Original 3-Page Outline For George R.R. Martin’s ‘Game Of Thrones’ Leaked, What We’ve Learned


To say that the Game of Thrones series (also known as the Song of Ice and Fire series) has taken the world by storm would almost be an understatement. Since the first episode of the Game of Thrones HBO series aired back in 2011, it’s practically taken on a life of its own. Audiences and readers alike have fallen in love with the dozens of characters that populate writer George R.R. Martin’s world. Now in what seems like a minor accident, Martin’s three-page outline and pitch of the first book has made its way online.

According to Yahoo! Finance, Redditor TheNextRobin noticed a tweet from the UK bookseller Waterstones. The tweet, which has now been deleted from the account, showed three photos taken of what looks like a pitch and “springboard” of what to expect from the Game of Thrones books which, according to the document, were originally planned as a trilogy. So was there anything interesting to be taken from the letter? Well, we noticed three things.

Beyond this point, there are some SPOILERS, not just to the first few books, but potentially for the series as a whole, depending on much things have changed in Martin’s plan since 1993 (which is a lot, based on what we know so far).

Ned Stark
Unfortunately, Ned Stark never had a chance.

First off, it looks like both Ned and Catelyn Stark were both “doomed” from the start. While Ned’s death remains virtually unchanged in Game of Thrones, Catelyn’s death is vastly different and is at the hands of the Others instead of the Freys.

The series, A Song of Ice and Fire, was originally planned as a trilogy, with the first book called A Game of Thrones, the second called A Dance with Dragons, and the final book called The Winds of Winter (You’ll notice the first two are still book titles, and the third is still the name of Martin’s upcoming entry into the series). The first book was to focus on the enmity between the Stark and Lannister families, culminating in Ned Stark’s execution. The second book was to chronicle the struggles during the Seven Kingdoms invasion of the Dothrakis.

“The greatest danger of all, however, comes from the north, from the icy wastes beyond the Wall, where half-forgotten demons out of legend, the inhuman others, raise cold legions of the undead and the neverborn and prepare to ride down on the winds of winter to extinguish everything that we would call ‘life.'”

This was to be the focus of the third and final book of the series. It would portray the fight between the Night’s Watch and those north of the Wall. The final book would also “draw together characters and plot threads left from the first two books and resolve all in one huge climax.”

White Walkers
The main threat of the Game of Thrones series comes beyond the wall in Martin’s original pitch.

Finally, in the letter and pitch, George R.R. Martin said who he planned on surviving through the end of the tale. Seriously, though. if you haven’t stopped reading yet, and you wish not to face the ultimate spoiler, now is you last chance to look away.

“Five central characters will make it through all three volumes, however, growing from children to adults and changing the world and themselves in the process. In a sense, my trilogy is almost a generational saga, telling the life stories of these five characters, three men and two women. The five key players are Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, and three of the children of Winterfell, Arya, Bran, and the bastard Jon Snow.”

Of course, there is no telling how far off Martin is from his original plan, so all of this could be out the window at this point.

Do you think things will end as George R.R. Martin originally planned? And do you think the Game of Thrones series would have worked better as a trilogy? Let us know your thoughts below!

As of this point, the documents are still up on Yahoo’s page, but who knows how long that’ll last. If you want to check those out for yourself, click here.

[Image Credit: Nick Briggs/HBO]

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