The season five finale of HBO's Game of Thrones seemed to leave little doubt: Stannis Baratheon is dead. Though it wasn't shown on screen, we last see him at the tip of Brienne's sword, his army crushed and defeated by the Boltons.
The episode's director has since confirmed that Stannis is very much dead. However, while Stannis may have met his end on the show, he appears to be alive and well in George R.R. Martin's novels.
Martin has confirmed as much in a nonchalant reply on his LiveJournal "Not A Blog."
"alright mr Martin, lets cut the crap, is stannis alive or dead," asks the fan, to which Martin simply replies, "In my books? Alive, beyond a doubt."
That's because events in the novels and the HBO show have continued to play out much differently. In Martin's latest novel, A Dance with Dragons, Stannis marches on Winterfell to do battle with the Boltons in hopes of taking full control of the North. Like in the show, his army is beaten down by heavy snow. Stannis does not, however, sacrifice his daughter by burning her at the stake, hoping for a miracle from the Lord of Light.
It should go without saying that Brienne doesn't show up during the battle to end Stannis' life, either. In fact, we don't get to see the outcome of the battle at all. It all happens off page. Jon Snow receives a letter after the fact, claiming to be from Ramsay Bolton, which states that Stannis is dead and his army defeated. However, Ramsay has been known to play tricks before, so it's always best not to take him for his word.
Also different from the show is the fact that Melisandre and Davos are never with Stannis during his march on Winterfell. Davos is in White Harbor, looking to build an alliance with the Manderlys, while Melisandre stays behind at Castle Black, along with Stannis' daughter Shireen.
Until Martin's next novel, The Winds of Winter, arrives, fans will just have to wait to learn the truth behind Stannis' current situation. Seven hells.
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