George R.R. Martin has many storylines to grapple with inThe Winds of Winter, setting the stage forA Song of Ice and Fire’sconclusion inA Dream of Spring.The Winds of Winter’sdelayssuggest the series' ending is still a long way off, but Martin does need to make progress towards wrapping his major conflicts and character arcs.
And there’s one narrative I’m worried about after seeing howGame of Thronesended— and learning which character Martin struggles to write the most. In a two-year-old Q&A withPenguin Random House,the author spoke about which scenes enjoys writing the mostand which are the most challenging.
While Martin admitted that Tyrion’s chapters are some of his favorites — he noted they “seem to write themselves” — he revealed that anotherSong of Ice and Firecharacter presents a challenge. Given that this character’s ending is one of the mostcontroversial aspects ofGame of Thronesseason 8,that makes me slightly worried forThe Winds of Winter.
George R.R. Martin Cited Bran Stark As The Most Challenging Character To Write
The Heavy Magic In Bran’s Storyline Requires More Effort
During his discussion with Penguin,Martin admitted that he has a difficult time writing Bran Stark’s character— and his reasoning makes a lot of sense. TheSong of Ice and Firebooksare heavy on the politics, letting the fantasy elements of Martin’s world emerge gradually over time. And Martin takes those details seriously, which he noted makes Bran’s chapters harder to write:
“I had a very hard time, a struggle, with writing from Bran. Because Bran, of all the characters, was the one who was most involved in magic. And I think magic in fantasy, sorcery, the supernatural, all of these things have to be handled with a great deal of care, or they can overwhelm the story. So, I rewrote some of those Bran chapters over and over again.”
Thereisa lot of lore required for Bran’s storyline, which showcasesthe Stark family’s warging abilities, intersects with the Others plot, and leads him on a journey to becoming themysterious Three-Eyed Raven. It’s understandable that such things prove more work for Martin, butthey’re all bound to factor intoASOIAF’s ending.
And given how important Bran’s Three-Eyed Raven journey is toGame of Thrones’finale, I’m hoping Martin overcomes the challenges of writing the character inThe Winds of Winter.Bran’s narrative doesn’t just need to be seamless for the lore;it also needs to be handled well if there’s any hope of the books having a better conclusionthan the HBO show.
The Author’s Bran Challenges Make Me Worried For The Winds Of Winter
Getting The Character’s Ending Right Is Critical, Especially If It Mirrors Game Of Thrones
Although Martin has done an excellent job with Bran’s chapters in previous books,his comments raise concerns aboutThe Winds of WinterandA Dream of Spring.These books will be tasked with making sense of everything Bran goes through beyond the Wall. It’s crucial that the author gets this right, especially if Bran’s ending mirrors what happens inGame of Thrones.
If Bran becomes king inA Dream of Spring,there needs to be enough setup that this is a satisfying development — not one that leaves fans scratching their heads and yelling at the novel.Game of Thronesstruggles to integrate his story beyond the Wall with his eventual outcome, and it hurts the series overall.
With Martin admitting that he’s “still struggling with the new [chapters] in The Winds of Winter,“there is a chance that he could repeatGame of Thrones' mistakes. However, given that Martin is the one who came up with the vision — and is clearly committed to reworking Bran’s chapters until they’re right — I’m confident his version of the ending will be better.
I’m Still Confident The Winds Of Winter’s Bran Story Will Top Game Of Thrones'
The Next Two ASOIAF Books Have More Time To Lay The Groundwork
Despite his obstacles when writing Bran’s character,I’m confident that Martin will do a better job with his ending thanGame of Thronesdid. With two moreASOIAFbooks to go, there’s plenty of time for the author to lay the groundwork for this turn of events. He can more adequately explain the Three-Eyed Raven role and foreshadow the final Bran twist.
Assuming the battle between the Others and the North unfolds inThe Winds of Winter,he can use this to expand on Bran’s role in the story further. The show doesn’t dig into the lore of the Children of the Forest, Three-Eyed Raven, and the Others as much as it should.The Winds of Wintercan seize this opportunity to do so.
It’s no secret thatGame of Thronesseason 8 feels rushed, and its short episode count makes it impossible to give every character and storyline a proper send-off. Arguably, more attention should have been dedicated to Bran if the writers intended for him to have such a prominent part in the series finale.
Whatever Martin decides to do with him in the finalASOIAFbooks, it seems inevitable it will be an improvement on the adaptation.
Of course, with even the White Walkers being defeated in a single episode and Dany’s Mad Queen turn happening at a breakneck speed,it’s not surprising that Bran’s outcome also doesn’t feel earned. Whatever Martin decides to do with him in the finalSong of Ice and Firebooks, it seems inevitable it will be an improvement on the adaptation.
Martin’s tendency to give more details than the HBO series and his awareness that Bran’s chapters require more effort inspire hope thatThe Winds of Winterwill get this element of the story right. With any luck, that won’t be the only way his final books topGame of Thrones’ending,either. But given Bran’s importance, nailing this is an absolute must.
