The final season of Game of Thrones was generally not well-received, which is why many were hesitant about a prequel series. Fortunately, House of the Dragon exceeded everyone's expectations, and it became one of the most popular TV shows of 2022. The series is based on the Fire & Blood book, and it deals with the civil war that ravaged House Targaryen, their dragons, and Westeros as a whole.
Whenever a book is adapted to film or television, changes are made in order to make the story more appealing to audiences, and HOTD is no different. The showrunners made a number of changes to the story in Season 1, and for the most part, these changes have made the story better.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
8 Laenor Is Supposed To Be Dead
He may have not had as much screen time as other characters, but Laenor Velaryon stood out when he needed to. He was Rhaenerya's husband, but he was not the father of her first three children. In the book, Laenor is killed while attending a fair in Spicetown, and he dies at the hands of Ser Qarl Correy, who was jealous of Laenor's younger male consort.
HOTD's 7th episode ends with Rhaenerya and Daemon Targaryen getting married, which could only happen if Laenor was dead. Rhaenerya did not want to kill Laenor, so everyone agreed to stage a fight between Laenor and Qarl. A random servant was killed and thrown into the fireplace instead of Laenor, and Laenor escaped to Essos with Qarl.
7 Alicent Never Attacks Rhaenyra At Driftmark
Many fans do not like Alicent, but even her detractors have to admit that she is one of the show's most honorable characters. A lot of things happened in Episode 7, including an attack that never occurs in the book. When Alicent's youngest son loses his eye to Rhaenerya's son, she demands an eye in return.
When King Viserys refuses, she grabs his Valyrian Steel dagger and attempts to take the eye herself, but she ends up attacking Rhaenerya instead. This addition was well received because of all the tension, and the acting was stellar.
6 Laena Is Not Offered To King Viserys
When Queen Aemma died during childbirth, King Viserys was emotionally distraught, and it did not help that his Small Council insisted that he needed to re-marry quickly. Lord Corlys Velaryon attempted to take advantage of this situation by offering his daughter Laena to the King.
Strategically, this was the perfect match, but Viserys did not want to marry a literal child out of duty, so he decided to marry Alicent out of love instead. Corlys was angered by the decision, left the Small Council, and started the war in the Stepstones. In the book, Corlys never proposes such a marriage. In fact, he is not even part of Viserys' Council.
5 Laena's Death Was Less Emotional In The Book
Laena Velaryon quickly became yet another fan-favorite, which is why Episode 6 is so hard to watch. Following the time skip, Laena is married to Daemon and pregnant with their third child, and they are both in Pentos with their daughters.
Laena became a dragon rider and bonded with Vhagar. There were complications during the birth, and it became clear that Laena was going to die, so she went to Vhagar and ordered the dragon to burn her. In the book, she wants to ride Vhagar one last time but dies before reaching her. This change made Laena's death more impactful and heart-wrenching.
4 The Introduction Of The Song Of Ice & Fire
For centuries, Westeros was divided into separate kingdoms that had their own kings, but that all changed when Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters flew from Dragonstone to begin the War of Conquest. As far as most book readers were concerned, Aegon conquered Westeros simply because he wanted to.
In the first episode of HOTD, Viserys tells Rhaenerya the true reason. Aegon had a dream about a great evil coming from the far north, an evil that would end humanity if Westeros was not united under House Targaryen. This is known as Aegon's Song of Ice & Fire, and it helps to place even more importance on the Targaryen bloodline, while also connecting HOTD with Game Of Thrones.
3 The Way Aemond Loses Is Eye Is Sightly Different
A lot of things happened in Episode 7, and the main conflict of that episode centered around Aemond Targaryen claiming Vhagar as his dragon. Laena's daughters were angry at Aemond for stealing the dragon from Rhaena, who planned on claiming Vhagar in memory of her late mother.
Aemond ends up fighting both daughters, as well as Jacaerys and Lucerys, Rhaenerya's oldest sons. This fight does happen in the book, but Laena's daughters are not involved. Joffrey was Rhaenerya's youngest son at the time, and he wanted Vhagar. It was only when Aemond hit him that Jace and Luc attacked. This change was seemingly done to make Aemond a more detestable character.
2 Alicent & Rhaenyra Were Never Friends
In the book, Rhaenyra and Alicent spend virtually no time together. In fact, they only start to interact with each other after King Viserys decides to marry Alicent. Rhaenyra and Alicent are not even the same age in the book, as Alicent is already in her teens when Viserys becomes king.
The show made it clear from the very beginning that Rhaenyra and Alicent are roughly the same age, and that they are actually very good friends. At first, this change seemed unnecessary, but it was the right call because it created far more depth between the characters and their relationship.
1 Rhaenys Never Crashes Aegon's Coronation
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The 9th episode of House of the Dragon revolved around the Greens usurping Rhaenyra's throne to install Aegon as king. The episode ended with Aegon being crowned in the Dragon Pit, but the celebration was cut short when Princess Rhaenys burst through the floor while riding her dragon, Meleys.
This all happened because the Greens decided to lock her in her chambers. Their hope was that Rhaenys would side with them. This entire sequence never happens in the book, as Rhaenys is not even in King's Landing when the coronation takes place. The scene does create a major contrivance, but it did give Rhaenys her own moment to shine.