It’s time to make a decision—time to pick a side. Game of Thrones season 6 is coming out in April, and it’s the first season that is almost totally ahead of the books. The sixth book isn’t out yet, and while there are vague intimations that the Winds of Winter release date could come as early as mid-next-season, there’s nothing concrete. So, book fans, we’ve got to make the call. Do we watch Game of Thrones season 6, even without the books?
Should Book Lovers Watch Game Of Thrones Season 6?
At this point, odds are very low that Winds of Winter comes out before Game of Thrones season 6 starts. Odds are quite low that it will come out during the season. A release date later in 2016 is certainly doable from a publishing standpoint, and totally depends on George R. R. Martin. But there’s no way us book fans are going to be caught up once the show returns.
The case against watching Game of Thrones season 6 is simple: The books have always been better and they represent the canonical vision. Watching the show first can potentially taint that, and it can certainly spoil the books. The show tells an increasingly diverging story, though, and that makes it harder to tell what’s a book spoiler or just an inane choice by the production team. Does that make things better for book readers, or does it just give us the illusion of hope when it comes to Stannis and others?
The case for watching Game of Thrones season 6 is two-fold: First, that the show is so different now that it doesn’t ruin the books. Second, that if you don’t watch the show, you’ll get spoiled anyway. These are somewhat mutually exclusive, and your own attitude toward spoilers comes deeply into play here. Do you want to see some spoilers, even if you aren’t sure which spoilers are spoilers? Or do you want to just avoid it all?
Truth is, though, Game of Thrones season 6 is just the beginning of this problem. There’s still two more seasons to come, and no way in hell that George R. R. Martin will have A Dream of Spring ready in time. So you have to make a decision now. Will Game of Thrones conclude without you watching it? Will you wait for years to know the real ending? I know my answer: I swore I wouldn't watch the next season. But I lied (to myself). I will. I'd get spoiled anyway. The show and the books are totally different. That can be the only real answer. I just don't care anymore.
