Game of Thrones vs A Song of Ice and Fire: Where Are We? 

rolls through filming the final episode of the season, and leaks from the sets grind to a halt, it’s a good moment to take stock. Where are we, exactly, in the grand scheme of things?

Six months ago, we thought we were very close to the finish line. With the producers seemingly married to “seven gods, seven kingdoms, seven books, seven seasons,” we had to be pretty close to the end, since there were only 20 hours of the show to go. But since HBO announced over the summer that

extend to an eighth season (at least), it feels like we have more breathing room. We’re still on the back half of the plot, but most likely with an extra five-ten hours to go.

So let’s ask the question: where are we, in terms of covering the same ground as the books in the

series. Yes, yes, as everyone knows, we’re technically out of books. Moreover, we’re six weeks away from Christmas, and we’ve heard nothing about a

release date, which suggests we won’t be hearing anything until January, at best. But some

chapters are out there, and furthermore, we know that we’ve already crossed into some of them last season. So how far have we gone? What’s left that we know of?

Joeltronics has been mapping how the show adapts the book series for a couple of years now. He marks which episodes have adapted which chapters and plots it all on an easy-to-read chart. I’ve referred to his chart before (see the first three seasons mapped above), and noted that it made this lovely straight line (with the exception of Bran, who has been consistently ahead of everyone else) up until the end of Season 4, where it began this slow explosion into “CONFETTI!” Now, with Season 6 approaching, he’s updated things so we can see the overlay. As the show and books diverge, this is a less than accurate exercise, but I find it fascinating.

This is the version of the map as of the end of Season 5, which adapted

. The “CONFETTI!” is thrown far and wide once you leave the green

section. Perhaps you say that’s because the show mushed those books together (remember, the events of

happened simultaneously)? Well, the chart gives you that option as well.

As you can see, the “CONFETTI!” section is slightly more controlled, but not really. If one were to do a line plot, one could see the median here is a little more straight and in line with the original chart. Let’s look at close ups of Season 5, both versions.

Note that the “Reek” chapters (pink) are totally out of place, no matter how you slice it, though falling earlier in the combined version makes the median line of the axis slightly cleaner. Also, as the note on the left points out, this chart simply lines up the known

chapter coverage next to each other, even though we have zero idea of their actual sequencing.

But what’s really striking on both versions of the chart is all the white space between what has been covered. It’s slightly more obvious in the combined version on the bottom, but it’s glaring either way. Lots of the books got left out last year. Lots. Some of it was deliberate—Tyrion’s storyline was condensed, and much of his travels with the Griffs simply axed. Note that the titles of those chapters are also whited out, to keep it spoiler free. You can turn them on, but I didn’t in this exercise, partly because those chapters aren’t coming back, so they don’t matter for the show.

CAUTION: SEASON 6 SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT

Other stuff, like all the Quentyn Martell material, was never on the the docket to begin with. But then there are the Jaime chapters, which were wholesale replaced by sending him to Dorne in Season 5 (also, note that the chart treats the show as covering certain Dorne chapters, like “The Queensguard.”) As we know from filming SPOILERS, Season 6 plans on adapting Jaime’s original plot. This will amount to doubling back, even as the rest of the show goes forward into unknown territory. Even if we enter the next season with no chapter guide for the order of

, it looks certain that the CONFETTI! will only spread farther and wider.

Head over to the chart yourself and play with it. It’s a lot of fun.

Amanda Peet may not be on Game of Thrones, but she isn’t above talking about it when...

WARNING: INCOMING SPOILERS Most of the time, when we hear about “Game of Thrones Season 6...

Have you already read all the books and/or don\'t care about spoilers? You can reveal all the spoilers in the comments with the click of a link below.

Books are canon, the show is what happens in between.

its a jazz comment. you’re suppose to hear the points left out. like the show. the show is a jazz show apparently.

i may use this chart to convince my series only mates to dive on in. coz the water’s lovely!

I love the books but I don’t think I could bear them if I had watched all 5 seasons of the show already…

dunno. maybe i’m just a very stupid person but i do sometimes wonder if show only people are really following the plot. its hard for me to see it as they do but there’s so much left out and rushed (as evidenced above) which impacts the intrigue, motivation, depth, anticiptaion, emotional identification etc etc. can’t be sure but i’ve also asked myself if i’d never read the books would i still be crazy about the show or would i be a bit ‘meh can wait for a sunday boxset binge watch’.

a57se the books are canon. The show is fun, some others interpretation of the books, not George’s. As such trying to marry the two is missing the point, they are what they are, but the books are the truth of the story. The show is some awesome we get to enjoy while George works.

Gaia, season 5 was jazz, no structure but in the right key.

i see it like this: i love ice cream. i’m ecstatic that i live in a world with ice cream. and i’m postively cock-a-hoop that i have more than one flavour to chose from and the show is haagen dazs strawberry whilst the shop is waiting for more pralines & cream to be delivered.

Nope. That’ll be Jon. Wouldn’t be surprised if Dany actually turns out to be more a problem than a saviour.

I used to like Hagen Daas but they can’t hold a candle to B & J…

George has had a major hand in the show, I wouldn’t discount that.

As he has stated many times, the show and the books are heading to the same end…

in which case phish food. but i need to throw away the chocolate ‘phish’. dany’s chapters are the chocolate phish. total pish in fact (jk)

George hasn’t had a hand in the show for two years now……. At least he hasn’t written for it. I agree that the books are the truth of the story, they are canon. The books are like getting laid, I mean all the way screwed out of your mind, sex with another person. The show is like masturbation. You’re by yourself and you are using your imagination to fill the experience.

Get out of here!!! That is a perfect analogy!! It’s like the PG-13 version of Gaia’s ice cream analogy.

Using the sexual analogy, I would put it this way…

The books are like your wife of 20 years, the passion isn’t what it used to be but you know each other so well you still enjoy your time together just nowhere near as often while the TV show is the new relationship where you just can’t keep your hands off each other and you think you’ve gone to heaven afterwards.

I’m not terribly poetic but I think i made my point.

Sex WITH ice cream. There. Done. Just not phish food, those fish have some sharp edges…

Don’t forget the Chocolate syrup and whipped cream.

It took the show 2 seasons to cover ASOS. If TWOW and ADOS are similar in length and excitement, they’re hoping to cover both in 3 seasons (plus some previous stuff like Greyjoy Kingsmoot and Jaimie’s Riverlands exploits, which really shouldn’t take that much time to tell). However, they already covered Stannis’ I’ll-advised march on Winterfell. It will be interesting to see how it all lined up I the end…

As a huge fan of the books and show I’m really hoping to read WOW before season 6 starts. It will be most likely my last ASOIAF book I’ll read since ADOS will not see shelves before 2020. Once the show goes past I don’t believe I’ll have the interest to read it.

The only questions would be Young Griffs and LSH status in the books. Having left Aegon out of the show tells me he is an imposter , and will be defeated.

agree 100% with you on the first para. and that makes me alil sad: that the series will all but finish this journey for me, rather than George, as it should be. but i’ll still read it (unless the ending really is hive mentality / post apocalypse kak. ugh!)

couldn’t care less about Young Griff….

true, as bored as i may be by it i have enough trust in the big man to expect that it will finally lead somewhere good…

I think that whole storyline just ends in the south of Westeros being devastated just like the North will be after the Battles for Winterfell.

This whole thing is setting up Dany to be the savior of Westeros because there is nothing left in Westeros to stop the Army of the White Walkers…

Since the ending will be bittersweet, I have to assume Dany doesn’t make it to the end.

There’s Jon to stop the ice walkers! It’s the song of ICE & FIRE and it’s HIS.

True but Jon will never get near the White Walkers when there are thousands and thousands of Wights in the way…

Damn sight nearer than Dany is likely to get in 6 seasons

The show was right in cutting Lady Stoneheart, Quentyn Martell and Young Griff.

So how far do you guys seeing the white walkers advancing? I believe the final battle will be in the Riverlands. Norh and south will meet to fight the ww army.

Gaia on Game of Thrones vs A Song of Ice and Fire: Where Are We?

a57se on Game of Thrones vs A Song of Ice and Fire: Where Are We?

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