If you’re hunting for Game of Thrones spoilers ahead of the Season 7 finale, don’t ask book series author George R.R. Martin, because he doesn’t know. In fact, you probably know more about the series than he does, because he stopped watching it. 

While that may elicit gasps from fans of the universe Martin himself created, the author has reasonable reasons for not tuning in. Because of travel, speaking engagements, and (importantly) writing the next A Song of Ice and Fire book, he doesn’t really have time to catch it every week anymore. He also wants to keep the books and TV series separate now that they’ve branched off in different directions. 

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“The book series and TV adaptation go their separate ways,” Martin told Metro. “On the screen characters are killed right and left. About 20 of them have died already, which are quite alive to me and will appear in a new book.”

When the TV show first premiered, Martin was heavily involved, but he hasn’t written an episode since the fourth season. With his focus firmly on the next book, The Winds of Winter, Martin is taking his time to make sure it is worth the wait. 

HBO

“I did not start to write slower over the years,” Martin said. “I was working on the first book for six years and four years on the second one. Fantasists who release their novels every year, do not offer books of large volume. These are not 1.5k pages like mine, but, for example, 500. In addition, I have not become younger. Age does not add enthusiasm.”

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For our part, we’ll be tuning in for Sunday’s season finale and the new book.

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