The Last of Us season two ended on a mighty cliffhanger on Sunday as Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) fate hung in the balance.
Following some shocking character deaths, the episode cut away to a flashback of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) waking up on a couch with a book on her stomach.
While the antagonist’s reading material might have passed some viewers by, others noticed that her book had a subtle significance to another massive HBO title.
The book on Abby’s lap is titled Thieves of the City by Ben Davidoff. It’s a fictional title and a play on David Benioff’s 2008 book City of Thieves — a World War II coming-of-age novel set during the Siege of Leningrad.
Benioff is best known as the co-showrunner (alongside D.B. Weiss) of all eight seasons of Game of Thrones.
“Idk [I don’t know] who else noticed this but in this finale of #TheLastOfUs Abby is reading Thieves of the City by Ben Davidoff which is clearly a fun nod to another big name in HBO programming and his book,” one eagle-eyed fan shared on X.
idk who else noticed this but in this finale of #TheLastOfUs Abby is reading “Thieves of the City” by Ben Davidoff which is clearly a fun nod to another big name in HBO programming and his book pic.twitter.com/B3UwAI43ak
— Steve (@ScubaSteve1219) May 26, 2025
In the original video game on which The Last of Us is based, Abby is seen reading City of Thieves as a deliberate nod to its author. The game director confirmed in a 2012 interview that the book was one of the inspirations behind the project.
There’s another nod to Benioff’s book waiting for The Last of Us viewers next season, too. Lev — a young boy born to a Seraphite mother — teams up with Abby for a large portion of The Last of Us: Part II. Lev is also the name of one of the main characters in City of Thieves.
The young Seraphite was voiced by Ian Alexander in the games; however, the casting choice for the HBO adaptation has yet to be announced.
The Last of Us has several other notable connections to Game of Thrones. Both of its stars — Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal — shot to fame via the fantasy series, though their characters’ paths never crossed.
Pascal played Prince Oberyn Martell, who met a notoriously grisly fate at the hands of The Mountain in season four. Meanwhile, Ramsey played Lady Lyanna Mormont, one of Jon Snow’s key allies in the North.
Mark Mylod, who directed six episodes of Game of Thrones, also directed season two, episode two of The Last of Us.
The Last of Us season two’s seventh and final episode divided fans.
“I finished watching The Last of Us season two and Jesus Christ this is the most lacklustre disappointing season I've ever seen. The finale felt rushed at the end,” complained one.
However, another wrote on X: “I thought 49 minutes was gonna be rushed but it was actually perfect. Has some of the most epic scenes I’ve seen on tv... Perfect ending.”
Although a third season has been confirmed by HBO, a release date has yet to be announced.
Showrunner Craig Mazin hinted that there could be a fourth season of the show in the future.
Speaking to Collider, he explained that “there’s no way to complete this narrative in a third season. Hopefully, we’ll earn our keep enough to come back and finish it in a fourth.”
