biased (as he points out himself in the blog post), after sharing a link from MovieWeb that classified it as one of the most anticipated programs of 2022.
House of the Dragon is a look at the Targaryen family (which would later give us Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen), although it takes place about 170 years before the first season of Game of Thrones. As a result, we get to see the Targaryens’ ascent to dominance in Westeros (given that we see them almost completely on the outs at the beginning of the show).
Martin wrote: “I am anticipating HOUSE OF THE DRAGON pretty eagerly myself, for what it’s worth. Okay, I am hardly objective. And I know a lot of what you will be seeing. (I, um, wrote the book). Also … mum’s the word now, don’t tell anyone… I’ve seen a rough cut of the first episode. And loved it. It’s dark, it’s powerful, it’s visceral… just the way I like my epic fantasy.” Which is a perfect tagline for the show for anyone who was worried about how House of the Dragon would work in the world of Game of Thrones.
Finishing the blog, Martin stated: “I think the Targaryens are in very good hands. Anticipate away. I do not think you will be disappointed.” It is no secret that Martin has spoken about the ending of Game of Thrones and whether or not his books will end differently from the show. He wrote as much in a blog post titled “An Ending” back when the final season had aired on HBO.