WARNING! THE FOLLOWING PRESS RELEASE CONTAINS GAME OF THRONES SPOILERS

Red Wedding buzz sees surge in Game of Thrones book sales

Sales of George R. R Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series have surged dramatically following the airing of one of the most shocking scenes in television history.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

‘The Rains of Castamere,’ the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones’ third season, featured the brutal deaths of two beloved characters in the Red Wedding massacre.

With the finale screening on Monday and a long wait between seasons looming, TV fans have turned to the books for their Thrones fix. Sales of the series overall have risen considerably since the Red Wedding aired in Australia last week.

Game of Thrones, the first book in the Song of Ice and Fire series increased sales by 50 per cent in the week following the episode, while parts 1 and 2 of A Storm of Swords – the books adapted for the third season of the show – also saw significant jumps according to Nielsen BookScan figures.

“We’re continually impressed by the sales of this fantastic series,” says HarperCollins sales director Darren Kelly. “HBO’s brilliant adaptation has helped find a whole new readership, particularly amongst those who might never have read anything in this genre before.”

The Red Wedding massacre sees the death of Catelyn and Rob Stark, two of the series’ protagonists. On the show, Rob’s pregnant wife is also murdered.

The scene stunned viewers worldwide when it aired last week, with fans and media responses flooding the internet. A YouTube compilation of people reacting to the scene has already received more than 8.3 million hits.

Author George R.R Martin will be in Australia this November as a special guest of pop culture expo Supanova.