Top 10 book changes from the 'Game of Thrones' season 5 premiere

Ever since the show’s first season, fans of George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire novels have been nitpicking changes to the books in the HBO adaptation Game of Thrones. Some of these changes are pretty minor, like the fact that Daario has blue hair in the novels but dark brown hair in the show, or the show changing Theon’s sister’s name from Asha to Yara.

Other changes are a bit more significant, like the fact that Robb Stark’s wife died in the Red Wedding in the TV show but is still alive in the books. Then there’s the expansion of existing book content, like giving Bronn more to do or allowing Tywin to interact with Arya. There’s also events flat out dropped from the show and other events that have happened in the show but have not yet occurred in the books.

Of course, any fan should be able to recognize that changes are necessary for any adaptation. A TV show is totally different medium from a book with its own strengths and weaknesses, and so a story must be adapted to fit that medium. It can be frustrating for book fans to not see their favorite moments on screen, but at the end of the day, the job of the showrunners is really to create the best show possible, not necessarily the best adaptation possible.

Still, it can be fun to explore and discuss these book changes, both to provide non-readers with some insight into the source material and also to analyze why the showrunners decided certain things were worth changing or excising. With the show quickly getting past the books, this season is expected to be the most different from the novels so far, so there will certainly be a lot to talk about in the coming weeks.

Here are some of the changes to the book we saw in last night’s premiere, “The Wars to Come.”

image of Peter Dinklage courtesy of INFphoto.com

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