George R.R. Martin warns that Game of Thrones will deviate from the books

A new season of one of the greatest modern TV shows, Game of Thrones, will be here in 2 short months and excitement is only ramping up. You may have seen the IMAX screening of the last two episodes to prepare you for what's to come, but according to author George R.R. Martin, even those fluent with the books will have to stay on their toes. Writers of the TV show, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, will evidently deviate a bit from the books in that more characters will meet a grisly demise this coming season. Check out what Martin had to say below!

George R.R. on how season 5 will deviate from the books:

People are going to die who don’t die in the books, so even the book readers will be unhappy. So everybody better be on their toes. David (Benioff) and D.B. (WeisS) are even bloodier than I am.

Regarding how many seasons there may be:

Not really certain yet. This is the fifth season, the sixth season HBO picked up last year. We will have a 7th, 8th or 9th, no one knows. They only renew one or two seasons at a time. After we do season 6, maybe we’ll get a renewal for 7th and 8th. That all depends, Television is a very changeable medium.

On being the hottest show on TV and the two books that are left:

Yeah, it’s the hottest show on TV now, but will it be the hottest show on TV two years from now? Hot shows come and go and television changes, and I’ve lived through that before. I certainly hope that we get to tell the entire story. Because whatever happens with the show I’m going to finish the books, it will be seven books. But each of these books are 1500 pages long and they each have enough material in them for several seasons. I have two more books, the one I’m writing right now, ‘The Winds Of Winter,’ and after that the last book, ‘The Dream of Spring,’ so those will be the two final books. But we’re talking 3000 pages of material. How many seasons that translates too? That’s up to D.B. And David.

I've read the first book in the infamous "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, but I decided early on that HBO has done such a great job with the series, that I'd prefer to experience it that way. I'd even argue that the show has thus far improved upon the books with the inclusion of more profanity and nudity (thank the Gods). As opposed to most TV shows (or stories for that matter), Thrones is one of the few that's actually ballsy enough to really do something with its characters. I've always been on the edge of my seat with this show and I hope that momentum continues through season 5!

Season 5 of Game of Thrones hits HBO on April 12, 2015.