10 differences between the ‘Game of Thrones’ series and the books

Warning: This article contains spoilers

Already missing the world of “Game of Thrones” after its smashing season finale? Fear not: author George R.R. Martin is the editor of a new collection, “Rogues,” which contains short fiction by Gillian Flynn (“Gone Girl”), Neil Gaiman (“The Ocean at the End of the Lane”) and a new “GoT” story from Martin himself, concerning the story of another Targaryen family member.

And then there are the original books: if you haven’t tackled them yet, you’ve got 10 months to do it (and you’ll need it; have you seen the size of those things?). Plus, you may learn some new and startling disparities between them and the HBO series.

Just for starters, here are 10 differences between the page and the screen.

Hound’s injuries

In the books, when the Hound is wounded in a fight, his cut gets infected, rather than healing as it does in the show. Eventually, the infection is what leaves him near death, and begging Arya to kill him — not injuries incurred from being knocked off a cliff by Brienne of Tarth.

Ramsay Bolton’s hunting game

Ramsay Bolton’s atrocities are worse in the books than they are in the show (if you can believe it). The hunting of a servant woman shown on HBO is a regular game for him, and there’s a lot more “flaying alive” than is shown or even alluded to on the show.

Daenerys does without Strong Belwas

In the books, Daenerys has another memorable guardian in her ensemble: Strong Belwas. He’s a more articulate version of Hodor: enormous, mighty and simple. As a fan favorite, it’s somewhat surprising not to see him here.

Hound and Sansa are besties in the book

There’s a closer bond between the Hound and Sansa in the books. In the first book, the Hound tells Sansa about how his face was disfigured when his older brother, Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane, thought he had stolen his toy and pressed the Hound’s face into the fire.

Daenerys and Cersei’s rapes

In the first book, Daenerys is not raped by her new husband, Khal Drogo, as she is in the show. Likewise, the controversial scene in Season 4 of the show, in which Jaime rapes Cersei in the church next to the body of their son, King Joffrey, is consensual in the book.

Stannis’ daughter is without her creepy companion

Stannis’ daughter, who’s locked in a tower due to her withered face, has a court-jester type companion named Patchface — named for the tattoos on his face — who’s constantly singing creepy, ominous jingles. This character has yet to appear on the show.

Reek is M.I.A.

Another missing character on the show: the original Reek, from whom the name for the post-torture Theon was taken. Reek, named for his extreme body odor, was a murderous psychopath who served House Bolton; at one point, Ramsay poses as Reek and is taken to Winterfell, where he’s imprisoned and, eventually, befriended by Theon — who only learns of the switch when Bolton’s army arrives and captures Winterfell, taking Theon prisoner.

Joffrey isn’t as heinous

Joffrey’s villainy is slightly less extreme in the books: He never rapes and tortures prostitutes, nor does he order the murder of his father’s bastard children in King’s Landing (Cersei does this).

Robb Stark’s other wife

The Robb Stark in the books marries a different character: Lady Jeyne Westerling, a teenager he meets during a siege of Lannister territory. She’s not a war nurse like the show’s character, Talisa, and we don’t hear very much of her.