10 Game of Thrones Storylines That Were Better in the Books

For a show as large as Game of Thrones, it was actually missing several storylines from the books. George R.R. Martin’s writing style is expansive, creating many moving pieces in the world of Westeros to give it a sense of realism. As a result, several storylines needed to be omitted for the show to have a continuous pace that could focus on the main characters. That being said, some storylines that likely would have had major consequences for the cast were never even included.

These missing plots involved princesses attempting to launch coups, murder mysteries that could have hinted at a rebellion against the Boltons, and even major characters being resurrected from the dead. Without these stories, the show itself suffered, as it would have helped lay the groundwork for a lot of later developments in the series, and perhaps been better received than the final product of the original show.

10. The Mystery of Tysha Was a Much Bigger Part of Tyrion’s Character in the Books

Tyrion’s first wife, Tysha, is mentioned a few times in the show, being used to explain how cruel his family could be towards him. He operated under the assumption that she was someone Jaime paid to pretend to love him so he could be with a woman for a while before she was sold off by Tywin Lannister. This act emotionally ruined Tyrion, who came to believe he could never be loved in that way. However, upon the night of his release, the truth was revealed.

Tysha had in fact loved Tyrion, and Tywin had threatened her into leaving. Jaime had always known the truth, but withheld it from Tyrion. The revelation shattered Tyrion’s trust in his brother and he said every hurtful thing he could, destabilizing Jaime’s relationship with Cersei in the process and turning them against one another. Tyrion would later wonder frequently about his first wife’s fate, but the news was a shock to the system that gave Tyrion an odd bit of hope for love, but also the knowledge that his family was even more despicable than he imagined.

9. The Murder at Winterfell Added Mystery to the North

One of the smaller, yet still fascinating mysteries of the series was the murder of Little Walder Frey. The nine-year-old boy was found dead in the snow of Winterfell and no one could figure out who did it. Theon, still going by the name Reek, assumed it was Mance Rayder and his spear-wives, who had infiltrated the castle and already killed several men inside. However, they denied having any part in the deed. This, coupled with Theon seeing a strange man in a cloak stalking the halls led some to believe that there was an unknown murderer in the castle.

Fan theories range from a secret northern conspiracy to overthrow the Boltons by destabilizing their alliance with the Freys or even that Theon himself had developed a split personality that was murdering people. Either way, it was one of the books’ most examined mysteries, as it created this small-scale sense of horror within Winterfell that was only compounded by the dangerous people occupying the castle.

8. Robb Stark Had a Different Wife in the Books

In the books, Robb did indeed insult the Freys by marrying another woman, but it was not Talisa. Instead, the story introduced Jeyne Westerling, a woman Robb met during his expedition into the Westerlands, the Lannisters’ territory in Westeros. Robb was wounded while storming her ancestral home of the Crag. Jeyne ended up tending Robb’s wound and not long after he received a letter telling him of Bran and Rickon’s supposed deaths. She comforted him in his moment of grief and the two ended up sleeping together. To save her honor, Robb married her the next day, but broke his pact with the Freys in the process.

George R.R. Martin’s novels see Jeyne end up surviving the Red Wedding and go into mourning for Robb, having come to love him. Yet, it is interesting to note that what undid Robb was not love for Talisa, but his devotion to the Northern sense of honor. This is another reminder that the ideals his father taught him do not mesh well when confronting the rest of Westeros’ cutthroat politics. Still, Jeyne’s survival would at least have been some consolation for the devastation of the Red Wedding.

7. Mance Rayder Survives His Execution

Mance Rayder met his end at the hands of Jon Snow in the show. It was meant to be a mercy killing to prevent him from suffering an agonizing death by fire at the hands of Melisandre. In the books though, Mance is still alive. He was swapped with someone else and given a glamour to hide his appearance. This way, he could act as an agent for Jon, who has his son as a hostage. Mance would have been sent to infiltrate Winterfell and rescue “Arya” really Sansa’s former friend Jeyne Poole, who was being kept by Ramsay as his bride.

Mance did as he was told, and his initial infiltration was a success, posing as an entertainer to try and free Jeyne with the assistance of Reek. However, their escape attempt was discovered and Mance’s fate at that point remains unknown. A letter sent by Ramsay claims he has captured Mance and put him in a cage exposed to the elements, with only the sewn together skin of the spear-wives he took as his sole source of warmth. It’s still unknown if this is true or if Ramsay was lying to goad Jon into attacking. Either way, Mance’s fate is far more interesting than a simple arrow through the heart.

6. Cersei’s Prophecy Wasn’t Told in Its Entirety in Game of Thrones

The show only briefly went over the prophecy Cersei received as a child from Maggy the Frog. While it did cover the deaths of her children, there was one more aspect of it that would have explained Cersei’s lifelong hatred of Tyrion even more. Maggy predicted that after Cersei was deposed by a younger queen, she would be strangled to death by the “valonqar.” This is a Valyrian word for “little brother” leading Cersei to assume that Tyrion would one day murder her. As a result, Cersei had even more reason to despise her brother.

It presents the likely scenario of Cersei’s death, making her fate in Season 8 all the more unsatisfying. What’s interesting though is that Cersei has two younger brothers: Tyrion and Jaime. There is every chance that given Jaime’s growing resentment towards Cersei, he might be the one to kill her as a way to protect Westeros from her wrath, or perhaps simply as revenge for some other crime she committed. Either way, Cersei’s ending should have been far more satisyfing.

5. Daenerys’ Dornish Suitor Brought Her Closer to Westeros

In George R.R. Martin’s novels, there was actually a suitor from Westeros who wanted to win the hand of Daenerys Targaryen. Only instead of Euron, it would have been Quentyn Martell, the son of Prince Doran Martell. It is revealed in the books that years ago, Doran promised his daughter, Arianne, to Prince Viserys as his future queen so that an alliance between the Targaryens and Martells would overthrow Robert Baratheon and the Lannisters. However, with Viserys’ arrogance doing him in, Doran improvised and sent his kind, if not timid son to Essos to try and win Daenerys over.

It did not go well, with Daenerys rejecting Quentyn’s advances, no matter what act of devotion he tried to sway her. In the end, when Daenerys vanished atop Drogon after being attack, Quentyn decided to try and tame one of her remaining dragons. He believed that having a Targaryen ancestor was enough to bond with Viserion. Much like his attempt to seduce Daenerys, Quentyn failed, and was burned for it by Rhaegal. Quentyn died three days later from his injuries. While his story went nowhere, the impact of his death will likely have severe repercussions for Daenerys’ future relationship with the Dornish.

4. Lady Stoneheart Would Have Avenged the Starks

No one who read the books expected Catelyn Stark to return from the dead after she died, much less as vengeful zombie woman. In the books, coming back from the dead is a transformative experience, causing radical changes within a character. In Catelyn’s case, she came back hateful and determined to do nothing but viciously murder anyone who had a hand in the Starks betrayal at the Red Wedding. The plot was cut from the show but arguably would have been a real look at how resurrection can negatively affect someone.

It also cost the life of Beric Dondarrion to bring her back, making her the de facto leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners. How that would have impacted Sandor Clegane’s decision to join them, if he ever would have crossed paths with them, remains to be seen. As it stood though, by the most technical metrics, one more Stark should have been active in Westeros in the later seasons, and a potential reunion with her surviving children would have been amazing, if not horrifying, to witness.

3. Euron Greyjoy Was Far More Terrifying in the Books

In the books, Euron Greyjoy was far more intimidating as a character, and stood on his own two feet without being subservient to Cersei. In fact, the two never even formally met. The only thing book Euron had in common with his show counterpart is that he seized control of the Iron Islands after murdering his brother. However, Euron’s goals were never so base as wanting a throne and a pretty wife. Instead, he wanted something borderline apocalyptic.

It’s been insinuated that Euron has learned how to wield magic, with some fans speculaiting that he was a former student of the Three-Eyed Crow. However, Euron’s is apparently aiming for some type of shot at godhood, wanting to use his ships in a massive battle that will double as a blood ritual to elevate himself to such a status. The terrifying part is that it isn’t clear if he’s wrong about such a feat. Blood magic is a thing in this world, and if he genuinely learned how to wield magic from his travels then he may very well be capable of achieving his goal unless someone stops him.

2. The Dornish Storyline Was Nothing Like the Show

The Dornish storyline in the show deeply disappointed fans. Not just because it was poorly written and executed, but because it didn’t even focus on the characters in the books. In fact, almost none of the main Dornish characters from the books showed up. Ellaria Sand never wanted revenge after Oberyn’s death. She just wanted to live in peace with her daughters. Instead, it was Arianne Martell, daughter of Doran Martell, who began conniving to overthrow the Lannisters. She failed in the end, but was later brought in on her father’s long term plans to destroy the Lannisters for the deaths of Elia and Oberyn.

This made the Dornish one of the most important players in the game at the time, as it meant they had been subtly trying to destabilize the Lannisters for years and were now getting ready to act. Arianne’s story also introduced fans to how cool all the Dornish were. Oberyn may be the most famous among his people, but rarely is someone from Dorne not dangerous.

1. The Second Dance of the Dragons Would Have Introduced a Second Targaryen

That’s right, there was another Targaryen in the books besides Daenerys and Jon. Or at least, that’s what he claims is the truth. On his adventures across Essos, Tyrion encountered a young man who revealed that he was secretly Prince Aegon Targaryen, the son of Rhaegar and Elia Martell, who had apparently survived thanks to Varys switching him with another baby before King’s Landing was sacked by the Lannisters. He had been living in Essos all these years, learning the skills he would need to lead and later return to Westeros to reclaim the Iron Throne.

The thing is, there is no concrete proof that he is who he claims to be. Sure, he has the Targaryen features, but there is ample evidence to suggest that he is not Aegon, but a descendant of a rebel cadet branch of the family known as the Blackfyres. If this is the case, then “Aegon” likely has no idea, but at this point in the books, he launched his invasion of Westeros and was pretty successful too. His presence would have potentially sent Daenerys into a spiral, since she had previously thought she was the only living Targaryen. It would have culminated in a second Dance of the Dragons when she finally reached Westeros, but like many other parts of A Song of Ice and Fire, the storyline was left on the cutting room floor.