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Don't expect Game of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin to change what has already happened in his books - "I don't like retcons" and "I don't like reboots"

The Game of Thrones author isn't interested in changing up what he has already established in the series so far.

News by Ashley V. Robinson, Popverse video producer

Additional contributions by Trent Cannon

Published on Thu Nov 13 2025

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The literary world has several obsessions, but one of the biggest is the A Song of Ice and Fire series. Ever since Game of Thrones became one of the most talked-about shows in TV history, people have been desperate to find out what happens next in the books and how it differs from the show. We’re still waiting for Winds of Winter, but one thing that George R. R. Martin isn’t likely to do is retcon what he’s already established.

“I hate retcons,” George R. R. Martin told Popverse’s Ashley Victoria Robinson at New York Comic Con 2025. “I don’t like reboots. You know, I’m… following a character or a superhero or something for years, sometimes decades, and then they come and say, ‘Oh, no, none of that stuff actually happened. We’re just going to start the whole thing all over again.’ That always annoys the hell out of me.”

While he didn’t mention his books in the interview, we can expect George R. R. Martin’s disdain for continuity changes to mean that he’s sticking to what he’s already established in the A Song of Ice and Fire books that are already out. Considering the epic size of them and the sheer number of characters running around in Westeros, it probably explains why the new book is taking so long to write. It can take a lot just to keep all that lore straight after so many years.

This wasn’t George R. R. Martin’s first trip to NYCC. In fact, he was there for the very first one – and shared a little bit about how much the show has changed over the years with us.

Here's how to watch all the big panels from New York Comic Con 2025.

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Ashley V. Robinson: Ashley Victoria Robinson is a Canadian hobbit now living in the United States. She is a Popverse Video Producer. You may know her as the host of the Geek History Lesson podcast (alongside Jason Inman), and was even the face of Twitter marketing for podcasters.