Game of Thrones Season 4 came to a close mere days ago, which means it’s not to soon to start talking about Season 5. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss talk about where we’re headed in the fifth season, the source material they will be drawing from, and why it should be the strongest season yet.

Benioss and Weiss admit that after finishing a season they start to get nervous about the next. After Season 3 it would seem hard to top the Red Wedding, but their nerves evaporated as they got further into the development of Season 4. They say that they’re experiencing the same feelings now, as they delve deeper into Season 5. “For season 5, again, the fear started to dissipate when we outlined it and realized how much story we had to tell. Now that we’re nearly finished with the first drafts of each episode, we see no reason why the coming season shouldn’t be the strongest yet.”

With some characters on the television adaptation having already reached the end of their so-far published storyline, many are wondering how far the fifth season will extend into the two remaining books, and if the television series will continue to diverge from Martin’s written work.

Benioff and Weiss reveal, “We have talked to George extensively about where he’s going with the books, and will continue to do so. His books are the blueprint for the world we’re building. Ultimately the show needs to work on its own terms, and keep on moving. Our job is to square that necessity with George’s work to the best of our ability.

We’re not going in strict order because we can’t. We can’t adapt Feast and leave out half our characters. We’ll be drawing heavily from Feast and Dance in season 5.”

So what exactly can we expect in Season 5?