George R.R. Martin’s criticism of GOT and HOTD goes unanswered, since fans want the two books finished!

George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones

It has been 13 years since George R.R. Martin last published the last book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. To give you an overview, the previous book was published when Game of Thrones aired. With 8 successful seasons and a mediocre ending later, its prequel, House of the Dragon, is currently airing.

George R.R. Martin criticizes Game of Thrones and House of the DragonGeorge R.R. Martin. Author: Gage Skidmore. Licensed by: CC BY-SA 2.0. Credits: Wikimedia Commons

The series has become the new favorite of the fans as the adaptation showcases some of their favorite character arcs and storylines. The adaptation has been closely following Martin’s material.

However, the author is disappointed with the depiction of House Targaryen’s sigil in the current show. Surprisingly, fans have ignored his complaints, taking to social media to voice their frustration over how he needs to finish the fictional tales with two books of the saga, namely, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring.

George R. R. Martin Criticizes House of the Dragon for Repeating The Same Mistake From GOT

House of the Dragon has been an instant hit, which has hooked the attention of the fans. While season 1 was calm, the current season has been filled with explosive moments, and the idea of a potential war among the houses compels its viewers to wait impatiently each week to tune in for the latest episode.

George R.R. Martin points out the Targareyan sigilA still from Game of Thrones. Credits: HBO

As the tension builds between the masses, George R.R. Martin has published a new blog titled Here There Be Dragons on his website. While discussing the most recent episode of the show and the mythological stories surrounding dragons around the world, he then complains that the show has made the same mistake as Game of Thrones.

The author mentioned that “the Targaryen sigil has two legs,” but both shows have got them half-right because from the 5th season onwards in GOT, the four-legged sigil started to appear. He wrote,

Ergo, in my books, the Targaryen sigil has two legs, as it should. Why would any Westerosi ever put four legs on a dragon, when they could look at the real thing and could their limbs? […] FWIW, the shows got it half right (both of them). GAME OF THRONES gave us the correct two-legged sigils for the first four seasons and most of the fifth, but when Dany’s fleet hove into view, all the sails showed four-legged dragons.

The Fevre Dream author further wrote that someone “got sloppy” because they might have taken a quick glance at the sigil and read a book on heraldry just enough to “muck it all up.”

Milly Alcock and Matt Smith in House of the DragonA still from House of the Dragon season 2. Credits: HBO

He criticized both shows, writing that “heraldry should be consistent,” but the 2008 show went with the wrong one, and the current show followed the idea from the initial show, making him scream in agony.

Someone got sloppy, I guess. Or someone opened a book on heraldry, and read just enough of it to muck it all up. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. A couple years on, HOUSE OF THE DRAGON decided the heraldry should be consistent with GAME OF THRONES.. but they went with the bad sigil rather than the good one. That sound you heard was me screaming, “no, no, no.” Those damned extra legs have even wormed their way onto the covers of my books, over my strenuous objections.

The inconsistent sigils look somewhat distracting to the author, and though he explains what the correct sigil looks like, fans do not care at all. Well, primarily because readers have only one request from Martin, that is to finish the two books in the series.

Fans Beg George R.R. Martin To Finish The Two Books

Martin’s The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring has taken 13 years and counting to finish the novel. However, fans are annoyed with his updates because he had previously updated that The Winds of Winter would be done by 2025.

A still from Game of ThronesTyrion Lannister and Drogon. Credits: HBO

Currently, the fans were not thrilled either, and while Martin was dissatisfied with the inconsistent sigils in the show, the fandom begged him to stop getting distracted and focus on writing the novels. Fans took to X, asking the author to focus on the novels instead of complaining about the shows.

While Martin is out here pointing out the show’s inconsistency and expressing his disappointment, fans are severely disappointed by how slow Martin is with finishing his books. Though the author is taking so long to finish his novels, fans hope that the wait is worth it!