Game Of Thrones: 11 Most Unforgivable Cuts From The Books

Game of Thrones is a phenomenally popular show that manages to incorporate original fantasy elements, political intrigue, and a whole lot of gratuitous nudity in a surprisingly cohesive fashion. Of course, the HBO hit is helped along by the fact that it is based upon a remarkably nuanced book series entitled "A Song of Ice and Fire." Unfortunately for readers, however, the textual nuances that have aided in the establishment of three-dimensional characters on the program come neither quickly nor simply; by this point, the series feels almost out of control. What began as an intended trilogy of books has expanded drastically since A Game of Thrones was published in 1996, and there is some doubt that it's possible for author George R. R. Martin to wrap up all of the plots in the span of the two final books. With waits between instalments long enough to put even the most rabid Harry Potter fans to shame, the danger of the show overtaking the published materials grows more and more imminent. Season 4 already has nervous readers wondering if the producers are veering into spoilers for the sixth and seventh books or merely taking greater artistic liberties than ever. Not that Game of Thrones is particularly uncomfortable with artistic liberties. With each book filled with an ever-expanding variety of characters, sigils, places, and names, it's understandable that there have been a lot of cuts in the television adaptation. Would fans have loved to see Strong Belwas' scars and hear Hot Pie's war cry? Sure. But the story had to be trimmed somewhere. Still, some of the cuts are so major that it's almost hard to believe that the producers have actually read the source material. Other cuts are less influential to the overall plot, but would have been so incredibly easy to incorporate that it's difficult to overlook their absence. So, here are the 11 most painfully, heartbreakingly, frustratingly unforgivable cuts from the books to the show.