George RR Martin’s close friend reveals his real opinions are far more intense than his post

A close friend of George RR Martin and fellow writer, Xiran Jay Zhao, has revealed some more aspects of his deleted blog post about House of the Dragon that we never got to see.

As well as clearing up some of the misinformation going around about his opinions on certain aspects of the show, she also revealed he could’ve been far more brutal than he was in his original blog post, which has since been deleted. She initially posted on Twitter before a more in-depth post of her was published on Reddit.

Lemme tell you guys that listening to George rant about HOTD was hilarious and I can’t believe he’s going public with some of it LMAO https://t.co/w01ekn2yHL

— Xiran Jay Zhao 🍉 (@XiranJayZhao) September 4, 2024

On Twitter, Xiran claimed she had previously heard George RR Martin rant about House of the Dragon whilst they were hanging out together, and what he wrote in the blog post was relatively tame to what he really thinks.

She explained: “Lemme tell you guys that listening to George rant about HOTD was hilarious and I can’t believe he’s going public with some of it LMAO. Things I hope people keep in mind: George cannot shut down HBO’s adaptations of his books without a huge legal mess. HBO is doing whatever they want with the adaptations and not taking in his concerns. He is trying to pressure them into listening to save HOTD’s storytelling.

“Like yes he’s rich off of the HBO royalties but ultimately everyone benefits from a better-written show, so this isn’t just random complaining. It’s VERY mild and I believe that was on purpose. He hasn’t truly gone scorched earth but he’s showing them that he COULD.”

Xiran Jay Zhao, author and close friend of GRRM
byu/Just_Mode3479 inHouseOfTheDragon

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In another post that was released on Reddit, Xiran elaborated further upon the points she mentioned in her tweets. She wrote: “All right there has been some discourse about George RR Martin because of the post he made going rogue on HOTD’s writers (deleted a few hours later but archived) and I’m seeing some misinformed reactions by people who aren’t in the publishing or entertainment industries so lemme clarify some things.

“Creators are not the ones with power. Execs are. Even an author as big as George gets their opinions dismissed if the higher-ups don’t want to listen.

“He’s not complaining for complaining’s sake. I hung out with him a few weeks ago and heard his full scope of options on HOTD and what he said in his post was VERY mild. Probably the least spicy storytelling critique he could’ve brought up.

Tfw you got disqualified from the Hugo Awards last year for proven political censorship but then George RR Martin rings you up to give you a consolation prize 😆

Congrats and solidarity with fellow winners RF Kuang and Paul Weimer (who unfortunately couldn’t be at the dinner)! pic.twitter.com/UAnUgR7fA8

— Xiran Jay Zhao 🍉 (@XiranJayZhao) August 11, 2024

She continued: “And I do believe this was on purpose and strategic. He’s not going full-scorched on HBO, but he’s showing them he could. He did this as a warning shot to get them to listen to him because clearly he saw some very upsetting plans for upcoming HOTD seasons. If he just wanted to complain there’s some spicier sh*t he could’ve said.

“Just because he didn’t mention something in the post doesn’t mean he approves of it or doesn’t care, and the post should not be used to extrapolate his opinions on anything that’s not related to what he specifically addressed. Again, what he said was VERY mild. Ultimately, what matters to him is logical storytelling and complex, morally gray characters.”

For all the latest news and drama and drops, quizzes and memes about George RR Martin and his deleted blog post about House of the Dragon, like The Tab on Facebook. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• George RR Martin slams House of the Dragon as ‘underwhelming’ and ‘simple’ in scathing blog post

• Brutal Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon digs prove George Martin hates both shows

• George RR Martin has dragged Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon for big errors

Featured images via Twitter.