With the end in sight the Game of Thrones TV show is now in uncharted territory, going beyond the narrative found in the novels.
There may just be one season to go next year or in 2019, but Martin is still working on his penultimate book, The Winds of Winter.
In a recent interview with Metro US, Martin revealed how different the TV show’s story is from what fans can expect in The Winds of Winter.
He revealed: “The book series and TV adaptation go their separate ways.”
However, Martin then dropped this bombshell: “On the screen characters are killed right and left.
“About twenty of them have died already, which are quite alive to me and will appear in a new book.”
At this stage it’s not known which characters who were killed off in the last couple of series of Game of Thrones will survive The Winds of Winter, but fans will certainly see some shocks.
Game of Thrones showrunner David Benioff revealed: “People are going to be very surprised when they read the books after the show.”
He added: “They’re quite divergent in so many respects for the remainder of the show.”
For now fans will just have to be patient as Martin finishes off The Winds of Winter.