George R.R. Martin says House of the Dragon Season 2 is “gut-wrenching”

George R.R. Martin has seen the first two episodes of House of the Dragon Season 2 – and he’s warned fans that it’s going to make us all cry.

Based on Fire and Blood, House of the Dragon chronicles the infamous Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war that brought the seemingly impenetrable dynasty to its knees.

Set 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen and the death of the Mad King, the first season saw Westeros’ royal family split into two factions: Rhaenyra Targaryen and the Blacks, and Alicent Hightower and the Greens, with the previous finale’s jaw-dropping death kicking off a catastrophic war between kings.

If you’ve read the book, you’ll know Season 2 could deliver some of the show’s most shocking moments to date (for example, Blood and Cheese), and Martin has cautioned viewers that its opening episodes will be particularly “dark.”

George R.R. Martin issues warning about House of the Dragon Season 2

In a new post on his website, Martin wrote about his recent visit to London, where he visited the set of the series and met up with its showrunner Ryan Condal. “Of course… I also spent three days with HOUSE OF THE DRAGON. Starting with a visit to the studio where HOTD is being shot,” his post reads.

“All I have to say about that is… ohmigod! I am no stranger to film sets. I have worked off and on in television and film since 1986, where I joined the staff of the TWILIGHT ZONE revival at CBS. I still recall the rush where I saw them building Stonehenge on the sound stage behind my office, for an episode I’d written. And of course I visited the GAME OF THRONES shoots in Belfast, Scotland, Morocco, and Malta. Those were incredible too. But nothing I have ever seen can compare with the Red Keep and Dragonstone sets they have built at Leavesden Studios in London.

“HUGE, stunning, and so damned real that I felt as if I had gone through a time portal to medieval Westeros. I love castles and have visited dozens of actual medieval castles, keeps, and towers in my time, and none of the real castles I’ve ever seen can hold a candle… or a torch… to our Red Keep.”

While Martin was impressed by the second season’s production design, the highlight of his trip was the “sneak preview” of the first two episodes, even if they were “rough cuts.”

“Of course, I am hardly objective when talking about anything based on my own work… but I have to say, I thought both episodes were just great. (And they are not even finished yet). Dark, mind you. Very dark.   They may make you cry. (I did not cry myself, but one of my friends did). Powerful, emotional, gut-wrenching, heart-rending. Just the sort of thing I like. (What can I say?  I was weaned on Shakespeare, and love the tragedies and history plays best of all),” he wrote.

House of the Dragon Season 2 will premiere on HBO in summer 2024. Find out more here.