20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Never Knew About Game Of Thrones

12. Composite Characters Are Rife

One for non-book viewers here. The books are such imposing tomes that once you're up-to-date with the series it's easy to feel they're not worth the effort, but there's a lot in A Song Of Ice And Fire that enriches the TV viewing experience. There's obviously a lot of changes made to ensure the sprawling narrative works as episodic television, with various events presented out of order or otherwise altered for dramatic effect (Robb's wife wasn't at the Red Wedding in the books). In broad terms, however, things are pretty much the same, with things omitted or added, making the changes stand out more for those au fait with the material. The strangest changes are the number of composite characters. Ros, the prominent prostitute in the first couple of seasons, is a mix of numerous book characters, while Gendry is an amalgamation of two of King Robert's bastards - in the books Gendry only fills the role of Arya's friend, with the object of Stannis' plot being another illegitimate son, Eric Storm.