One of the best changes that Game of Thrones made was aging up the characters. Arya started off the show at 11 years old, she ended it as an 18-year-old warrior, having spent seven years training on the run. The Arya in the books, however, started as a 9-year-old and is currently only 11. It was a move that made the character much more believable. Show Stannis has been ruined, show Sansa is a bit worse than book Sansa (Sophie Turner is great, but her material is not), show Tywin and Cersei are much better, show Tyrion is whitewashed to pieces, show Jon is even more annoying, and show Dany is just horrible. It all comes down to the show cutting corners. When D&D cut certain things out, they're going to cut out someones favorite portion of the story, there's no getting around it, and lots of people are going to be offended by it, the "why did you cut that out that's the best part of the book this show sucks now!" What are the major differences between the characters in the books and the characters in the TV show? Read the list to find out! 10. CATELYN STARK The beloved Stark Mother, portrayed by the talented actress on the HBO series by Michelle Fairley, has an even more ominous ending than she does on the show. Books [] A Game of Thrones [] Although Stannis doesn’t personally appear in A Game of Thrones, his actions and descriptions lie heavy in the background of the book. After the death of Jon Arryn, Stannis flees to Dragonstone to gather his strength, including most of the royal fleet, and plan his next move, believing Cersei poisoned Jon. 2. Shae never loved Tyrion so her betrayal does not come as a surprise to the readers. Everyone was mortified when Shae betrayed Tyrion during his trial and later in the show, but for the book’s The TV series Shae is much more fleshed out than in the books. In the books she came off as an "dumb whore" for lack of a better term, she didn't really do much but fuck Tyrion. In the TV series she seems a more intelligent and aware of the dangers around her. The connection Jon has to the Wildlings is a very important aspect of both the books and the show, even if he originally joined them as a spy. However, how he gains the trust of the Wildling leader Mance Raydar is different. In the books, Jon tells Mance he wants to leave the Night's Watch because he is mistreated as a bastard. .

game of thrones books vs show