George R. R. Martin's book series, upon which Game of Thrones is based, is an epic fantasy series set in the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos. The world of Westeros is a medieval-inspired society with kingdoms, castles, dragons, magic, and political intrigue. Essos, the other continent, has a more exotic and diverse culture. The central storyline revolves around the struggle between noble houses for the Iron Throne of Westeros. The battle for the throne is between the Houses Stark, Lannister, Targaryen, and Baratheon. Betrayal, alliances, manipulation, and war are commonplace. Some of the most beloved and central characters are Arya Stark, Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, and Daenerys Targaryen. As the series progresses, ancient magical powers return, including dragons, White Walkers, and prophecies.
The idea for a television series based on Game of Thrones arose from the immense popularity and rich, detailed story of George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series. The books had been a cult favorite among fantasy fans since the first installment, "A Game of Thrones," was published in 1996. The series was notable for its complex characters, political intrigue, unexpected twists, and moral ambiguity. Showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss were big fans of the books. They approached HBO with the idea of adapting the series as a television series rather than a film, as the story was too expansive and complex for a single feature film. HBO saw potential in the project because of its rich world, mature themes, and the opportunity to create a large-scale fantasy series that could compete with the big screen. The series premiered in 2011 and quickly became a global phenomenon. George R. R. Martin was closely involved in the series' development, especially in its early years. He even wrote some episodes of the first seasons. His involvement helped bring the world of Westeros authentically to the screen.
As mentioned, Game of Thrones is a global phenomenon. The series follows the book series fairly closely in the first few seasons, but as the series progresses, more and more differences emerge. These include missing or significantly adapted storylines. Furthermore, some characters from the book series are altered, omitted entirely, or created entirely by the series. It's not surprising that elements are omitted or added to a series. This can only strengthen it. It's often impossible to incorporate everything described in a book into a series. You only find yourself on thin ice when you deviate drastically from the source material, or even abandon it altogether. This was evident with Game of Thrones.
The series preempted the books from its sixth season onward, as George R.R. Martin hadn't yet completed the final two installments. This forced the showrunners to wrap up the story themselves, leading to an ending that many fans found controversial, to say the least. George R.R. Martin has also spoken out several times about the ending of Game of Thrones. He stated that it wasn't his choice to wrap up the series in eight seasons. He would have preferred the story to be told more slowly and comprehensively, as in his books. George has repeatedly stated that his book series will have a different ending than the series, although some broad themes may be similar. The ending of Game of Thrones remains a blemish on what is otherwise one of the best series of all time.
Still, you can't blame Benioff and Weiss for that alone. I think the books were really meant to be finished before they reached the end of the existing books in the series. But I think Martin suffered from massive writer's block and couldn't progress the story, which he'd simply overcomplicated. He'd painted himself into a corner... And besides, he kept prioritizing other projects. The man should take a course in planning :-)
Well, the books still haven't arrived, and you might wonder what's worse: stopping at a point in the story where everything is still up in the air, or trying to end it yourself?
They chose the latter. And whatever you may think of it, the story is at least wrapped up. It's just a shame they didn't hire good writers here, but decided to try their hand at it themselves...
I also would have liked to see more of Stannis Baratheon. The "rightful heir to the Iron Throne," and in my opinion, the most interesting character in the book series.