Game of Thrones was one of the biggest and most acclaimed phenomena of the past decade. HBO’s series introduced millions of viewers to a complex, morally gray world full of kingdoms, wars, politics and medieval fantasy... It also put George R. R. Martin firmly in the spotlight as one of the most important genre writers of our time. After all, this story began with his incredible book saga, A Song of Ice and Fire, which, as many fans know, is still ongoing today.
There are thousands of readers who had never heard of this huge series of novels until the show arrived, and new fans keep discovering it every day. Still, getting into such dense books can be a real challenge for anyone. Where should you start? What is the right reading order? Which books are available? We explain all of that, and more, in this article we have prepared for Vandal Random with plenty of detail. Take note.
George R. R. Martin began publishing the heroic fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire in 1996. So far, the main saga has a total of five published books, with two more still to come before the story is complete, along with several companion books and additional stories.
This is the publication order of the main books in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series so far:
It is worth mentioning that Martin is still writing the sixth book in the series, titled The Winds of Winter, which still does not have a release date in sight. After that, the author has also confirmed that he plans to end the saga with a seventh book titled A Dream of Spring, turning the series into a seven-book saga.
Beyond the main A Song of Ice and Fire series, George R. R. Martin has also published, over the years, several novels, books and stories that expand the world of Westeros, where this fantasy universe takes place. There are quite a few publications related to it, but we want to highlight the following three books, since they are the most important outside the main series and bring together much of the companion material Martin has given us from this universe:
For readers who enjoy the main novels and still want more, we recommend checking out the books mentioned above. The World of Ice & Fire is an illustrated book and an impressive reference work about the world of Westeros, from the Dawn Age to the Age of Heroes. Meanwhile, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms collects the three novellas from the Dunk and Egg stories: The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword and The Mystery Knight, which work as prequel stories to the main saga.
Finally, we have Fire & Blood, the book that Max’s House of the Dragon series is based on. It is a prequel set 300 years before A Game of Thrones, and it tells the full story of the reign of House Targaryen, including shorter works such as The Princess and the Queen, The Rogue Prince and The Sons of the Dragon.
Basically, this is an essential prequel if you want to understand the situation in A Game of Thrones. If everything goes well, Fire & Blood will have a second volume that will finish the story and connect with Robert's Rebellion, although Martin has not shared any new details for now.
The most common reading order for the A Song of Ice and Fire books is the same as the publication order followed by the main novels so far, which we have already listed above. In other words:
Martin has written these novels in chronological order, so you can fully enjoy them by reading them in the order shown above. If you want, you can also read the prequels first, meaning A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and Fire & Blood, before starting A Game of Thrones.
That said, from A Feast for Crows onward, something happens that slightly changes the way many people read the saga, and it has caused plenty of debate among readers. The first three books follow a similar structure, with chapters divided between different character points of view. However, the fourth and fifth books, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, share a simultaneous timeline.
In other words, they are two split books that could be said to happen in parallel, almost as if they were really one single book. To make it clearer, in A Feast for Crows we follow the stories of certain characters to find out what happened to them after the events of A Storm of Swords, while in A Dance with Dragons we do the same with another group of characters. The difference is that, at a certain point, this fifth book also continues some of the storylines seen in A Feast for Crows.
Because of what we have just explained, and because A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons were originally part of one single book that became too long and had to be split in two for publishing reasons, many readers have come up with combined reading plans for these two novels. These plans let you read both books at the same time and, for many fans, this is the ideal way to experience them, since they feel it adds more nuance, depth and entertainment. American writer Sean T. Collins popularized the combined FeastDance reading order, and that is the one we are sharing here.
The only thing you need to know to read both books together is when to jump from one book to the other, so you do not get ahead of certain plots or twists. Follow these steps:
Taking into account all the stories and books written by George R. R. Martin that tell the history of the fantasy world of Westeros, the chronological reading order including all his works would be the following:
A Game of Thrones is the novel that starts the saga and introduces us to the world of Westeros, a fantasy world with echoes of medieval Europe, where summers can last for decades and winter can last a lifetime. This first book sets the tone and style Martin will use throughout the rest of the series: varied and deeply developed characters, different narrator points of view, complex plots full of unexpected twists and a measured use of magical elements.
The novel begins a few years after a great rebellion that ended the rule of the Targaryen dynasty, with Robert Baratheon now sitting on the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms. In Winterfell, Lord Eddard Stark and his family find themselves at the center of a new conflict that will stir up tensions between the great houses. And the worst is yet to come: beyond the great Wall in the North, dark and supernatural forces seem to be waking from their long sleep.
A Clash of Kings is the second novel in the series and continues right where the previous book left off. A civil war, known as the War of the Five Kings, begins to spread across Westeros. Meanwhile, across the ocean, Princess Daenerys leads her people through the desert, and in the frozen wastelands beyond the Wall, a relentless army advances toward a land already drowning in chaos.
A Storm of Swords is the third book in the series and also the longest so far. The plot continues after the events of the second book. This time, the weakened forces of the Night’s Watch in the North must face the darkness gathering at the Wall, while Daenerys gathers her forces in the Free Cities to reclaim the Iron Throne. At the same time, several kings fight across Westeros to secure their crowns, unaware that betrayal waits around every corner.
By the fourth novel in the saga, the story had become so long and complex that Martin was forced to split it into two huge books that take place at the same time, although A Feast for Crows was the one published first. In this entry, almost all of Westeros lies exhausted. We follow Stannis Baratheon at the Wall as he helps the Night’s Watch and its Lord Commander, Jon Snow, while in King’s Landing, the queen regent, Cersei Lannister, must deal with Tyrion’s escape and the heavy losses suffered by her family.
A Dance with Dragons is, for now, the fifth and latest published book in the saga. It continues the story after A Storm of Swords and also follows part of the events and characters seen in A Feast for Crows. Daenerys is determined to wipe out slavery in Meereen, while a kinslaying dwarf, a prince in disguise, a ruthless captain and a mysterious knight answer the call of the dragons from across the Narrow Sea. In the North, the shrinking forces of one of the rival kings must face the danger getting closer and closer to crossing the Wall.
