A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of fantasy books written by the American author George R. R. Martin. Martin started writing the first book, A Game of Thrones, in 1991 and finished it in 1996. He originally planned to write three books, but now he has published five out of seven planned books. The most recent book, A Dance with Dragons, was published in 2011. Martin is working on the sixth book, called The Winds of Winter. A seventh book, A Dream of Spring, is also planned.
The series describes a world filled with violence and realistic politics. Most of the magic in the story is limited to the farthest parts of the world. The books often show characters facing difficult choices and raise questions about loyalty, pride, relationships, religious beliefs, and the use of violence. The story is told from the perspectives of many characters, and the reader never knows if any of them will survive. Each chapter is written from the viewpoint of one character, and the number of characters whose perspectives are shared grows from nine in the first book to 31 in the fifth.
The books are set on two fictional continents called Westeros and Essos (the world as a whole does not have a name). Martin has said that the series was inspired by real historical events. The story follows three connected plots: a war between powerful families fighting for control of Westeros, the efforts of members of the Targaryen family to return from exile in Essos and reclaim their throne, and the growing danger from supernatural beings called the Others in the far north of Westeros.
As of 2026, more than 100 million copies of the books have been sold in 47 languages. The fourth and fifth books became the top-selling books on the New York Times Best Seller list when they were published in 2005 and 2011. The series has inspired many other works, including prequel stories, three television shows, a comic book version, and several games. The books have been praised for their detailed world, characters, and storytelling.
Plot synopsis
A Song of Ice and Fire is set in a made-up world where seasons can last for many years and may end suddenly. Before the first book, the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros were ruled by the Targaryen family, who gained military strength through their control of dragons. The Targaryens ruled for nearly 300 years, even after the dragons disappeared. Their rule ended when Lord Robert Baratheon led a rebellion that killed Aerys II "the Mad King" Targaryen. Robert then became king of the Seven Kingdoms. Fifteen years after this rebellion, a long summer is nearing its end in the beginning of A Game of Thrones.
The main story follows a struggle for power among the great families of Westeros after King Robert dies in A Game of Thrones. Robert’s heir, 13-year-old Joffrey, is declared king through the actions of his mother, Queen Cersei Lannister. When Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark, Robert’s closest friend and advisor, learns that Joffrey and his siblings are the children of an incestuous relationship between Cersei and her twin brother, Ser Jaime Lannister, he tries to remove Joffrey from power. Ned is betrayed and executed for treason. In response, Robert’s brothers, Stannis and Renly, claim the throne for themselves. During this time of conflict, two regions of Westeros attempt to break away from the Iron Throne: Eddard’s son Robb is declared king of the North, and Lord Balon Greyjoy seeks independence for the Iron Islands. By the middle of the second book, A Clash of Kings, the "War of the Five Kings" is underway. This story is told mainly through the perspectives of Eddard’s wife, Catelyn, their children Sansa, Arya, and Bran, and Tyrion Lannister, Cersei and Jaime’s younger brother. Additional characters are introduced as the series continues.
A second story takes place in the far north of Westeros, where an 8,000-year-old wall of ice, called "the Wall," protects the Seven Kingdoms from supernatural creatures known as the Others. The Wall is guarded by the Night’s Watch, a group of sworn brothers who also defend the realm from the "wildlings" or "Free Folk," human tribes living north of the Wall. This story is told mainly through the perspective of Jon Snow, the bastard son of Lord Eddard Stark. Jon follows in the footsteps of his uncle, Benjen Stark, and joins the Night’s Watch at a young age. He rises quickly through the ranks and eventually becomes Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. In the third book, A Storm of Swords, the Night’s Watch storyline becomes connected to the War of the Five Kings when King Stannis Baratheon arrives at the Wall.
A third story follows Daenerys Targaryen, the daughter of Aerys II. In Essos, a continent east of Westeros across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys is married by her older brother, Viserys, to a powerful warlord of the nomadic Dothraki. Over time, Daenerys becomes an independent and intelligent ruler. Her rise to power is helped by the birth of three dragons, which hatch from eggs given to her as wedding gifts. The dragons become symbols of her family and her claim to the throne, as well as powerful weapons that help her conquer Slaver’s Bay. Later books describe her ongoing efforts to gain control of the region’s city-states, end the Essosi slave trade, and gather support for her goal of reclaiming Westeros.
Publishing history
Books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series are first published in hardcover and later released as paperback editions. In the UK, Harper Voyager publishes special editions with protective covers. The series has been translated into more than 30 languages. All page totals mentioned here are for the US first editions.
George R. R. Martin was already a successful fantasy and science fiction author and TV writer before writing A Song of Ice and Fire. He published his first short story in 1971 and his first novel in 1977. By the mid-1990s, he had won three Hugo Awards and two Nebula Awards for his short stories. Although his early books were well-received, his audience was small, and he worked in Hollywood in the mid-1980s. He helped revive The Twilight Zone in 1986 and worked on Beauty and the Beast until 1990. He also wrote TV pilots and movie scripts. He became frustrated when his scripts were not made and when TV rules limited his storytelling. This led him to return to writing books, where he could fully express his ideas. Inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien’s work, he wanted to write an epic fantasy, though he had no specific plans at first.
In the summer of 1991, while working on a science fiction novel called Avalon, Martin imagined a scene of a boy seeing a man’s beheading and finding direwolves in the snow. This scene later became part of A Game of Thrones. He set Avalon aside and focused on the new story, eventually creating maps and family trees for the fantasy world. His work was interrupted when he returned to Hollywood to produce a TV show that was never aired.
In 1994, Martin shared the first 200 pages of his story and a two-page outline with his agent, Kirby McCauley. He originally planned a trilogy with A Dance with Dragons and The Winds of Winter as follow-ups. However, as he wrote more, he realized the story needed to be longer—eventually six books. He named the series A Song of Ice and Fire. The title came from the idea of cold Others and fiery dragons, as well as his past use of the word “song” in book titles. The title also connected to Robert Frost’s poem Fire and Ice and themes like passion and betrayal.
The first book, A Game of Thrones, was 1,088 pages long (excluding appendices) and published in August 1996. Robert Jordan, author of The Wheel of Time, wrote an endorsement that helped the book gain attention. A pre-release novella, Blood of the Dragon, won the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novella. The first book was marketed as part of a trilogy, but the series was later renamed A Song of Ice and Fire.
The first 300 pages of A Game of Thrones became the start of the second book, A Clash of Kings, published in February 1999. It was 1,184 pages long and reached No. 13 on The New York Times Best Seller list. After The Lord of the Rings films became popular, Martin received offers to adapt his books for film.
Martin was late delivering the third book, A Storm of Swords, which was 1,521 pages long. The final chapter described the “Red Wedding,” a violent event. The book was published in 2000 and reached No. 12 on the bestseller list.
After the first three books, Martin planned three more. The fourth, A Dance with Dragons, was to focus on Daenerys Targaryen’s return to Westeros. He wanted to set it five years after A Storm of Swords to allow characters to age and dragons to grow. He agreed to make it shorter than A Storm of Swords and added a long prologue to explain events. However, he later decided to write a fifth book, A Feast for Crows, to address plot complications.
The manuscript for A Feast for Crows became longer than A Storm of Swords. Martin avoided cutting content to keep the story complete. He rejected splitting the book into parts and opposed leaving characters’ stories unresolved. He also changed his plan to avoid a five-year gap between books.
Inspiration and writing
George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series was very different and new in many ways. The books were hard to guess what would happen next, especially in a genre where readers usually expect things to follow a clear path. A Game of Thrones surprised many readers when it was first published and changed how people thought about what could be done in epic fantasy stories.
Martin believes the most important influences on his writing came from books he read as a child. He read works by authors like H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Robert A. Heinlein, Eric Frank Russell, Andre Norton, Isaac Asimov, Fritz Leiber, and Mervyn Peake. He did not think of these books as belonging to science fiction, fantasy, or horror, and this helped him write stories from any genre. Martin called A Song of Ice and Fire "epic fantasy" and said Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn was very influential for the series. He also admires Jack Vance's writing, though he does not think the series is especially similar to Vance's work.
Martin lived in Dubuque during the 1970s and experienced very cold winters. He thinks these memories influenced his writing, especially the descriptions of snow, ice, and cold in A Game of Thrones.
Epic fantasy stories often take place in medieval times. However, historical fiction usually tells readers what will happen because it is based on real events. In contrast, original characters in fantasy stories can create suspense and help readers feel more connected to the story. Martin felt that historical fiction, especially from the Middle Ages, had a real and gritty feel that was missing in fantasy stories with similar settings. He wanted to mix the realism of historical fiction with the magical elements of fantasy, focusing more on battles and politics than on clear good versus evil stories. He used the fight between Achilles and Hector in Homer's Iliad as an example of how he wanted his characters to be complex, with no clear heroes or villains.
Martin is widely recognized for making fantasy stories more suitable for adults. A writer for The Atlantic called the books "hard fantasy" because the characters are vulnerable and readers become emotionally attached to them. In 2000, CNN noted that Martin's descriptions were more direct than those of other fantasy authors, though Martin later said some writers had gone even further in their storytelling. A writer named Adam Roberts called Martin's series the most popular example of a type of fantasy called "grimdark."
Martin planned to write three books of 800 pages each in the early stages of the series. His original contract required him to finish his previous books quickly, but he realized his new books were longer and would take more time. In 2000, he planned to spend 18 months to two years on each book and expected the sixth book to be published five to six years later. As of 2025, he still has two books left to finish. Martin works best in his office in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and writes on an old computer running MS-DOS with WordStar 4.0. He starts each day at 10 a.m. by rewriting and improving the previous day's work. He keeps old versions of his writing in case he needs to use them later. Martin does not see the series as a "series" but as one long story divided into volumes.
Martin created a world for A Song of Ice and Fire inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's work. Unlike Tolkien, who made up entire languages and histories for Middle-earth, Martin starts with rough ideas and builds them as he writes. He described his process as like daydreaming, and his stories focus on emotions rather than logic. He uses maps and lists of characters, but most details are in his mind. His stories can change before they are published, and only the books are considered official. He does not plan to share his private notes after the series is finished.
Martin used real history for inspiration, reading many books about medieval times and visiting European landmarks. He found English history easiest to use because he speaks only English, giving the series a British feel. For example, Ned and Robb Stark are similar to Richard, 3rd Duke of York, and his son Edward IV, and Queen Cersei resembles historical figures like Margaret of Anjou and Elizabeth Woodville. Martin studied many medieval topics, such as clothing, food, and tournaments, to include accurate details in his writing. The series was influenced by events like the Hundred Years' War, the Crusades, and the Wars of the Roses, though he did not copy them directly. He also drew inspiration from French historical novels like The Accursed Kings by Maurice Druon. Martin compared Stannis Baratheon to the Roman Emperor Tiberius.
The story follows major events with a clear direction, but Martin leaves room for changes. Some unexpected details changed the story's plan. By the fourth book, he kept more notes to track the many subplots, which became very complicated by the fifth book. Editors and readers check for mistakes, but some errors, like inconsistent character descriptions, still appeared in the books.
Each book is divided into chapters, with each chapter told from the perspective of a character. Martin learned this style while studying journalism. A Game of Thrones had nine main characters whose perspectives were shown, and by A Dance with Dragons, this number grew to 31. Some characters only appear in short sections like prologues or epilogues. A writer for The New York Times noted that the story includes many groups with different goals, such as the Starks, Targaryens, Lannisters, and others, all trying to achieve their ambitions. A writer for Time said readers see the struggle for power in Westeros from many different viewpoints at once.
Themes
The A Song of Ice and Fire series is often praised for its focus on medieval realism, which means it tries to feel more like historical fiction than traditional fantasy. George R.R. Martin believes that magic should not be overused in epic fantasy stories. Instead, he emphasizes battles, political conflicts, and character development. While some magic appears in the series, it is not as common as in many other fantasy books. Martin thinks that effective magic should represent powerful, mysterious forces that humans cannot fully understand, not advanced technology or simple spells. Characters in the story know about the natural world but do not fully understand magical elements like the Others.
Martin used historical events to create the world of Westeros. For example, some people compare Westeros to England during the Wars of the Roses. The books are described as stories about politics and human struggles rather than simple tales of good versus evil. The conflicts in the story come from the restrictions of the feudal system, not from a battle between good and evil. Martin wanted to show how medieval class structures caused problems and how leaders' choices can lead to different outcomes, even if they are not always good or bad.
Many fantasy stories focus on the fight between good and evil, but Martin avoids this theme because it does not reflect real life. He prefers characters who are complex and not clearly good or bad. Martin believes that the human heart in conflict with itself is an important subject, as writer William Faulkner suggested. The books explore themes like redemption and how characters change. The use of multiple viewpoints helps readers see characters from different perspectives, including those who might be considered villains.
Although fantasy stories are imaginative, Martin believes it is important to show the harsh realities of life, such as the possibility of death. Main characters can die, which makes readers feel the same fear and tension as the characters. The books also show the high number of deaths in war. The deaths of background characters, like orcs, do not affect readers as much as the death of a friend. Martin thinks that a hero's sacrifice can reveal something meaningful about human nature.
Martin believes that fantasy stories often ignore or treat sex and sexuality in a simple way. He thinks sexuality is an important part of life and should be included in stories. He values creating immersive experiences through sensory details more than advancing the plot. Martin was interested in the contrast between chivalric behavior and the harsh realities of war in the Middle Ages. He used the lack of a concept like adolescence in the Middle Ages to show Daenerys' early sexual activity in the books. The series also references the practice of incest in the Ptolemaic dynasty of Ancient Egypt to maintain pure bloodlines.
Martin includes many female characters to show how women live in a society controlled by men. He writes all characters as people with the same needs, dreams, and influences. His female characters display a wide range of human qualities, just like the male characters.
Reception
Science Fiction Weekly wrote in 2000 that "Few would argue that Martin's most important work so far has been the groundbreaking A Song of Ice and Fire historical fantasy series," which received reviews "much better" than his earlier books, as Martin explained to The New Yorker. In 2007, Weird Tales magazine called the series a "superb fantasy saga" that "raised Martin to a new level of success." Before the release of A Dance with Dragons in 2011, Bill Sheehan of The Washington Post said "no fantasy work has created such excitement since Harry Potter's final battle with Voldemort," and Ethan Sacks of Daily News noted the series made Martin popular with both literary critics and general readers, a rare achievement for a genre often ignored. Salon.com's Andrew Leonard stated:
Publishers Weekly wrote in 2000 that "Martin may not be as famous as Tolkien or Robert Jordan, but he is compared to skilled fantasy writers like Poul Anderson and Gordon Dickson." After the fourth book came out in 2005, Time's Lev Grossman called Martin a "major force for change in fantasy" and called him "the American Tolkien," explaining that although Martin was "not the most well-known fantasy writer in America" at the time and "would never win a Pulitzer or National Book Award," his storytelling skills were "better than most literary novelists." Grossman said in 2011 that the term "American Tolkien" became widely used by the media, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Entertainment Weekly, The Globe and Mail, and USA Today. Time magazine named Martin one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2011, and USA Today named George R. R. Martin their Author of the Year in 2011.
The Globe and Mail's John Barber said Martin "masterfully creates and goes beyond the fantasy genre," with critics praising his deep character development and lack of common ideas in books that include dwarves and dragons. Publishers Weekly gave positive reviews to the first three A Song of Ice and Fire novels, calling A Game of Thrones "superbly developed characters, accomplished prose, and intense storytelling," A Clash of Kings "notable for its realistic world and limited use of magic," and A Storm of Swords "one of the most rewarding large-scale fantasy books." However, they criticized A Feast for Crows, the fourth book, for being "incomplete" and not satisfying. Their review of A Dance with Dragons repeated these criticisms but noted Martin kept the story fresh by focusing on popular characters who were missing from the previous book.
The Los Angeles Times said Martin's ability to create vivid settings is a lasting strength of his work, with settings that are more than just background. The novels are praised for "complex storylines, interesting characters, strong dialogue, and the willingness to kill even main characters." CNN said the story skillfully uses different perspectives to show characters and plot in a "fascinating style," and David Orr of The New York Times said "every character has unique traits that help move the story forward." Salon.com's Andrew Leonard said he "couldn't stop reading Martin" because the story was so unpredictable, and The Christian Science Monitor advised readers to use an A Song of Ice and Fire encyclopedia to "find all the hidden clues and details" in the books.
Some critics, like Sam Jordison and Michael Hann of The Guardian, had mixed opinions. Jordison said A Game of Thrones was "simple and silly" but "hard to put down," praising Martin's writing and atmosphere. Hann said the books did not stand out from other fantasy works despite Martin's changes to the genre, but he later said he remembered enjoying fantasy as a child.
Sales of the A Song of Ice and Fire series vary. The New Yorker said in 2011 that over 15 million books had been sold worldwide, and The Globe and Mail repeated this number in 2011. Reuters reported in 2013 that over 24 million copies had been sold in North America, including print, digital, and audio versions. The Wall Street Journal said over six million copies had been sold in North America by 2011, and USA Today reported 8.5 million copies sold in print and digital by 2011, with over 12 million sold in print by 2011. The series has been translated into more than 20 languages, with the fifth book translated into over 40 languages. Forbes estimated Martin earned $15 million in 2011, making him the 12th highest-earning author worldwide.
Martin's publishers expected A Game of Thrones to be a bestseller, but the first book did not reach the top of any bestseller list. Martin said it was "foolish to expect success," but the book gained popularity through word of mouth. The series became more popular in later books, with the second and third books reaching The New York Times Best Seller list in 1999 and 2000. The series also brought attention to Martin's earlier works, and his publisher planned to reprint his out-of-print books.
The fourth book, A Feast for Crows, became an immediate bestseller in 2005, reaching number one on The New York Times hardcover fiction list. This showed Martin's books were attracting mainstream readers. The paperback edition of A Game of Thrones reached its 34th printing in 2010, selling over one million copies. Before the TV series began, sales of the books grew rapidly, with A Song of Ice and Fire sales increasing by over 100% compared to the previous year. Bantam expected sales to rise further with TV tie-ins, and Martin's British publisher hoped readers would rediscover his other fantasy works. By early 2011, over 4.5 million copies of the first four books had been printed, and all four books returned to The New York Times paperback fiction bestseller list in the second quarter of 2011.
At its release in July 2011, A Dance with Dragons was in its sixth print with over 650,000 hardcover copies in print.
Derived works
George R.R. Martin has written several short stories that take place before the main A Song of Ice and Fire series. The Tales of Dunk and Egg series includes three novellas set 90 years before the main story. These stories follow Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire "Egg," who later becomes King Aegon V Targaryen. While these stories are not directly connected to the main series, they mention characters from it. The first story, The Hedge Knight, was published in the 1998 anthology Legends. The second, The Sworn Sword, appeared in Legends II in 2003. Both were later made into graphic novels. The third story, The Mystery Knight, was first published in the 2010 anthology Warriors and adapted into a graphic novel in 2017. In 2015, all three novellas were published together in an illustrated book called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Another novella, The Princess and the Queen, or, the Blacks and the Greens, was published in the 2013 anthology Dangerous Women and explains events from two centuries before the main series. The Rogue Prince, or, a King's Brother was published in the 2014 anthology Rogues and is a prequel to The Princess and the Queen. The Sons of the Dragon, published in the 2017 anthology The Book of Swords, tells the story of Aegon the Conqueror’s sons, Aenys I and Maegor I "The Cruel." These three stories were later included in Fire & Blood, a book that tells the history of House Targaryen.
Between 1996 and 2003, three novellas were released by Asimov's Science Fiction and Dragon:
– Blood of the Dragon (July 1996), taken from Daenerys’s chapters in A Game of Thrones
– Path of the Dragon (December 2000), taken from Daenerys’s chapters in A Storm of Swords
– Arms of the Kraken (March 2003), based on the Iron Islands chapters from A Feast for Crows
Fire & Blood is Martin’s full history of House Targaryen. The first volume was released on November 20, 2018.
In 2007, HBO decided to make a television version of A Song of Ice and Fire. A pilot episode was made in late 2009, and a commitment for nine more episodes was made in March 2010. The show, titled Game of Thrones, premiered in April 2011 and received high praise. HBO quickly renewed the show for a second season, which covered A Clash of Kings. After the first season, the show received 13 Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, and won awards for design and acting. HBO renewed the show for a third season in April 2012. This season covered only the first half of A Storm of Swords because the book was very long.
During the show’s development, Martin shared major plot points with the show’s writers, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Martin hoped to publish The Winds of Winter before the show caught up to the books. However, the writers needed more information to plan future seasons, including the endings of main characters’ stories. They could not wait for new books because the actors were growing older and the show’s popularity might decline.
After the third season premiered in March 2013, HBO renewed the show for a fourth season, which covered the second half of A Storm of Swords and the start of A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons. Season 3 earned 15 Emmy nominations. HBO renewed the show for seasons 5 and 6 after the fourth season premiered in April 2014. Season 5, which began on April 12, 2015, won 12 Emmy Awards, a record for a single season. Season 6 started on April 24, 2016, and received 23 Emmy nominations, winning 12. Season 7 premiered on July 16, 2017, and the final season, season 8, began on April 14, 2019.
A prequel series, House of the Dragon, was later made based on Fire & Blood. It premiered on August 21, 2022. Another prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, was made from Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas. It premiered on January 18, 2026.
The A Song of Ice and Fire series has inspired many other products. Fantasy Flight Games created a collectible card game, a board game, and art collections. Roleplaying game products were made by Guardians of Order and Green Ronin. Dynamite Entertainment released a comic version of A Game of Thrones in 2011. Video games based on the series were released in 2011 and 2020. A companion book, The World of Ice & Fire, was published in 2014. Other licensed products include toys, figures, and items from the television show. The television version of the Iron Throne has become a symbol of the entire franchise. A stage play called Game of Thrones: The Mad King, a prequel to the series, will premiere at the Royal Shakespeare Company in summer 2026.