House of the Dragon Season 2’s Biggest Changes to the Book, Ranked

Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2.

Like its predecessor, House of the Dragon‘s second season is largely faithful to its source text, Fire & Blood – yet it still takes plenty of liberties! We’ve rounded-up House of the Dragon Season 2’s biggest changes below, ranked by the extent to which they deviate from the book.

Related: Does House of the Dragon Season 2’s Finale Tie Into A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?

5. Admiral Lohar’s Gender

Your mileage will vary on this one. It’s certainly true that Admiral Sharako Lohar is described as a man in Fire & Blood, whereas in House of the Dragon Season 2, the Triarchy fleet’s commander is a woman. That said, Lohar’s live-action gender arguably has little impact on her role in the story, which has so far played out broadly the same as what’s described in the book. She still heads up the Triarchy armada the Green Targaryen camp enlists to smash the Black Targaryens’ blockade, just like in Fire & Blood. Plus, Lohar’s use of he/him pronouns – her way of navigating House of the Dragon‘s patriarchal society – means that (like her book counterpart) she’s referred to as a guy, anyway!

4. The Blood and Cheese Tragedy

The Blood and Cheese tragedy is one of Fire & Blood‘s most shocking plot points. It’s pretty disturbing on the small screen too, although showrunner Ryan Condal and director Alan Taylor softened its impact somewhat. While the book and show versions of Blood and Cheese both culminate in hired sword Blood hacking off poor l’il Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen’s head, the build-up and aftermath are very different.

For example, Queen Helaena Targaryen unsuccessfully offers up her younger son Maelor in Fire & Blood; in the House of the Dragon Season 2, she willingly surrenders Jaehaerys to spare his twin sister, Jaehaera (Maelor’s not in the show). TV Helaena also barges in on her mother, Alicent, doing the deed with Ser Criston Cole after Jaehaerys’ death – another deviation from the book.

Related: How Many Seasons of House of the Dragon Will There Be?

3. Otto Hightower’s Imprisonment

One of the more surprising teases during House of the Dragon Season 2’s closing montage is Ser Otto Hightower’s current whereabouts. After going AWOL midway through the second season, ol’ Otto turns up in a dungeon. Who took him prisoner and where are they holding him? That’s a mystery for Season 3 to answer. Fire & Blood‘s no help, since Otto’s stint as a jailbird isn’t in the book! So, wherever the one-time Hand of the King’s story is headed next, it’s entirely the invention of Condal and his team. As changes go, that’s pretty substantial.

2. The Dragonseed Subplot

In fairness, House of the Dragon Season 2 stays true to the general gist of Fire & Blood‘s dragonseed storyline. In both, the Black Targaryen side needs more dragon riders, so they recruit a bunch of bastards with Valyrian heritage; those who survive enter the fold. But once again, the specifics vary wildly between Fire & Blood and its HBO adaptation.

Hugh Hammer being closely related to King Viserys I and Prince Daemon Targaryen? Ulf White claiming to be? None of this is in Fire & Blood. Meanwhile, the book’s fourth dragonseed character, Nettles, is missing altogether! What’s more, the Season 2 finale’s closing montage seemingly confirms that Rhaena Targaryen has replaced Nettles in House of the Dragon. Ryan Condal remains coy on the subject, but if Nettles really is out, it’ll have major repercussions for Season 3.

Related: House of the Dragon: Do the Season 2 Finale’s Prophecies Come True?

1. Daemon Targaryen’s Vision of the Future

The House of the Dragon Season 2 finale’s most memorable sequence sees Daemon Targaryen touch a heart tree and witness Westeros’ future (complete with Game of Thrones cameos). And you guessed it: there’s no record of this happening in Fire & Blood.

Yes, Daemon’s companion Alys Rivers potentially has prophetic abilities in the book, however, she’s not depicted sharing them with the Rogue Prince. As a result, Fire & Blood‘s Daemon doesn’t develop his live-action self’s fear of the White Walkers’ (eventual) invasion, either. So, his big “bending the knee” moment with Rhaenyra in the finale? That’s exclusive to House of the Dragon.

And while we’re at it, the same goes for Helaena’s seer-like powers: they’re something Condal and his writers’ room cooked up. Fire & Blood author George R.R. Martin said as much in a recent blog post (although he’s cool with House of the Dragon‘s take on Helaena). In the book, it’s Alys who foresees Prince Aemond Targaryen’s fateful journey to the God’s Eye, not Helaena.

House of the Dragon Season 2 is currently streaming on HBO and Max.