7 Things A Song Of Ice And Fire Did Better Than Game Of Thrones
3. Histories And Lore
The story of the World of Ice and Fire has been going on long before the opening chapter of A Game of Thrones. Martin uses his world's rich history to bring it to life, with events we'll never see, such as The Dance of Dragons, The (first) Long Night, and Aegon's Conquest, not only referenced but explained in depth. Martin has written so much lore that he's been able to publish several spin-off books, each telling a piece of the history of Westeros.
However, most of these details are lost in translation when it comes to the show. The characters rarely talk about their history, and when they do, it's usually in passing. Though HBO's DVD release included "Histories and Lore," animated explanations of various Westerosi artifacts and events, it's not the same as discovering them alongside the main story.