The first book in George R.R. Martin's political high fantasy epic, Game of Thrones, was released in 1996. The next four sequels: A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000), A Feast for Crows (2005), and A Dance with Dragons (2011), established the author as one of the most prominent writers of his generation.
Interestingly, the first episode of Game of Thrones aired only a few months before the fifth novel. Although the show reached its conclusion in 2019, Martin is yet to publish the last two sequels, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring. Most major events in the books have been retained in the TV storyline, but there are more than a few significant differences between the two narrative versions.
10 Barristan Selmy Is Alive And Kicking
Ser Baristan Selmy was a member of Aerys Targaryen's Kingsguard before Robert Baratheon promoted him to Lord Commander. Following Robert's death, he served under Joffrey Baratheon for a brief period before being forced to resign. Extremely offended, Barristan decides to find Daenerys Targaryen and pledge his service to her.
In the show, he helps his Queen with various operations, until he is overwhelmed and killed by the Sons of the Harpy. The novels portray Barristan's travels with greater detail, mentioning Arstan Whitebeard, an alias he uses to great effect. More importantly, the noble knight survives his clash with the Sons of the Harpy and continues working for Daenerys.
9 The Mystery Of Coldhands
In the books, a mysterious stranger surrounded by a conspiracy of ravens saves Sam and Gilly from a wight attack. His identity is never revealed, although Sam and Gilly refer to him as "Coldhands." Coldhands reappears at multiple points in the story, for instance when he guides Bran, Jojen, and Meera to the Three-Eyed Crow's cave.
Leaf, one of the Children of the Forest, claims that Coldhands is already dead. The TV show doesn't have any such character, but Benjen Stark's undead appearance and demeanor match with Coldhand's description. However, G. R. R. Martin has made it clear that they are not the same person.
8 Daenerys Is Not Entirely Immune To Fire
The TV version of Daenerys walks through fire, holds red-hot braziers, and even takes a direct hit from her dragons without experiencing any damage. For all practical purposes, it can be assumed that she is completely fireproof.
On the other hand, the novels state that she only survives her husband's funeral pyre since it involves blood magic, specifically Mirri Maz Duur's immolation. In addition, Daenerys emerges from the pyre totally bald because hair apparently isn't immune to fire.
7 The Story Of Robert Baratheon's Oldest Child
Gendry Baratheon is the oldest illegitimate son of King Robert Baratheon in both the TV series and the books. He fights alongside the North and eventually acquires his father's non-regal titles and honors as a reward for his accomplishments. Gendry hasn't yet been informed of his heritage in the books, but that's not the only missing factor.
Robert Baratheon's oldest illegitimate child, regardless of gender, is Mya Stone. She currently works as a mountain pass guide, helping travelers and merchants make the tricky climb to the Eyrie. Interestingly, Mya was born long before Robert's Rebellion, whereas Gendry's birth took place after his father was crowned King.
6 Sansa Doesn't Experience Ramsay's Brutality
TV Sansa is unfortunate enough to interact with Ramsay Bolton, who treats her with extreme cruelty. Book Sansa, however, is engaged to Harrold Hardyng of the Vale. Littlefinger intends to seize control of Houses Stark and Arryn through this union, so he keeps her as close to him as possible.
Strangely enough, Ramsay Bolton marries "Arya Stark", who turns out to be Jeyne Poole in disguise. Further, Jeyne's experience with Ramsay is significantly worse than anything Sansa goes through in the books. At the same time, Sansa endures living with Littlefinger and her jealous aunt, Lysa Arryn.
5 Aegon Targaryen Still Exists In The Books
Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell have two children, Rhaenys and Aegon. Both the kids and their mother are violently murdered by the Mountain when the Lannisters sack the Red Keep. Unbeknownst to most characters on the show, Rhaegar weds Lyanna Stark in a secret ceremony, bringing a second Aegon Targaryen into the world. Ned renames him Jon Snow and promises to keep him safe from Robert's wrath.
In the books, Jon Snow's ancestry remains unresolved, but the Aegon that allegedly perished in King's Landing suddenly pops up out of nowhere. Varys allegedly swaps the baby before the Mountain could kill the prince and sent him to Illyrio Mopatis. Fans are unsure if this is the real Aegon or if Varys is attempting to pull the wool over everybody's eyes.
4 Victarion Grejoy Doesn't Exist
House Greyjoy is an ancient and complicated family. Its "royal" members enjoy being referred to as Kings, despite losing their major battles. Balon Greyjoy, the patriarch, has two brothers in the TV series, Euron and Aeron; in the books, there are two more, Urrigon and Victarion.
Victarion enjoys a great deal of attention in the story, being the Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet and one of the most proficient naval warriors in Westeros. Although the author calls him "a dullard and a brute," his military achievements cannot be understated. Victarion is a central player in the Greyjoy Rebellion, where he destroys Tywin Lannister's armada in Lannisport harbor.
3 Cersei's Overt Homophobia Is Absent In The Show
Joffrey and Tywin don't hide their bias against queer people in the show, specifically Loras. Nevertheless, there is no active discrimination until the High Sparrow seizes power, establishing a rigid religious doctrine in the process. Loras is subsequently arrested for his "crimes", upsetting the King.
Tommen requests Cersei to have his favorite knight released, but she pretends to be oblivious. In the novels, however, Cersei is overtly homophobic towards Loras — she packs him off to Dragonstone instead of getting him arrested, desperately praying that the reckless knight would end up killing himself. Cersei is particularly distressed because she suspects Loras of unduly influencing her son.
2 Catelyn's Transformation Into Lady Stoneheart
Catelyn and Robb Stark are permanently killed during The Red Wedding on the show, leaving the rest of her children to take revenge on her behalf. In the books, her decomposing corpse is located by Arya's Direwolf, Nymeria, who pulls it onto the riverbank.
The Brotherhood Without Banners identifies Catelyn's body, and Beric Dondarrion willingly sacrifices himself to restore her life. Unfortunately, what returns isn't Catelyn Stark but a horrific zombie-esque version known as Lady Stoneheart. She is gruesome to look at, but her behavior is even worse — she hangs Brienne and Podrick simply because they refuse to kill Jaime Lannister.
1 Nearly Everyone's Age Is Different In The Books.
The TV series aged up most of its characters, which makes sense given that the book characters are extremely underaged.
At the beginning of their respective arcs, Daenerys is 13, Robb is 14, Arya is 9, Rickon is 2, Sansa is 11, Bran is 7, Tyrion is 24, Jon is 16, and, perhaps most surprisingly, Brienne is 17.
The older characters undergo similar aging-up, but this doesn't make much difference to the narrative. Melisandre, however, is possibly the oldest living human in Westeros. Her exact age is unknown, but she's at least a few centuries old.