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Learn the History of the Targaryens in this EPIC BOOK!Ray's Reviews

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George R. R. Martin

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Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones (The Targaryen Dynasty: The House of the Dragon) Kindle Edition

by George R. R. Martin (Author), Doug Wheatley (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition

31,695

Related to: A Song of Ice and Fire

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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The history of the Targaryens comes to life in this masterly work, the inspiration for HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon

“The thrill of Fire & Blood is the thrill of all Martin’s fantasy work: familiar myths debunked, the whole trope table flipped.”—Entertainment Weekly

Centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones, House Targaryen—the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria—took up residence on Dragonstone. Fire & Blood begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart.

What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why was it so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What were Maegor the Cruel’s worst crimes? What was it like in Westeros when dragons ruled the skies? These are but a few of the questions answered in this essential chronicle, as related by a learned maester of the Citadel and featuring more than eighty black-and-white illustrations by artist Doug Wheatley. Readers have glimpsed small parts of this narrative in such volumes as The World of Ice & Fire, but now, for the first time, the full tapestry of Targaryen history is revealed.

With all the scope and grandeur of Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Fire & Blood is the first volume of the definitive two-part history of the Targaryens, giving readers a whole new appreciation for the dynamic, often bloody, and always fascinating history of Westeros.

Praise for Fire & Blood

“A masterpiece of popular historical fiction.” —The Sunday Times

“The saga is a rich and dark one, full of both the title’s promised elements. . . . It’s hard not to thrill to the descriptions of dragons engaging in airborne combat, or the dilemma of whether defeated rulers should ‘bend the knee,’ ‘take the black’ and join the Night’s Watch, or simply meet an inventive and horrible end.”—The Guardian

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November 20, 2018
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Of the five dragons who had flown with Aenar the Exile from Valyria, only one survived to Aegon’s day: the great beast called Balerion, the Black Dread. The dragons Vhagar and Meraxes were younger, hatched on Dragonstone itself.
Highlighted by 1,739 Kindle readers
From that day to this day, Torrhen Stark is remembered as the King Who Knelt…but no northman left his burned bones beside the Trident, and the swords Aegon collected from Lord Stark and his vassals were not twisted nor melted nor bent.
Highlighted by 1,614 Kindle readers
And Orys Baratheon he proclaimed to be “my shield, my stalwart, my strong right hand.” Thus Baratheon is reckoned by the maesters the first King’s Hand.
Highlighted by 1,468 Kindle readers

From the Publisher

game of thrones;gifts for geeks;gifts for dad;game of thrones gifts;george r. r. martin;GoT fans

Editorial Reviews

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“I love it so much. Fire & Blood is Martin Unbound . . . and I couldn’t put it down. . . . There’s an addictive quality to the prose that’s outright gossipy. . . . The obvious comparison here is J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion. . . . Writing centuries after the events he’s describing, the Gyldayn voice complicates this game of thrones with a clash of perspectives and a storm of debatable facts. . . . Heavy stuff, but Fire & Blood flies.”—Entertainment Weekly

“A brilliant book . . . vivid, memorable and personal.”—The Times

“Lean and efficient and slyly seductive and instructive . . . The text is filled with such a wealth of incident and so many colorful characters.”—Locus

“The overall narrative of the book is wonderfully fluid. . . . Fire & Blood was a great surprise to me. I found myself becoming deeply emotionally invested in the Targaryens, thrilling when they achieved great victories and lamenting when they succumbed to their more idiotic desires. (And they have a lot of idiotic desires.) This book feels like A Song of Ice and Fire. And you know how I know? Because I want the next book right away.” —Tordotcom

“An absolutely irresistible, dragon-filled delight.”—Bustle

“[There are] treasures hidden in this new Targaryen history.”—Vanity Fair

“The world of ice and fire only gets more fascinating the more we learn about it.”—Mashable

“Martin is still a powerfully gifted, inventive writer. . . . [Fire & Blood] has hundreds of fascinating anecdotes, ranging from the cruel fate of a jester named Tom Turnip to a dragon that, tellingly, refuses to venture beyond the Wall. . . . Fire & Blood is a lavish object, with charts, family trees, and stunning illustrations by comic book artist Doug Wheatley. . . . In this sense it fits into a venerable tradition, from J.R.R. Tolkien in his Silmarillion to Diana Gabaldon in her companion to the Outlander series.”—USA Today

“[Fire & Blood] explores the dragon-fueled secrets upon which the current saga is built.”—The Hollywood Reporter

“Martin has done it again. . . . [Fire & Blood is] a beautiful weaving of the wars, marriages, deaths, dragons, and politics that shape the world Martin has created, leaving the reader feeling like this is a true history rather than a piece of fantasy. This is a masterpiece of world-building. . . . Beyond Martin’s legions of fans, anyone with a taste for richly, even obsessively detailed historical fiction or fantasy about royalty will enjoy this extraordinary work.”—Booklist (starred review)

About the Author

George R. R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including those of the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire—A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons—as well as Tuf Voyaging, Fevre Dream, The Armageddon Rag, Dying of the Light, Windhaven (with Lisa Tuttle),and Dreamsongs Volumes I and II. He is also the creator of The Lands of Ice and Fire, a collection of maps featuring original artwork from illustrator and cartographer Jonathan Roberts, and The World of Ice & Fire, with Elio M. García, Jr., and Linda Antonsson. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Doug Wheatley is a comic book artist, concept designer, and illustrator who has worked on such properties and characters as Star Wars, Aliens, Superman, The Incredible Hulk, and Conan the Barbarian, to name just a few. Wheatley was the artist on the comic book adaptation of the film Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and contributed illustrations to The World of Ice & Fire.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Several years had passed since the king had last made a progress, so plans were laid in 58 AC for Jaehaerys and Alysanne to make their first visit to Winterfell and the North. Their dragons would be with them, of course, but beyond the Neck the distances were great and the roads poor, and the king had grown tired of flying ahead and waiting for his escort to catch up. This time, he decreed, his Kingsguard, servants, and retainers would go ahead of him, to make things ready for his arrival. And thus it was that three ships set sail from King’s Landing for White Harbor, where he and the queen were to make their first stop.

The gods and the Free Cities had other plans, however. Even as the king’s ships were beating their way north, envoys from Pentos and Tyrosh called upon His Grace in the Red Keep. The two cities had been at war for three years and were now desirous of making peace, but could not agree on where they might meet to discuss terms. The conflict had caused serious disruption to trade upon the narrow sea, to the extent that King Jaehaerys had offered both cities his help in ending their hostilities. After long discussion, the Archon of Tyrosh and the Prince of Pentos had agreed to meet in King’s Landing to settle their differences, provided that Jaehaerys would act as an intermediary between them, and guarantee the terms of any resulting treaty.

It was a proposal that neither the king nor his council felt he could refuse, but it would mean postponing His Grace’s planned progress to the North, and there was concern that the notoriously prickly Lord of Winterfell might take that for a slight. Queen Alysanne provided the solution. She would go ahead as planned, alone, whilst the king played host to the Prince and Archon. Jaehaerys could join her at Winterfell as soon as the peace had been concluded. And so it was agreed.

Queen Alysanne’s travels began in the city of White Harbor, where tens of thousands of northerners turned out to cheer her and gape at Silverwing with awe, and a bit of terror. It was the first time any of them had seen a dragon. The size of the crowds surprised even their lord. “I had not known there were so many smallfolk in the city,” Theomore Manderly is reported to have said. “Where did they all come from?”

The Manderlys were unique amongst the great houses of the North. Having originated in the Reach centuries before, they had found refuge near the mouth of the White Knife when rivals drove them from their rich lands along the Mander. Though fiercely loyal to the Starks of Winterfell, they had brought their own gods with them from the south, and still worshipped the Seven and kept the traditions of knighthood. Alysanne Targaryen, ever desirous of binding the Seven Kingdoms closer together, saw an opportunity in Lord Theomore’s famously large family, and promptly set about arranging marriages. By the time she took her leave, two of her ladies-in-waiting had been betrothed to his lordship’s younger sons and a third to a nephew; his eldest daughter and three nieces, meanwhile, had been added to the queen’s own party, with the understanding that they would travel south with her and there be pledged to suitable lords and knights of the king’s court.

Lord Manderly entertained the queen lavishly. At the welcoming feast an entire aurochs was roasted, and his lordship’s daughter Jessamyn acted as the queen’s cupbearer, filling her tankard with a strong northern ale that Her Grace pronounced finer than any wine she had ever tasted. Manderly also staged a small tourney in the queen’s honor, to show the prowess of his knights. One of the fighters (though no knight) was revealed to be a woman, a wildling girl who had been captured by rangers north of the Wall and given to one of Lord Manderly’s household knights to foster. Delighted by the girl’s daring, Alysanne summoned her own sworn shield, Jonquil Darke, and the wildling and the Scarlet Shadow dueled spear against sword whilst the northmen roared in approval.

A few days later, the queen convened her women’s court in Lord Manderly’s own hall, a thing hitherto unheard of in the North, and more than two hundred women and girls gathered to share their thoughts, concerns, and grievances with Her Grace.

After taking leave of White Harbor, the queen’s retinue sailed up the White Knife to its rapids, then proceeded overland to Winterfell, whilst Alysanne herself flew ahead on Silverwing. The warmth of her reception at White Harbor was not to be duplicated at the ancient seat of the Kings in the North, where Alaric Stark and his sons alone emerged to greet her when her dragon landed before his castle gates. Lord Alaric had a flinty reputation; a hard man, people said, stern and unforgiving, tight-fisted almost to the point of being niggardly, humorless, joyless, cold. Even Theomore Manderly, who was his bannerman, had not disagreed; Stark was well respected in the North, he said, but not loved. Lord Manderly’s fool had put it elsewise. “Methinks Lord Alaric has not moved his bowels since he was twelve.”

Her reception at Winterfell did nothing to disabuse the queen’s fears as to what she might expect from House Stark. Even before dismounting to bend the knee, Lord Alaric looked askance at Her Grace’s clothing and said, “I hope you brought something warmer than that.” He then proceeded to declare that he did not want her dragon inside his walls. “I’ve not seen Harrenhal, but I know what happened there.” Her knights and ladies he would receive when they got here, “and the king too, if he can find the way,” but they should not overstay their welcome. “This is the North, and winter is coming. We cannot feed a thousand men for long.” When the queen assured him that only a tenth that number would be coming, Lord Alaric grunted and said, “That’s good. Fewer would be even better.” As had been feared, he was plainly unhappy that King Jaehaerys had not deigned to accompany her, and confessed to being uncertain how to entertain a queen. “If you are expecting balls and masques and dances, you have come to the wrong place.”

Lord Alaric had lost his wife three years earlier. When the queen expressed regret that she had never had the pleasure of meeting Lady Stark, the northman said, “She was a Mormont of Bear Isle, and no lady by your lights, but she took an axe to a pack of wolves when she was twelve, killed two of them, and sewed a cloak from their skins. She gave me two strong sons as well, and a daughter as sweet to look upon as any of your southron ladies.”

When Her Grace suggested that she would be pleased to help arrange marriages for his sons to the daughters of great southern lords, Lord Stark refused brusquely. “We keep the old gods in the North,” he told the queen. “When my boys take a wife, they will wed before a heart tree, not in some southron sept.”

Alysanne Targaryen did not yield easily, however. The lords of the south honored the old gods as well as the new, she told Lord Alaric; most every castle that she knew had a godswood as well as a sept. And there were still certain houses that had never accepted the Seven, no more than the northmen had, the Blackwoods in the riverlands chief amongst them, and mayhaps as many as a dozen more. Even a lord as stern and flinty as Alaric Stark found himself helpless before Queen Alysanne’s stubborn charm. He allowed that he would think on what she said, and raise the matter with his sons.

The longer the queen stayed, the more Lord Alaric warmed to her, and in time Alysanne came to realize that not everything that was said of him was true. He was careful with his coin, but not niggardly; he was not humorless at all, though his humor had an edge to it, sharp as a knife; his sons and daughter and the people of Winterfell seemed to love him well enough. Once the initial frost had thawed, his lordship took the queen hunting after elk and wild boar in the wolfswood, showed her the bones of a giant, and allowed her to rummage as she pleased through his modest castle library. He even deigned to approach Silverwing, though warily. The women of Winterfell were taken by the queen’s charms as well, once they grew to know her; Her Grace became particularly close with Lord Alaric’s daughter, Alarra. When the rest of the queen’s party finally turned up at the castle gates, after struggling through trackless bogs and summer snows, the meat and mead flowed freely, despite the king’s absence.

Things were not going as well at King’s Landing, meanwhile. The peace talks dragged on far longer than anticipated, for the acrimony between the two Free Cities ran deeper than Jaehaerys had known. When His Grace attempted to strike a balance, both sides accused him of favoring the other. Whilst the Prince and the Archon dickered, fights began to break out between their men across the city, in inns, brothels, and wine sinks. A Pentoshi guardsman was set upon and killed, and three nights later the Archon’s own galley was set afire where she was docked. The king’s departure was delayed and delayed again.

In the North, Queen Alysanne grew restless with waiting, and decided to take her leave of Winterfell for a time and visit the men of the Night’s Watch at Castle Black. The distance was not negligible, even flying; Her Grace landed at the Last Hearth and several smaller keeps and holdfasts on her way, to the surprise and delight of their lords, whilst a portion of her tail scrambled after her (the rest remained at Winterfell).

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07C6TBTV3
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bantam (November 20, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 20, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 95565 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 801 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0593598016

Best Sellers Rank: #13,052 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
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- #92 in Fantasy Adventure Fiction
- #310 in Epic Fantasy (Kindle Store)

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George R. R. Martin

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George R.R. Martin is the globally bestselling author of many fine novels, including A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons, which together make up the series A Song of Ice and Fire, on which HBO based the world’s most-watched television series, Game of Thrones. Other works set in or about Westeros include The World of Ice and Fire, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. His science fiction novella Nightflyers has also been adapted as a television series; and he is the creator of the shared-world Wild Cards universe, working with the finest writers in the genre. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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Jeff Pineda

Fun history!

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2023

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It took me a while to get around to reading this book but I absolutely love it now. It's something that I didn't know I've always wanted. It's not just a dry history book read or a Biblical-style, "This guy begat that guy and that guy begat that guy and etc etc". The character writing the book writes with a lot of personality, finding anecdotes and random factoids about the people he's describing that in turn give them lots of personality of their own. It's hard not to feel optimistic reading about young Jaehaerys I or feel dread as Maegor the Cruel does something even more messed up.

The book just really adds to the masterful world building that G.R.R. Martin has built, filling in so much color and interesting history to the world. There's also just fun stuff in here. A few pages dedicated to musing about the credibility of the Westerosi version of "Go Ask Alice" really tickled me. There's also some fun changes in tone from the maester writing about history to quoting actual knights, who are as foul-mouthed as anyone else Martin has written about.

If you love the lore and the world building that A Song of Ice and Fire has built over the years, there is no reason why you shouldn't check this book out. It's not for someone who doesn't know a Jon Snow from a Joffrey Baratheon and doesn't care to learn, but if you want to dig deep into Westerosi history and have a fun time doing it, this is a great pickup.

Also the illustrations in the book are cool!

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Lora S.

A history that's a bit more of a story

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2020

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People criticize George R.R. Martin for writing such books as The World of Ice and Fire and Fire and Blood because they think these books are interfering with the completion and publication of the next books in the Song of Ice and Fire Series. But I think I know why he writes this type of book. It is to provide for himself the backstory to the Song of Ice and Fire. Of course, in the case of Fire and Blood, I believe there was supposed to be a television series that was to have taken this as its premise, although I heard recently that it was canceled.

Anyway, as the Song of Ice and Fire Series is inspired by actual history, and in the case of actual history the events of one generation are frequently heavily influenced by those of previous generations, the events in the Song of Ice and Fire are similarly tied up with those of the preceding generations of the rulers and nobles of Westeros. And given the complicated nature of the place, it must have been difficult to keep all that straight without a map of some sort. Hence the two books of the history of Westeros, with a possibility of others to come.

It is worth comparing Fire and Blood to the earlier The World of Ice and Fire. The World of Ice and Fire was written in the style of a history book that covered not only the history of Westeros but also the history and geography of the other lands in their world. Fire and Blood, in contrast, focuses primarily on the Targaryen family after Aegon the Conqueror took over Westeros. This one reads much more like a story, although the conventions that would apply to a scholarly history are still preserved, such as citing multiple and sometimes conflicting sources and giving several versions of events where the true story is supposedly unknown.

Like a real history, it appears to be a story without a plot, as instead of plot twists, the supposed nature of the ‘real’ events sometimes rears up and sends events off in a sudden new direction. For example, certain people die of a random plague foiling all their plots without the benefit of other intervention, or the kingdom is deprived of a popular princess unexpectedly.

Anyway, there is a sizeable gap between the end of this book and the beginning of A Game of Thrones, so that there could be a sequel to this book. If so, that would be a highly interesting read.

But I still want to read the ending to the Song of Ice and Fire series too.

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C Wm (Andy) Anderson

Dryer Than A Novel But More Interesting than True Histories

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2018

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I rarely bother posting a review of a book with nearly a hundred reviews. For one, neither the book nor the prospective buyer need my thoughts in order to make an informed decision. And second, for me it requires some soul searching and a good deal of thought when I am trying to shed some light that others might find of interest. In other words, I cannot simply state, "Loved it," or "Hated it," and call that a review. And, further, I abhor reviews that tell us all the intricate details of a plot and then go on and try to read the novel. Okay, now you know, I am a stubborn curmudgeon. If that annoys you, at least you can't say I didn't warn you...

My review of Fire & Blood is sure to be a different take than any other review. In such light,. My review may be the least helpful to most readers. Why? I have not yet successfully read any works of Mr. Martin, because I find them a daunting challenge. Note that I state challenge, not that his writing is unappealing or uninteresting. What I mean is, I greatly respect his ability to weave great yarns. I just have difficulty in immersing myself into the worlds he creates.

Anyway, I decided to approach his works from a different angle. I chose to read the history he prepared, then I will move on to Game of Thrones.

I mention all this so you can skip my review if you are already a Martin fan, because what little light I might shed on the topic probably will be of little use or interest to you.

On with my review…

BLUSH FACTOR: You probably won’t want to read this story to your children aged 13 and younger due to three eff-words and a reference to men and sheep. Unless, that is, you have raised your children to on a farm and providing you have a sense of humor regarding sheep and find them prettier than the local maidens… Okay, I am parroting Martin’s humor at location 5406.

POV: Third person.

WRITING & EDITING: Readers tend to gage the writing of history somewhat differently than fiction. At least I do. With a history I don’t expect quite the same sort of flow. With “Fire & Blood” we don’t get the same flow as with, say, Game of Thrones. But, since we don’t expect to, we can more readily accept such ebb and flow as exists in “Fire & Blood.”

ADVENTURE: Yes, there is plenty of adventure, even if it is not as layered through as creative writing would be in an epic story of conquest. To better show the adventure and character building that does exist in “Fire & Blood,” please refer to the below excerpt.

EXCERPT

‘…his summons. Lastly he descended upon the seat of House Doggett, reducing it to ash. The fires claimed the lives of Ser Joffrey’s father, mother, and young sister, along with their sworn swords, serving men, and chattel. As pillars of smoke rose all through the westerlands and the riverlands, Vhagar and Balerion turned south. Another Lord Hightower, counseled by another High Septon, had opened the gates of Oldtown during the Conquest, but now it seemed as if the greatest and most populous city in Westeros must surely burn.

Thousands fled Oldtown that night, streaming from the city gates or taking ship for distant ports. Thousands more took to the streets in drunken revelry. “This is a night for song and sin and drink,” men told one another, “for come the morrow, the virtuous and the vile burn together.” Others gathered in septs and temples and ancient woods to pray they might be spared. In the Starry Sept, the High Septon railed and thundered, calling down the wroth of the gods upon the Targaryens. The archmaesters of the Citadel met in conclave. The men of the City Watch filled sacks with sand and pails with water to fight the fires they knew were coming. Along the city walls, crossbows, scorpions, spitfires, and spear-throwers were hoisted onto the battlements in hopes of bringing down the dragons when they appeared. Led by Ser Morgan Hightower, a younger brother of the Lord of Oldtown, two hundred Warrior’s Sons spilled forth from their chapterhouse to defend His High Holiness, surrounding the Starry Sept with a ring of steel. Atop the Hightower, the great beacon fire turned a baleful green as Lord Martyn Hightower called his banners. Oldtown waited for the dawn, and the coming of the dragons.

And the dragons came. Vhagar first, as the sun was rising, then Balerion, just before midday. But they found the gates of the city open, the battlements unmanned, and the banners of House Targaryen, House Tyrell, and House Hightower flying side by side atop the city walls. The Dowager Queen Visenya was the first to learn the news. Sometime during the blackest hour of that long and dreadful night, the High Septon had died.

A man of three-and-fifty, as tireless as he was fearless, and to all appearances in robust good health, this High Septon had been renowned for his strength. More than once he had preached for a day and a night without taking sleep or nourishment. His sudden death shocked the city and dismayed his followers. Its causes are debated to this day. Some say that His High Holiness took his own life, in what was either the act of a craven afraid to face the wroth of King Maegor, or a noble sacrifice to spare the goodfolk of Oldtown from dragonfire. Others claim the Seven struck him down for the sin of pride, for heresy, treason, and arrogance.

Many and more remain certain he was murdered…but by whom? Ser Morgan Hightower did the deed at the command of his lord brother, some say (and Ser Morgan was seen entering and leaving the High Septon’s privy chambers that night). Others point to the Lady Patrice Hightower, Lord Martyn’s maiden aunt and a reputed witch (who did indeed seek an audience with His High Holiness at dusk, though he was alive when she departed). The archmaesters of the Citadel are also suspected, though whether they made use of the dark arts, an assassin, or a poisoned scroll is still a matter of some debate (messages went back and forth between the Citadel and the Starry Sept all night). And there are still others who hold them all blameless and lay the High Septon’s death at the door of another rumored sorceress, the Dowager Queen Visenya Targaryen.

The truth will likely never be known…but the swift reaction of Lord Martyn when word reached him at the Hightower is beyond dispute. At once he dispatched his own knights to disarm and arrest the Warrior’s Sons, amongst them his own brother. The city gates were opened, and Targaryen banners raised along the walls. Even before Vhagar’s wings were sighted, Lord Hightower’s men were…’

Martin, George R. R.. Fire & Blood (A Song of Ice and Fire) (Kindle Locations 1270-1300). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

BOTTOM LINE

I enjoyed this fiction that felt like a true history. I confess that I enjoyed the Audible edition a bit more than the Kindle edition, but, for me, that is becoming the case with most reading. I read the Kindle edition when I can, and listen to the professional narration edition while commuting or otherwise enjoying the countryside in what “The People’s Almanac” referred to as ‘The Empty Quarter.” Listening to “Fire & Blood” while cruising through these wind-blown prairies, I found myself speculating that perhaps, just perhaps, when the ancient ones entered these lands several eons ago, they may have slew dragons and brute goliaths to wrestle the Upper Midwest free from some precursors of the human race…THAT is one mark of a good writer of fantasy, the learned one some refer to as George R. R. Martin.

The one downside of this epic history is that this book is only the first volume and the author himself admits that he has other pressing epics to bring forth before he can get around to writing the conclusion. In that sense, this book ends without being complete. An annoyance to me and, I’m certain, many other readers.

At least now I can tackle “A Game of Thrones.”

Four stars out of five.

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Prequel to Game of Thrones

Reviewed in Canada on January 3, 2024

Verified Purchase

I am still reading. It is what I have come to expect from George Martin. Its a great book so far and I am looking forward to his next books The book is better than the tv series

Farouk Salem

PERFEITO!

Reviewed in Brazil on August 7, 2023

Verified Purchase

O livro em edição econômica tem uma letra bem pequena, confesso que me assustei um pouco com o quão pequena é MAS o livro é lindo e tem todas as ilustrações, que são maravilhosas. Vale MUITO a pena comprar!!!!

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Marie-Luise Stapel

Spannend und sehr unterhaltsam.

Reviewed in Germany on February 28, 2024

Verified Purchase

Die Vorgeschichte zu Game of Thrones, sehr spannend und unterhaltsam.

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