George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones may be popular for killing its characters, but homicidal tendencies of the television series are way much worse. Characters who are still alive and kicking in the books have been killed in the show, and often the most brutal way. Last season was a giant bloodbath. Here are some of the characters who are already dead in the show but are still living in the books.
SPOILERS ALERT: ALL AIRED EPISODES AND PUBLISHED BOOKS
Talisa of Volantis/ Jeyne Westerling
One of the most significant book-to-show revisions pulled off by GOT is a total overhaul of Robb Stark’s wife. The books portray her as the daughter of a Stark’s minor servant. But the TV series characterizes her as Talisa, a countess born in the distant land of Volantis. Whoever is Mrs. Stark of the North, in the series she is dead—unforgetablly murdered in the Red Wedding—and in the books, she is breathing, grieving her husband and probably bearing his child.
Pyp and Grenn
Fans of the Game of Thrones novel series were upset at season 4’s next-to-last episode: The Watchers on the Wall, when the show kills Jon Snow’s closest friends Pyp and Green in the battle of Mayce Rayder’s Wilding arm and the Night’s Watch. In the books, they are still alive as of A Dance with Dragons, working at Castle Black and chilling their bums off.
Jojen Reed
This one is a little uncertain, if you consider a famous fan theory, Bran Stark’s traveling partner and teacher of his supernatural powers—is really gone in the books. But in the season 4 finale, it showed him get stabbed several times by a zombie skeleton and his sister Meera slit his throat to finish his agony. And then, Jojen’s body was destroyed during the explosion.
Rakharo and Irri
A Song of Ice and Fire book: A Dance With Dragons ends with Rakharo, Daenery’s bodyguard and Irri, one of her handmaidens, are out looking for the queen, who left with her dragon for a quick drive and never returned.
In the series, the two have been long dead— Rahkaro was murdered offscreen during the early season 2 by an unknown khalasar while Irri choked to death episodes later after trying to steal the queen’s dragons.
Shireen Baratheon
In the show’s grim scenes, the next-to-last episode of season 5 showed Stannis Baratheon burning his own daughter Shireen at the stake to serve as a gift to the god R’hllor, who considers offerings of those individuals with the blood of the king as one of his favorite ones.
But in the books, the teenage daughter and her mom Selyse are still living at Castle Black, whilst Stannis and his soldiers are stormed in days’ march from Winterfell. Lead executive producers have indicated that her destiny in the show is what ultimately occurs to her in the books.
Pyat Pree
This creepy warlock character was part of season 2’s Qarth storyline. He, along with Xaro Xhoan Daxos, plotted to rob the queen’s dragons. Pyat Pree was burned alive.
In the books, the two are still alive and attending big chips on the shoulders.
