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

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The parts that truly focused on the Targaryens were great, but irrelevancy aside, my problem with this book is that the history tends to focus its narrative for a long period of time on other non-Targaryen characters; which frankly speaking by tomorrow I’ll forget already because I simply don’t give a damn about them. In fact, the major war in the centre of the novel hinges on the female right of accession to the Iron Throne, i. This lavish visual history-featuring over 150 new, full-colour illustrations-is a stunning introduction to House Targaryen, the iconic family at the heart of HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon.

There are many good things, for example it is good to know about the Targaryens and where they came from. The Dying of the Dragons": Being about 60,000 words in length, [16] [N 1] it focuses on the great civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war between Rhaenyra Targaryen and her half-brother Aegon II for the throne.Unlike GRR Martin, I’m not usually a great fan of illustrated novels, but in this case, the illustrations by Doug Wheatley are generally very good and do add a lot to the novel. 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. It gives a fascinating insight into how the author first conceived of Westeros and how he developed this complex world.

But I had a bigger problem with this book; something common to all of the books but far more evident here. 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. Far to the north, behind the towering Wall, lie savage Wildings and worse—unnatural things relegated to myth during the centuries-long summer, but proving all too real and all too deadly in the turning of the season.For the first time since the Doom of Valyria, dragon contended with dragon in the sky, even as battle was joined below.

Featuring extraordinary illustrations by Clive Hicks-Jenkins and an exclusive introduction by Janina Ramirez, each of the 750 numbered copies has been signed by both contributors. Robert’s two brothers each seek their own dominion, while a disfavored house turns once more to conquest.The books often make passing reference to historical events that shaped the creation of this world (in this case, the creation of Westeros) without fleshing out those references, and this book seeks to provide the full back story; well, half of it! Quicksilver, a quarter the size of Balerion, was no match for the older, fiercer dragon, and her pale white fireballs were engulfed and washed away in great gouts of black flame.

It took me a long time to get through this book simply, as at times, I just did not feel like reading more than a few pages at a time. Martin's first professional sale was made in 1970 at age 21: The Hero, sold to Galaxy, published in February, 1971 issue. Yet a more immediate threat lurks to the south, where Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, has died under mysterious circumstances.In terms of the Game of Thrones fandom, I am a dilettante at best and utterly disinterested at worst. With this book finished, I’ve read all the books in A Song of Ice and Fire; main series and spin-offs included. R. Martin and the entire Hitchhiker's series along with an extraordinary limited edition of Adams’s comedic space odyssey.