Fans of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books are in for a rude awakening. By the end of the upcoming fifth season of HBO's Game of Thrones, the series will catch up to the books — meaning that every season thereafter will spoil anything they might read in the future.

Of course, none of this should come as a surprise. Most of Martin's fans realize that he's notoriously slow in releasing new "Thrones" books, but those who want to avoid spoilers at all costs should stop watching the series now.

Knowing Martin's writing schedule, the show's producers and writers met with the author to get a general idea of where the story will go. They'll undoubtedly still have to make up a lot along the way.

"Luckily, we've been talking about this with George for a long time, ever since we saw this could happen, and we know where things are heading," said Game of Thrones showrunner David Benioff.

"And so we'll eventually, basically, meet up at pretty much the same place where George is going; there might be a few deviations along the route, but we're heading towards the same destination."

The new season of Game of Thrones will catch up to the last book written by Martin in the series, A Dance With Dragons. After that, all bets are off. Martin recently canceled appearances at cons to work on his next book, The Winds of Winter, even teasing that it could be done by this summer. It's nevertheless unlikely that readers will be able to read it this year.

So fans of the book series have one of two options: stop watching the show and wait for the books — something that would require a lot of patience. Or, watch the show, which will feature abridged versions of the book's happenings — and then read the books later. But will fans read the final books at all if they already know how things turn out? Benioff seems to think so.

"I think the thing that's kind of fun for George is the idea that he can still have surprises for people even once they've watched the show through to the conclusion," said Benioff.

"There are certain things that are going to happen in the books that are different in the show, and I think people who love the show and want more – want to know more about the characters, want to know more about the different characters who might not have made the cut for the show – will be able to turn to the books."

The Game of Thrones Season 5 premiere airs on HBO on April 12.

Photo Credit: HBO

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