George R.R. Martin may not be a fan of this Game of Thrones TV show, but critics and audiences think it’s getting better. Martin’s relationship with the multi-media franchise wrought from his own hand could be a Game of Thrones-style story of its own, with all the drama that has ensued since Game of Thrones first appeared on HBO in 2011.

Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire universe has now stretched through a decade and a half on TV alone, and there have been ups and downs through the saga. More ups to be sure, but still some notable downs. Some of these are the result of rushed production schedules, and some are from arguments Martin has had with his TV counterparts.

In particular, Martin has been unafraid to express his frustration with House of the Dragon, the ongoing adaptation of his 2018 fantasy novel, Fire & Blood, which premieres its third season on June 21, 2026. Martin first began voicing his displeasure with the adaptation in 2024, in a since-deleted blog post, and in the years since, both he and showrunner Ryan Condal have admitted their relationship is rocky (via TheWrap).

There’s a lot to unpack with Martin’s issues with House of the Dragon, but he appears to be more interested in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms now, with Ira Parker, a showrunner he seems to have an affinity with, according to his interview with THR in January 2026.

Despite his condemnations, implicit as they may be, fans and critics have given House of the Dragon a thumbs up, and those thumbs are staying up for season 3 if the early reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are to be believed. Currently, HOTD season 3 has a 97% on RT, which gives the series a 90% overall.

House Of The Dragon Keeps Getting Better

House of the Dragon is a series that just seems to be getting better and better. The show had a tricky job. It was responsible for reinvigorating an audience of former fanatics who felt betrayed by the last two seasons of Game of Thrones and how the series wound down to an unimpressive finish.

It also had to adapt a book that is far from a fictional narrative and is instead presented as a history book with the key details and events of the time period recounted in purposefully mechanical prose. House of the Dragon has succeeded in both instances, and even though some viewers have not been taken in by HOTD‘s grim, slow story, there’s no denying the franchise has new life after it appeared dead, and a lot of that praise needs to go to House of the Dragon.

Condal and his team set themselves up for success from the very beginning with a season that, while admittedly slow and tricky to follow with how it jumped through the years, made sure the audience was well acquainted with the characters in the most intimate of ways. Now, in season 2 and onward, the chess pieces can start moving with characters that the audience cares deeply about.

Why George R.R. Martin Doesn’t Like House Of The Dragon

George R.R. Martin’s problems with House of the Dragon can be boiled down to frustrations with how Condal and HBO have adapted his work. No doubt, there have been very significant changes. Some characters from Fire & Blood have been written out, relationships have been changed, and events have been altered.

Overall, the thrust of the story remains the same between the show and the book, but these small changes seem to have added up to a lot of frustration on Martin’s part. So whether House of the Dragon is good or not may be a moot point for the author because either way, it isn’t his House of the Dragon.