A Song of Ice and Fire Books in Order By George R. R. Martin
… a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
0. The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones (2014)
0.5. Fire & Blood (2018)
- A Game of Thrones (1996)
- A Clash of Kings (1998)
- A Storm of Swords (2000)
- A Feast for Crows (2005)
- A Dance with Dragons (2011)
- The Winds of Winter (Who Knows)
- A Dream of Spring (???)
Prequel Novellas
- The Hedge Knight (1998)
- The Sworn Sword (2003)
- The Mystery Knight (2010)
What is A Song of Ice and Fire about?
A Song of Ice and Fire is an epic fantasy book series set in the world of Westeros and Essos by American author George R. R. Martin. The series was originally planned as a trilogy but now planned as a seven book series, with five published.
Westeros is split into Seven Kingdoms which for the last few centuries were united under one rule which was led under the House of Targaryen, until just before the events of the first book was taken over by the House of Baratheon. Then what ensues during the books is full of political intrigue and backstabbing, power plays and scheming. Each family vying for control of the Iron Throne, the symbol of ultimate power in the realm of Westeros.
Each chapter in all of the books follows the point of view of one of the characters, the first book, A Game of Thrones, started with nine POV characters and by the end of the fifth book, there were 31 characters. The books have sold over 90 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 47 different languages.
The series, which you could not have missed, was adapted into a blockbuster TV series by HBO – A Game of Thrones, starring some big names – Emilia Clarke, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Natalie Dormer, Sean Bean and so on! The list of big names continues. More recently his prequel book was adapted by HBO into House of the Dragon, starring Milly Alcock, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke and Paddy Considine.
Who is George R. R. Martin?
George R. R. Martin, born George Raymond Martin, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is most well known for his series of epic fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire.
Martin began his writing career in the 1970’s but before being able to become a full-time author, Martin was an English professor, where he met fellow author George Guthridge who he persuaded to take a second look at speculative fiction and give it a go, where Guthridge returned the favour and helped get Martin a job at Clarke University (1976-1978).
He gained significant recognition for his hit series, A Song of Ice and Fire, which really took off when it was adapted into a TV series by HBO.
Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
The Order
WARNING: There may be spoilers for some of the books mentioned. These are taken from the official descriptions but can sometimes spoil parts of previous books. So please be careful!
A Song of Ice and Fire
- A Game of Thrones (1996)
A Song of Ice and Fire #1
292,730 words, 835 pages, 73 chapters, 19rhs 35mins to read
4,010 average words per chapter, 11.4 average pages per chapter
Published by Bantam Books
4.44 out of 5 on Goodreads
Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. To the south, the king’s powers are failing—his most trusted adviser dead under mysterious circumstances and his enemies emerging from the shadows of the throne. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the frozen land they were born to. Now Lord Eddard Stark is reluctantly summoned to serve as the king’s new Hand, an appointment that threatens to sunder not only his family but the kingdom itself.
- A Clash of Kings (1998)
A Song of Ice and Fire #2
318,905 words, 768 pages, 70 chapters, 21hrs 15mins to read
4,555 average words per chapter, 10.9 average pages per chapter
Published by Bantam Books
4.41 out of 5 on Goodreads
A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who hold sway over an age of enforced peace are dead, victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war.
It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel…and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.
- A Storm of Swords (2000)
A Song of Ice and Fire #3
414,605 words, 973 pages, 82 chapters, 27hrs 40mins to read
5,056 average words per chapter, 11.8 average pages per chapter
Published by Bantam Books
4.54 out of 5 on Goodreads
Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King’s Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. . .
- A Feast for Crows (2005)
A Song of Ice and Fire #4
295,035 words, 753 pages, 46 chapters, 19hrs 40mins to read
6,413 average words per chapter, 16.3 average pages per chapter
Published by Bantam Books
4.15 out of 5 on Goodreads
Crows will fight over a dead man’s flesh, and kill each other for his eyes.
Bloodthirsty, treacherous and cunning, the Lannisters are in power on the Iron Throne in the name of the boy-king Tommen. The war in the Seven Kingdoms has burned itself out, but in its bitter aftermath new conflicts spark to life.
- A Dance with Dragons (2011)
A Song of Ice and Fire #5
414,790 words, 1,056 pages, 73 chapters, <time> to read
5,682 average words per chapter, 14.4 average pages per chapter
Published by Bantam Books
4.33 out of 5 on Goodreads
In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance—beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. As they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.
Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys. But his newest allies in this quest are not the rag-tag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who could undo Daenerys’s claim to Westeros forever.
- The Winds of Winter (Who Knows)
A Song of Ice and Fire #6
Published by Bantam Books
4.40 out of 5 on Goodreads
The Winds of Winter is the forthcoming sixth novel in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin.
The previous installment, A Dance with Dragons, covered less story than Martin intended, omitting at least one planned large battle sequence and leaving several character threads ending in cliffhangers. Martin intends to resolve these cliffhangers “very early” in The Winds of Winter, saying “I’m going to open with the two big battles that I was building up to, the battle in the ice and the battle at Meereen—the battle of Slaver’s Bay. And then take it from there.”
- A Dream of Spring (???)
A Song of Ice and Fire #7
Published by Bantam Books
4.35 out of 5 on Goodreads
Originally titled A Time For Wolves. The seventh and apparent final book of George R.R. Martin’s acclaimed series, A Song of Ice and Fire.
History of the World
1. The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones (2014)
A Song of Ice and Fire #0
101,715 words, 326 pages, 6hrs 50mins to read
Published by Bantam Books
4.26 out of 5 on Goodreads
We put this at the end as it is the backstory to what you know and love and more of an interesting deep dive into everything that you want to know to help build up to the epic saga that follows.
The never-before-seen history of Westeros and the lands beyond. With hundreds of pages of all-new material from George R.R. Martin.
If the past is prologue, then George R.R. Martin’s masterwork—the most inventive and entertaining fantasy saga of our time—warrants one hell of an introduction. At long last, it has arrived with THE WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE.
0.5 Fire & Blood (2018)
A Song of Ice and Fire #0.5
220,275 words, 706 pages, 14hrs 40mins to read
Published by Bantam Books
4.26 out of 5 on Goodreads
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 and 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.
Prequel Novellas
All three novellas were published under the one collection below.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2013)
The Tales of Dunk and Egg #1-3
110,760 words, 355 pages, 7hrs 25mins to read
Published by Bantam Books
4.22 out of 5 on Goodreads
A century before A Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros…
Before Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne there was Dunk and Egg. A young, naïve but courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals — in stature if not experience. Tagging along is his diminutive squire, a boy called Egg — whose true name is hidden from all he and Dunk encounter. Improbable heroes though they be, great destinies lie ahead for Dunk and Egg; as do powerful foes, royal intrigue, and outrageous exploits.
People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it’s served up.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings
Overall
A Song of Ice and Fire is one of the best fantasy series of this generation. The story and world building is second to none. Martin has created something incredible with this series, the characters are so well fleshed out that it is just thrilling to read even the most mundane of conversations that happen throughout.
The wait is killing me!
If you have enjoyed any of George R. R. Martin’s work and want to learn more about his or any other of his work, then feel free to check out his website.
Which one is your favourite or most looking forward to picking up next?
Let us know!
Happy reading!
Old stories are like old friends, she used to say. You have to visit them from time to time.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords
A Song of Ice and Fire Total Word Count and More
- Total words: 1,736,065 words
- Total pages: 4,244 pages
- Total chapters: 344 chapters
- Total reading time: 115hrs 45mins
Altogether Total Word Count and More
- Total words: 2,077,815 words
- Total pages: 5,631 pages
- Total reading time: 138hrs 35mins
More of the same, but different:
For More of Anything:
Things to Note:
- Word count is an approximation.
- Amount of pages may differ due to different publications, font style and/or size etc.
- Time spent reading is generally an approximation based on the word count and the average reading time. The average reader will read 250 WPM (Words Per Minute).
- This is the original publisher of the books.
- The current Goodreads score at the time of writing.
- For more information on word lengths and what they mean, check out our handy guide here.
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