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Fire & Blood

Fire & Blood

Epic FantasyFantasy
Pages
786
Published
2018
Language
English

Synopsis

The chronicle of House Targaryen, told as the history written by a maester's eye: Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters unite Westeros under dragonfire; their descendants fight for the Iron Throne through civil war, betrayal, and conquest until the dynasty is shattered. Told in chapters that span centuries rather than days, it builds the world of Ice and Fire from its foundational legends forward.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

DarkTenseMelancholic
Multiple POVsUnreliable NarratorCourt IntrigueBetrayalFamily Saga

Genres

Epic Fantasy Fantasy Historical Fiction High Fantasy Military

About the author

G
George R. R. Martin

George Raymond Richard Martin (born 20 September 1948 in Bayonne, New Jersey) is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction and horror. His early work includes the novels Dying of the Light (1977), Fevre Dream and The Armageddon Rag, and the story collections Sandkings and Tuf Voyaging. From the mid-1980s he also wrote for television, on the revived The Twilight Zone and on Beauty and the Beast, where he became a co-supervising producer. He is best known for the epic fantasy sequence A Song...

Characters

Aegon I TargaryenProtagonist
Viserys I TargaryenSupporting
All characters in Fire & Blood

Frequently asked questions

  • Is this book a traditional novel?

    This work is written as an in-universe history book by a fictional maester rather than a standard narrative novel. It compiles historical accounts and conflicting records to chronicle the Targaryen dynasty, which means it lacks the intimate character perspectives and dialogue found in traditional fiction.

  • Does this book need to be read in a specific order with other series entries?

    While it is technically a standalone history, it is designed for readers already familiar with the broader world. The text frequently references events and lore established in the main series, making it most rewarding for those who have already explored the primary novels.

  • How does the television adaptation relate to the book?

    The HBO series House of the Dragon adapts the latter portion of this volume, specifically the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. Because the book is written as a historical chronicle with multiple, sometimes unreliable sources, the showrunners had to invent specific scenes and dialogue to dramatize the events described in the text.

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