George R.R. Martin Confirms His 'Game of Thrones' Ending is Different Than the Show

The petition angry Game of Thrones fans signed after the divisive final season aired in spring of last year might have been ignored by HBO, but the author of the original A Song of Ice and Fire book series, George R.R. Martin, has seemingly heard your cries.

The world renowned fantasy novelist sat down with Welt and officially announced that his final two books in the saga will end differently than the television adaptation. Esquire reports that, while the 71-year-old author was still very “George” about giving a straight answer, he did reveal that he will get to finish his beloved story the way he has always envisioned, without the sway of the big network.

“People know an ending—but not the ending," Martin teased. "The makers of the TV show had overtaken me, which I didn't expect.”

Though Martin admits he was pressured by show creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff to conclude the award winning show in a particular way, he does empathize with the restrictions they were forced to deal with. Much of the criticism about Season 8 of the show was that it felt rushed, confusing, and that it betrayed certain character arcs—constraints that Martin will not have to worry about.

GoT fans might’ve felt shorted by the show’s end, but luckily Martin still has a chance to right HBO’s wrongs.