House of the Dragon is pulling the plug on Game of Thrones' formula with a major book change

If there's one thing that's certain about George R. R. Martin's world of A Song of Ice and Fire, it's that he has a lot of characters. That includes the book series Game of Thrones is based on, plus Fire & Blood, each complemented by dozens of minor characters that add so much color to the story.

The problem with writing so many characters of such status is that Martin often either kills them off in the most random way to get rid of them, or leaves them to dissolve in the background. This isn't necessarily a criticism, but an observation of how extremely complex and detailed his works can get. Whereas Game of Thrones found one solution for adapting such an overabundance of rather unimportant characters, House of the Dragon has taken a different approach to the adaptation process.

Game of Thrones Left Out Many Characters From George R. R. Martin's Books

The number of book characters showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss cut from Game of Thrones was often criticized by viewers. But the truth of the matter is, that's just the name of the adaptation game. There was no possible way every single character could fit into an eight-season series that, at most, had 10 episodes each.

That being said, it was harrowing that characters such as Lady Stoneheart, Young Griff or Jeyne Poole were cut from Game of Thrones, never making it to the screen. Still, the writers found a way to make up for the loss by giving the storylines to other characters or giving complete focus to other promising plots.

This allowed for more emotionally fulfilling arcs for significant characters, instead of everyone suffering from half-baked character development that would come with an overwhelming ensemble. Otherwise, hardly anyone grieves the loss of characters like Patchface or Vargo Hoat.

House of the Dragon Adds More Depth to Gwayne and Ormund Hightower

But it's a different story for Fire & Blood, which was adapted into the spinoff series House of the Dragon. Many minor characters in the academic-style retelling of the Dance of the Dragons exist to make the world feel lived-in but don't undergo personal transformations. Two substantial examples of these include Gwayne and Ormund Hightower.

In the book, Gwayne is hardly given any treatment: he's said to have fought for the Greens and died when Rhaenyra Targaryen took King's Landing. But the show has pleasantly expanded on his characterization; rather than just being a textbook historical figure, Gwayne is an example of a true knight stuck in a bad situation. Having survived long past his Fire & Blood death, Gwayne's story consists of him challenging his beliefs as he's pulled deeper into the war with Ser Criston Cole.

Conversely, Ormund is made a much stronger opposition to Rhaenyra than he is in the book. Although he is important in leading the Hightower forces in Martin's work,House of the Dragon's version of Ormund has an entirely different agenda and actually has a personality. It's fascinating how a character with very little description in the book has been made into a major antagonist in the third season.

Tyland Lannister Walks a Different Path Than His Book Counterpart

But where House of the Dragon could be walking on thin ice is with Tyland Lannister, the former master of coin and ships for Aegon II Targaryen. Tyland is by no means on the level of Daemon Targaryen in terms of colossal impact on the story, but he helps shape the future of House Targaryen.

In the book, Tyland is taken hostage by Rhaenyra's men, who torture him for information about the gold. He's left terribly scarred, blinded, maimed and gelded. The torture left him looking like a monster, but it was Rhaenyra who was the real monster for allowing it to happen.

Even after being tortured by her men, Tyland becomes a great Hand of the King for her son in the future. He's said to be gentle and kind to the young king, showing how people can change for the better in this world. What happened to Tyland is meant to challenge readers' perceptions of Rhaenyra. She is supposed to demonstrate ruthlessness and cruelty to add duality to her character, and force people to decide where their true loyalties lie.

But it appears the chance to have such a rich story between Tyland and Rhaenyra has died. In Season 3, Episode 5 of House of the Dragon, Tyland is found at the remains of Rook's Rest with Larys Strong and Aegon Targaryen. Unless Tyland disembarks from the mission to help Aegon escape, there isn't a logical reason as to how the Blacks could get hold of Tyland and keep him prisoner.

House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones' differing treatment of minor characters shows how stories that don't carry the same magnitude must address the adaptation process differently. But when it comes to Tyland Lannister specifically, it would be a shame for the show not to adapt his story verbatim, as it strips Rhaenyra of any fertile nuance in the final two seasons.

New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.