George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones) gave fans some much-needed updates regarding the upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon.  According to a recent update to his personal blog, Martin said he has seen much of the first season and that he is amply pleased with the progress of the show. The post goes even further to include added input regarding other shows, novels, and culture.

Martin, an executive producer on House of the Dragon and writer of the source material for the entire Game of Thrones storyline, had the following to say about the new show’s completed episodes:

“I saw rough cuts of a couple more episodes of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, and was just as pleased as I was with the earlier episodes. Ryan and Miguel and their cast and crew are doing great work. Those of you who like complex, conflicted, grey characters (as I do) will like this series, I think. There will be plenty of dragons and battles, to be sure, but the spine of the story is the human conflicts, the love and the hate, character drama rather than action/ adventure.”

The highly anticipated series is based on Martin’s novel Fire & Blood, which takes place before the events of the main series. His ongoing progress on his novel continuing the main storyline, Martin also catches fans up to speed, saying:

“THE WINDS OF WINTER is going to be a big book. The way it is going, it could be bigger than A STORM OF SWORDS or A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, the longest books in the series to date. I do usually cut and trim once I finish, but I need to finish first.”

The new series is set to premiere on August 21.