The Game of Thrones television programs are based on a series of epic fantasy novels called "A Song of Ice and Fire," authored by George R R Martin. The series consists of seven books, of which "A Game of Thrones" is the first novel.
In a 2011 interview with The Guardian, Martin described himself as a “gardener” type of writer who works out the story as he goes, as opposed to an “architect,” who plots out all the details ahead of time.
"Anyone following the novels over the years has seen the effects of Martin’s exploratory writing style," according to The Verge. "By the time the fourth book, A Feast for Crows, rolled around in 2005, Martin split the narrative in half, temporarily setting aside many of his most popular characters to focus on new areas of his rapidly expanding world.
"The interval between his books has grown with each volume. Book two in the series, A Clash of Kings, was published just two years after the first book. As of today, it’s been almost eight years since book five, A Dance With Dragons, and there’s still no release date for the sequel, The Winds of Winter, let alone the supposedly final seventh novel, A Dream of Spring."
HBO’s Game of Thrones series began airing in 2011 with a fairly straightforward adaptation of the first book. The second season covered the contents of the second book, but the third book (A Storm of Swords) was split into two seasons.
After season 4, Games of Thrones quickly consumed Martin’s source material and since the sixth season the television production has advanced the plot without the novels.
