wait that’s not how it happened in the
books welcome to watchmojo.com and today
we’re counting down our picks for the
top 10 most notable differences between
the game of thrones TV series and books
two nights off to rescue a princess
sounds like a good song to me sounds
like all the rest for this list will be
pointing out the most notable deviations
in terms of plot between George RR
Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels
and the HBO series Game of Thrones
killing me
koma however we won’t be including
anything that could and likely will
happen later in the series
cuz Tyrion meeting Daenerys is as
inevitable on the page as it was on the
screen have you decided yet whether
you’re going to have me killed
it’s probably my safest option I could
see why you would think so it’s what
your father would have done for those of
you who aren’t caught up on the series
or the books you can be sure there will
be some serious spoilers ahead so
consider this your splitter alert number
10 book Shireen lives TV Shireen dies
you don’t even know what I’m talking
about
doesn’t matter I want to help you sir
any way I can help one of game of
thrones most disturbing scenes at least
so far came in season 5 when Stannis
Baratheon sacrifices his young daughter
Shireen to the Lord of Light
in both the novels and the television
series Davos isn’t with Stannis when he
heads south to fight the Bolton’s
however in the books Shireen isn’t
executed at all and Davos doesn’t remain
at Castle black
instead he sails south to help bring
more Lords and ships to Stannis’s cause
I’ll be gone for a few days princess I
want to hear all about the dance of
dragons when I’m back read it yourself
HBO opted to give sir Davos a different
job during this time because during his
travels in the book he meets characters
that were cut down or removed from the
TV series all together regardless if
george RR martin does decide to kill
Shireen in the next book her friend sir
Davos probably won’t be there to stop it
if you ever come back this way I will
execute you myself
number 9 book J uses Tyrion TV
she loves Tyrion if you let yourself
believe that a foreign girl with no name
could spend her life with the son of
Tywin Lannister I have a knee you have
one name one of the few genuine
relationships in the TV series is
between Tyrion and his prostitute Shae
in the show she really does care for
Tyrion and even feels jealous when he
marries Sansa Stark do you love her love
her I barely know her she’s a child dies
with me in the book however she has no
such feelings and it’s fairly obvious to
everyone except Tyrion that is that Shae
is only with him for his wealth and
power even so the end of their
relationship plays out the same way in
either medium shave betrays Tyrion by
claiming in court that he murdered
Joffrey condemning our favorite
Lannister to death this man stands
accused of murdering King Joffrey what
do you know of this I know that he’s
guilty
he and Sansa planned together while the
novel makes her betrayal a little less
shocking the impact it has on Tyrion is
heartbreaking in both versions of the
story number eight book Mance Rayder
escapes execution TV mance rayder dies
how they doing
beheading bagging
they’ll burn you alive the wildling King
mance rayder appears to die in similar
fashion in both the novel’s and the
series except in the books his execution
is later revealed to be a farce in the
season 5 premiere he’s about to be
burned at the stake by Stannis until Jon
Snow kills him with a bow and arrow to
save him from a more painful death
in the books however King Stannis and
the red priestess Melisandre fake masses
death and a wildling named Rattleshirt
is burned instead Raider is then sent
south to Winterfell
to rescue what is presumed to be Arya
Stark leading to Theon Greyjoy’s return
to sanity number seven look Ygritte is
killed anonymously
everybody stabs Jon Snow TV Ali kills
Ygritte stabs Jon Snow
the first thing any fan of the novel’s
will tell you besides I read the book
before the show was popular is that many
characters didn’t make it to the small
screen however the opposite is true of
Olly who isn’t in the books at all in
the show the young boy is living south
of the wall when his village is sacked
by wildlings after Ygritte kills his
father Olly flees to the Nights Watch
becoming Jon Snow’s personal steward
Olly is crucial to the Nights Watch
sections of the show as he ultimately
kills Ygritte during the Battle of
Castle black
even worse once John snow forms an
alliance with the wildlings only becomes
one of the show’s most hated characters
when he betrays John and helps his
conspirators murder everyone’s favorite
pouty face Lord Commander for the wash
number six
book the sand snakes plans are foiled TV
the sand snakes take over Dorne forgive
me child I wish you all the happiness in
the world
in the novels Dorn plays a much larger
role in the overall story and history of
the Seven Kingdoms than it does on TV
unfortunately this makes the sand snakes
story feel tacked on the bastard
daughters of Prince Oberyn Martell the
sand snakes are seeking vengeance on the
Lannisters for the murder of Rhaegar
Targaryen children and later their
father in the novel’s they attempt an
easily averted coup to overthrow their
uncle Prince Doran leading to the
wounding but not death of princess
Marcella in the show the outcome is
completely different the sand snakes
easily murder Marcella their own uncle
and their cousin Prince trystane and
seemingly take over Dorne
for the record we really love Game of
Thrones but like what the what guys
your son is weak just like you and weak
men will never rule Dorne again number
five look Rob’s dark marries Jane Jane
lives TV Robb Stark marries to Lissa
Talisa dies love that’s what the Starks
of Winterfell call in it hey very
honorable I call it a pretty face
ironically one of the characters at the
centre of one of the TV series most
memorable moments the red wedding is
completely different in the novel’s –
that boy lost his foot on your orders
they killed my father that boy did the
family fight in the books Robb Stark
falls in love with and marries Jeyne
Westerling the daughter of one of the
Lannisters bannermen on TV she’s
replaced by a much more humble woman
named Talisa maegyr
who is selflessly acting as a field
medic and patching up anyone who needs
her help the boy was lucky you were here
he was unlucky that um in the novels rob
has the foresight to leave his wife
behind when he goes to his uncle’s
wedding at the twins and thus she is
spared the gruesome fate that befalls
her television counterpart number four
look sir Barristan Selmy does not die TV
sir Barristan Selmy dies
Barristan the bold is Daenerys Targaryen
loyalists a f— and to give her honest
counsel
what do you be joining us Sebastian I
think I can protect you from hizdahr zo
loraq I think I can protect me from his
dogs alone ugh go Sebastian sing a song
for me your grace midway through season
5 however
Selmy is killed off during an ambush by
the sons of the harpy
the scene did not occur in the books
where Barristan is still very much alive
while Danny’s off playing with her
dragon Selmy works to keep marine under
control a role occupied by Tyrion in the
television series the dragon does not
want to eat how do you force him to eat
dragons do not do well in captivity how
do you know this that’s what I do I
drink and I know things in fact there
were many other changes to these events
when they moved from page to screen with
Daenerys as husbands surviving for
example but Selma’s death is really what
leaves fans of the novel’s a little
bitter about the whole situation
number three look Lady Stoneheart is a
zombified killing machine TV Lady
Stoneheart is nowhere to be found your
wallet enough let it end please here’s
my son my first son let him go and I
swear we will forget this perhaps the
most notable character missing from the
TV show is Lady Stoneheart Lady
Stoneheart
is a zombified Catelyn Stark resurrected
by Lord beric Dondarrion using the same
power that keeps bringing him back to
life he will
but not today
she spends the fourth book a feast for
crows getting her vengeance on murdering
anyone even slightly connected to the
red wedding her storyline is arguably
the most interesting plot point in what
many consider to be the series weakest
book
that’s why fans of the novel’s were
sorely disappointed when the fifth
season rolled around and Lady Stoneheart
was absent with so many other characters
on the show coming back from the dead
there’s still hope that Lady Stoneheart
will rise hanging all over than instant
where’s the punishment in that they die
we all bloody die set this one here
number two look wreak is Ramsay’s
servant TV wreak is a nickname Ramsay
gives Theon please Mercy Mercy Mercy I’m
not killing you just making a few
alterations ever wonder why Ramsay
decided to call Theon reek after he
tortured and imprisoned him in the
second book of Clash of Kings reek was
Ramses servant who received his name due
to his terrible body odor reek I told
you to watch we never meet the original
reek but we learned that he was very
loyal to Ramsay and shared his master’s
love of rape and torture yeah little
bastard when stark soldiers go after
Ramsay for murder Ramsay trades places
with reek pretending to be the servant
while reek is executed in his stead
eventually the two versions of the story
come together when Theon becomes the new
reek but we wouldn’t really like to see
Ramsay introduced properly and
accurately next time you think about
naked girls
you feel an itch before we unveil our
number one pick here are some honorable
mentions please no
I shall take no wife hold no lands
father no children I shall wear no
crowns window glory
number one look Ramsay Bolton marries
rapes Jane pool TV Ramsay Bolton marries
rapes Sansa Ramsay of house Bolton heir
to the dreadfort and Winterfell
who gives her
theone of house Greyjoy gameofthrones
never shied away from disturbing content
but perhaps no moment sparked as much
controversy as when Sansa is raped by
her new husband Ramsay Bolton in season
5 in the novel Sansa never even meets
Ramsay and is still safely stowed at the
Eyrie with her cousin Robert Aran at
this point in the story in this
alternate storyline Ramsay marries Jane
pool an old friend of Santa’s who’s
being passed off as sensus sister Arya
Stark so not only is Sansa’s marriage to
Ramsay a huge deviation from the source
material it also greatly impacts and
changes all the events and characters
surrounding it
it’s that ripple effect and the fact
that no part of this storyline could
come to fruition on TV that lands
Sansa’s marriage to Ramsay at the top of
our list did you know about Ramsay if
you didn’t know you’re an idiot if you
did know you’re my enemy would you like
to hear about our wedding night do you
agree with our list what do you think
were the biggest differences from the
Game of Thrones books and TV show for
more epic top 10s published every day be
sure to subscribe to watchmojo.com
you
books welcome to watchmojo.com and today
we’re counting down our picks for the
top 10 most notable differences between
the game of thrones TV series and books
two nights off to rescue a princess
sounds like a good song to me sounds
like all the rest for this list will be
pointing out the most notable deviations
in terms of plot between George RR
Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels
and the HBO series Game of Thrones
killing me
koma however we won’t be including
anything that could and likely will
happen later in the series
cuz Tyrion meeting Daenerys is as
inevitable on the page as it was on the
screen have you decided yet whether
you’re going to have me killed
it’s probably my safest option I could
see why you would think so it’s what
your father would have done for those of
you who aren’t caught up on the series
or the books you can be sure there will
be some serious spoilers ahead so
consider this your splitter alert number
10 book Shireen lives TV Shireen dies
you don’t even know what I’m talking
about
doesn’t matter I want to help you sir
any way I can help one of game of
thrones most disturbing scenes at least
so far came in season 5 when Stannis
Baratheon sacrifices his young daughter
Shireen to the Lord of Light
in both the novels and the television
series Davos isn’t with Stannis when he
heads south to fight the Bolton’s
however in the books Shireen isn’t
executed at all and Davos doesn’t remain
at Castle black
instead he sails south to help bring
more Lords and ships to Stannis’s cause
I’ll be gone for a few days princess I
want to hear all about the dance of
dragons when I’m back read it yourself
HBO opted to give sir Davos a different
job during this time because during his
travels in the book he meets characters
that were cut down or removed from the
TV series all together regardless if
george RR martin does decide to kill
Shireen in the next book her friend sir
Davos probably won’t be there to stop it
if you ever come back this way I will
execute you myself
number 9 book J uses Tyrion TV
she loves Tyrion if you let yourself
believe that a foreign girl with no name
could spend her life with the son of
Tywin Lannister I have a knee you have
one name one of the few genuine
relationships in the TV series is
between Tyrion and his prostitute Shae
in the show she really does care for
Tyrion and even feels jealous when he
marries Sansa Stark do you love her love
her I barely know her she’s a child dies
with me in the book however she has no
such feelings and it’s fairly obvious to
everyone except Tyrion that is that Shae
is only with him for his wealth and
power even so the end of their
relationship plays out the same way in
either medium shave betrays Tyrion by
claiming in court that he murdered
Joffrey condemning our favorite
Lannister to death this man stands
accused of murdering King Joffrey what
do you know of this I know that he’s
guilty
he and Sansa planned together while the
novel makes her betrayal a little less
shocking the impact it has on Tyrion is
heartbreaking in both versions of the
story number eight book Mance Rayder
escapes execution TV mance rayder dies
how they doing
beheading bagging
they’ll burn you alive the wildling King
mance rayder appears to die in similar
fashion in both the novel’s and the
series except in the books his execution
is later revealed to be a farce in the
season 5 premiere he’s about to be
burned at the stake by Stannis until Jon
Snow kills him with a bow and arrow to
save him from a more painful death
in the books however King Stannis and
the red priestess Melisandre fake masses
death and a wildling named Rattleshirt
is burned instead Raider is then sent
south to Winterfell
to rescue what is presumed to be Arya
Stark leading to Theon Greyjoy’s return
to sanity number seven look Ygritte is
killed anonymously
everybody stabs Jon Snow TV Ali kills
Ygritte stabs Jon Snow
the first thing any fan of the novel’s
will tell you besides I read the book
before the show was popular is that many
characters didn’t make it to the small
screen however the opposite is true of
Olly who isn’t in the books at all in
the show the young boy is living south
of the wall when his village is sacked
by wildlings after Ygritte kills his
father Olly flees to the Nights Watch
becoming Jon Snow’s personal steward
Olly is crucial to the Nights Watch
sections of the show as he ultimately
kills Ygritte during the Battle of
Castle black
even worse once John snow forms an
alliance with the wildlings only becomes
one of the show’s most hated characters
when he betrays John and helps his
conspirators murder everyone’s favorite
pouty face Lord Commander for the wash
number six
book the sand snakes plans are foiled TV
the sand snakes take over Dorne forgive
me child I wish you all the happiness in
the world
in the novels Dorn plays a much larger
role in the overall story and history of
the Seven Kingdoms than it does on TV
unfortunately this makes the sand snakes
story feel tacked on the bastard
daughters of Prince Oberyn Martell the
sand snakes are seeking vengeance on the
Lannisters for the murder of Rhaegar
Targaryen children and later their
father in the novel’s they attempt an
easily averted coup to overthrow their
uncle Prince Doran leading to the
wounding but not death of princess
Marcella in the show the outcome is
completely different the sand snakes
easily murder Marcella their own uncle
and their cousin Prince trystane and
seemingly take over Dorne
for the record we really love Game of
Thrones but like what the what guys
your son is weak just like you and weak
men will never rule Dorne again number
five look Rob’s dark marries Jane Jane
lives TV Robb Stark marries to Lissa
Talisa dies love that’s what the Starks
of Winterfell call in it hey very
honorable I call it a pretty face
ironically one of the characters at the
centre of one of the TV series most
memorable moments the red wedding is
completely different in the novel’s –
that boy lost his foot on your orders
they killed my father that boy did the
family fight in the books Robb Stark
falls in love with and marries Jeyne
Westerling the daughter of one of the
Lannisters bannermen on TV she’s
replaced by a much more humble woman
named Talisa maegyr
who is selflessly acting as a field
medic and patching up anyone who needs
her help the boy was lucky you were here
he was unlucky that um in the novels rob
has the foresight to leave his wife
behind when he goes to his uncle’s
wedding at the twins and thus she is
spared the gruesome fate that befalls
her television counterpart number four
look sir Barristan Selmy does not die TV
sir Barristan Selmy dies
Barristan the bold is Daenerys Targaryen
loyalists a f— and to give her honest
counsel
what do you be joining us Sebastian I
think I can protect you from hizdahr zo
loraq I think I can protect me from his
dogs alone ugh go Sebastian sing a song
for me your grace midway through season
5 however
Selmy is killed off during an ambush by
the sons of the harpy
the scene did not occur in the books
where Barristan is still very much alive
while Danny’s off playing with her
dragon Selmy works to keep marine under
control a role occupied by Tyrion in the
television series the dragon does not
want to eat how do you force him to eat
dragons do not do well in captivity how
do you know this that’s what I do I
drink and I know things in fact there
were many other changes to these events
when they moved from page to screen with
Daenerys as husbands surviving for
example but Selma’s death is really what
leaves fans of the novel’s a little
bitter about the whole situation
number three look Lady Stoneheart is a
zombified killing machine TV Lady
Stoneheart is nowhere to be found your
wallet enough let it end please here’s
my son my first son let him go and I
swear we will forget this perhaps the
most notable character missing from the
TV show is Lady Stoneheart Lady
Stoneheart
is a zombified Catelyn Stark resurrected
by Lord beric Dondarrion using the same
power that keeps bringing him back to
life he will
but not today
she spends the fourth book a feast for
crows getting her vengeance on murdering
anyone even slightly connected to the
red wedding her storyline is arguably
the most interesting plot point in what
many consider to be the series weakest
book
that’s why fans of the novel’s were
sorely disappointed when the fifth
season rolled around and Lady Stoneheart
was absent with so many other characters
on the show coming back from the dead
there’s still hope that Lady Stoneheart
will rise hanging all over than instant
where’s the punishment in that they die
we all bloody die set this one here
number two look wreak is Ramsay’s
servant TV wreak is a nickname Ramsay
gives Theon please Mercy Mercy Mercy I’m
not killing you just making a few
alterations ever wonder why Ramsay
decided to call Theon reek after he
tortured and imprisoned him in the
second book of Clash of Kings reek was
Ramses servant who received his name due
to his terrible body odor reek I told
you to watch we never meet the original
reek but we learned that he was very
loyal to Ramsay and shared his master’s
love of rape and torture yeah little
bastard when stark soldiers go after
Ramsay for murder Ramsay trades places
with reek pretending to be the servant
while reek is executed in his stead
eventually the two versions of the story
come together when Theon becomes the new
reek but we wouldn’t really like to see
Ramsay introduced properly and
accurately next time you think about
naked girls
you feel an itch before we unveil our
number one pick here are some honorable
mentions please no
I shall take no wife hold no lands
father no children I shall wear no
crowns window glory
number one look Ramsay Bolton marries
rapes Jane pool TV Ramsay Bolton marries
rapes Sansa Ramsay of house Bolton heir
to the dreadfort and Winterfell
who gives her
theone of house Greyjoy gameofthrones
never shied away from disturbing content
but perhaps no moment sparked as much
controversy as when Sansa is raped by
her new husband Ramsay Bolton in season
5 in the novel Sansa never even meets
Ramsay and is still safely stowed at the
Eyrie with her cousin Robert Aran at
this point in the story in this
alternate storyline Ramsay marries Jane
pool an old friend of Santa’s who’s
being passed off as sensus sister Arya
Stark so not only is Sansa’s marriage to
Ramsay a huge deviation from the source
material it also greatly impacts and
changes all the events and characters
surrounding it
it’s that ripple effect and the fact
that no part of this storyline could
come to fruition on TV that lands
Sansa’s marriage to Ramsay at the top of
our list did you know about Ramsay if
you didn’t know you’re an idiot if you
did know you’re my enemy would you like
to hear about our wedding night do you
agree with our list what do you think
were the biggest differences from the
Game of Thrones books and TV show for
more epic top 10s published every day be
sure to subscribe to watchmojo.com
you
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