George RR Martin has revealed that he got to watch a “rough cut” of an episode of upcoming Game of Thrones spin-off, House of the Dragon, and said he “loved it”.

The new series is is based on Martin’s 2018 novel Fire & Blood and follows the Targaryen family in Westeros with the story taking place 300 years before the events of GoT.

Taking to his blog, the 73-year-old expressed his delight at House of the Dragon topping a list on IMDB as the “most anticipated show” of 2022.

He also teased that he had got a sneak peek of House of the Dragon, writing: “Also… mum’s the word now, don’t tell anyone… I’ve seen a rough cut of the first episode. And loved it.”

Commending executive producers Ryan J Condal and Miguel Sapochnik for doing “an amazing job,” he said of the writing: “It’s dark, it’s powerful, it’s visceral… just the way I like my epic fantasy.”

Praising the cast, which includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, and Olivia Cooke as Alice Hightower, he said: “Just as with Game of Thrones, most viewers will only have heard of a few of the actors, but I think you are going to fail in love with a lot of them. (Only to have your heart broken later when… but no, that would be telling.)”