There’s one aspect ofHouse of the Dragonthat George R.R. Martin critiqued, which I disagree with. I’ll start this by addressing something important: George R.R. Martin’sA Song of Ice & Firebookshave been extraordinarily influential on me as a writer, and I value his work with the highest esteem.
That said, adapting a show necessitates changes, and while I believe thatHouse of the DragonandGame of Throneshave many flaws, they also improved upon certain aspects of Martin’s world. He’s even listed examples, such as the show’s versions of Robb Stark or Viserys Targaryen.
George R.R. Martin has also been brutally honest at times, particularly withHouse of the Dragon’sbook changes. While waiting forHouse of the Dragonseason 3, there are plenty of blog posts and interviews to break down and explore the world of Westeros a bit deeper.
George R.R. Martin Critiqued House Of The Dragon’s Dragon Autonomy
In July 2024, George R.R. Martin took tohis blogto talk aboutHouse of the Dragonseason 2. This included compliments on the dragon action from “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” which depicted the pivotal Battle of Rook’s Rest. A notable takeaway, however, was his critique of how dragons in the TV adaptation behave without riders.
He explains that his dragons are creatures of their habitats, much like regular animals. They remain in an area where they fly, feed, and rest. In the TV series, this is typically Dragonstone or King’s Landing. Martin specifically notes that “You won’t find dragons hunting the riverlands or the Reach or the Vale.”
Many took this to refer to Sheepstealer, the dragon in season 2 who’s seen hunting sheep in the Vale. Rhaena, who doesn’t have a dragon of her own in the series, goes and tries to tame Sheepstealer, leaving audiences on a cliffhanger.
The Rhaena/Sheepstealer plot line is one of many critiques forHouse of the Dragonseason 2, with a character named Nettles being the one to claim the dragon in the books. While I can understand those who wanted to see Nettles, I have zero issues with Sheepstealer wandering off on its own.
Dragons Have Been Known To Wander Off In Martin’s Books
First off, I think it’s worth being specific, as, although he says dragons aren’t nomads and wouldn’t wander off on their own, they often do. When Daenerys tries to chain her dragons in Meereen inA Dance with Dragons, Drogon escapes captivity and flees on his own, flying away toward the Dothraki sea. He then returns on his own for the battle in the fighting pits.
Afterthe Dance of the Dragons ends, Cannibal disappears from his habitat on Dragonstone and is not seen again. There’s also that deceased dragon Daenerys found in the Red Waste inA Clash of Kings. This one could have had a rider, but it seems possible the bones would have decomposed if it dated back to the Valyrian Freehold, at least in the Red Waste.
In 1999, George R.R. Martin said, “There are always tales of dragon sightings in far-off mysterious places” (viaWesteros.org), teasing that there might still be unrecorded dragons living throughout the world. These hypothetical dragons could live in remote areas, but the fact that they’ve remained unrecorded suggests they’re covering a wide region.
With that in mind, I don’t see an issue in applying this same logic to Sheepstealer. Sure, it was a convenient setup for Rhaena to claim the dragon inHouse of the Dragonseason 2’s ending, but it furthers the franchise’s mysterious, alluring relationship between the dragons (even the most wild among them) and members of House Targaryen.
GOT & ASOIAF Dragons Are At Their Best When They’re Mystical
This may stem from an artistic philosophy difference between me and Martin, because as much as I love sci-fi and fantasy, I’ve also been influenced by filmmakers like David Lynch and Andrei Tarkovsky, who had a knack for leaving things ambiguous. That’s putting it lightly.
I believe that fantasy is often only as compelling as what audiences don’t know, and the dragons have always been an unfamiliar factor inA Song of Ice & FireandGame of Thrones. They’re an entity that few people alive understand because they’ve been extinct for decades, and that contributes a great deal to their sense of magical contrast.
Game of Thronesis often described as historical fantasy, grounded in low magic. Because of this, when Tyrion and Jorah Mormont sail through the ruins of Old Valyria in season 5, it stands out more to see Drogon casually roaming around the ruins where others of his kin once ruled. There’s a beautiful sense of mystique to it that contradicts the harsh realism of Fleabottom, as an example.
Another example is the story of Aerea Targaryen, the princess who stole Balerion the Black Dread and disappeared for a year. Another example would be dragons like Cannibal, who disappeared after the Dance of the Dragons. These are the most fascinating dragon moments in Martin’s world because we don’t know the answers, and we may never.
When dragons act in mysterious ways, they embody the purest premise of fantasy. I believe George R.R. Martin was wrong when he wrote about the use of dragons inHouse of the Dragon, and I don’t think Sheepstealer wandering over to the Vale has any damaging implications on his canon.
