Fans have an incredibly strange relationship with author George R.R. Martin. To love his work, one must exist in a spectrum where they are simultaneously willing to defend him at any cost and loathe him for his insistence on putting his time and effort into things other than his “Song of Ice and Fire” novel series.

One of those distractions is the TV adaptation of “House of the Dragon,” the second such adaptation of Martin’s works coming from HBO. “Game of Thrones” was a major success for the partnership, notwithstanding the controversy over the show’s ending. But “House of the Dragon” has been plagued with behind-the-scenes strife between Martin and showrunner Ryan Condal, and fans have mostly closed ranks behind the author to castigate the changes Condal has made to the source material when bringing it to screen. Will that trend continue in Season 3? I don’t know, but I’m quite excited to find out when the season premieres on June 21.

“House of the Dragon” takes place 200 years before the events of “Game of Thrones,” and 100 years after Aegon the Conqueror landed in Westeros with his three dragons to unite the Seven Kingdoms in fire and blood. The series follows Aegon’s descendants, the ruling Targaryen family.

After decades of peace, a dispute over the inheritance of the Iron Throne has split the Targaryens, and with them the Seven Kingdoms. On one side is Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, her father’s firstborn child. On the other is Aegon II, Rhaenyra’s younger half-brother. Their war for the throne has taken a huge toll on the realm by Season 3, with more bloody battles to come.

Those who have read Martin’s fictional chronicle “Fire & Blood” know there are some major battles (and major deaths) on the way in Season 3, which will come as good news for many. Season 2 of the show was criticized for its slow pacing and comparative lack of action when placed up against Season 1, but if the Season 3 trailer is any indication, the pattern is about to break.

Watch the final trailer for ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3

Then there’s the Martin and Condal of it all. In recent months, Martin has called his relationship with the showrunner “abysmal,” and many fans have agreed with the author that Condal has made unnecessary changes to the original work in adapting it for television.

But if Condal wows with the third season of “House of the Dragon,” fan sentiment could easily swing back against Martin. Condal doesn’t have much time to win viewers back; there isn’t a ton of “House of the Dragon” story left after Season 3, and Season 4 has already been confirmed as the show’s last.

While all of that is interesting enough to follow as the “House of the Dragon” Season 3 premiere date draws nearer, I’m also incredibly excited to see the cast reinhabit their roles. Emma D’Arcy (Rhaenyra), Matt Smith (Daemon Targaryen), Rhys Ifans (Otto Hightower), Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon), Olivia Cooke (Alicent Hightower), Tom Glynn-Carney (Aegon II), and Fabien Frankel (Ser Criston Cole) are some of my favorite performers in the series, but I would be hard-pressed to think of any actors who don’t do an incredible job in the show.

There’s a lot riding on “House of the Dragon” Season 3, especially as HBO is looking to adapt other content from the world of Westeros. I’m fascinated to see what the show achieves in the eight-episode season, and whether it can win back upset fans. “House of the Dragon” Season 3 premieres at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, June 21.

House of the Dragon

August 21, 2022

The Targaryen dynasty is at the absolute apex of its power, with more than 15 dragons under their yoke. Most empires crumble from such heights. In the case of the Targaryens, their slow fall begins when King Viserys breaks with a century of tradition by naming his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne. But when Viserys later fathers a son, the court is shocked when Rhaenyra retains her status as his heir, and seeds of division sow friction across the realm.