Warning: spoilers from the books and TV show to follow
For many, the fifth Game of Thrones was an exercise in bleakness. Sansa Stark was raped by the sadistic Ramsay Bolton; Stannis sacrificed his own daughter in the name of becoming the king; Jon Snow was brutally stabbed (to death?) by his own men.
Some may be wondering if the rest of Game of Thrones and the last two books in A Song of Ice and Fire will embrace nihilism and kill everyone off until audiences are cheering for the White Walkers.
Thankfully, author George R.R. Martin has a different plan in mind. He recently told the New York Observer that he’s aiming for a “bittersweet” ending. There will definitely mean more death, but the ending won’t be as brutal as some people were expecting.
While Martin hasn’t written the ending yet, he says he’s aiming for something along the lines of the end of The Lord of the Rings. While Sam and Frodo successfully throw the ring into Mount Doom, Frodo is forever changed and leaves the Shire to go off on his own. Martin wants to emulate that tone for his ending — a victory at a cost.
Martin in the interview also addresses the impact the rabid fanbase has had on the way he writes — he says while he hasn’t changed too much, he needs to be more “careful” with some of his choices.
Whether one of those choices is allowing fan-favourite Jon Snow to live (and quell a number of conspiracy theories) is a question for another day.
