I just finished reading the "Dance of Dragons" part of Fire and Blood (the part that's being adapted as a TV show under the name "House of the Dragon.")
A few thoughts (with as few spoilers as possible - no plot spoiler, just structure, pace, etc)
1. I loved it. I hate the expression "page turner" but it really was. I had trouble putting the book down more often than not.
2. However, while interesting, the format (a "history book" not a narration in the usual acceptation of the term) makes things less developed than they could have been. Especially some characters are pretty paper thin and most are more developed and way more interesting in the show (mostly Alicent and Viserys - I was surprised how little importance they have in the book).
3. So, I actually love how the TV show takes the time to develop many characters much more than they are in the book. And I don't mind any of the changes, they all make sense in my opinion (I'm not sure why GRR Martin was annoyed about some changes the other day.)
4. However, now, I understand some book readers being upset that "nothing happens" in season two. I disagree with them, many things happen, and once again, I love how the show takes time to develop and show all the things it does (okay, Daemon spends many a little too much time at Harrenhall waiting.) The concern I now have is how the show will cram so many events in only two seasons, as it's supposed to be four seasons. Some major battles will have to be skipped or I can see several battles being merged into one. (which will make angry more fans who don't understand how adaptations work)
5. I'm a bit worried about the ending of the show. I wonder how they'll manage to end the show in a way that's not anticlimactic (even in the book, the end of the civil war is a bit anticlimactic already, but it's not the end of the book, just the end of that section of the book.)
#GameOfThrones #FireAndBlood #GRRMartin #HouseOfTheDragon