Fire and Blood

If you like A Song of Ice and Fire – and I’m talking about the novels rather than the TV series – and you want to learn more about the history of Westeros, you’ll love this book. It’s not written as a conventional novel, more as a narrative history. What I mean is that the ostensible narrator is not an omniscient GRR Martin but a master writing several centuries after the event and relying on several contemporary sources of dubious accuracy. If that doesn’t sound very exciting, don’t worry, there is plenty of excitement here. And plenty of action too, of the kind you associate with Game of Thrones: wars, conspiracies, betrayals, beheadings, poisonings going on all over Westeros, with additional dollops of violence and mayhem floating in from across the Narrow Sea. For those who find all this a bit grim and macho, GRR Martin is pretty good at putting women front and centre, so there are plenty of notable female characters, not just doing queenly things, but also doing “manly” things like exploring the seven seas (or however many seas there are in this world) and riding dragons. In fact, the major war in the centre of the novel hinges on the female right of accession to the Iron Throne, i.e. whether a younger brother’s claim trumps an older sister’s. It reminds me that I’m not keen on the Middle Ages really, and as a republican I’m not a big fan of kings and queens. However, I can see why so many fantasy novels are set in something that approximates to the European Middle Ages. Kings and queens, knights in shining armour, jousting and swordplay, men with longbows and crossbows. It’s all fertile ground for creating action-packed narratives and fully-rounded characters. 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. We also get a list of reigns and dates and a Targaryen family tree, which is helpful if you get your Aegons mixed up with your Aemons. My only gripe about this edition is that there is no map. Yes, I can picture Westeros in my mind and there are maps in other volumes, but I’m sure there are some names of towns and regions that I haven’t come across before and it would be nice to know whereabouts they are. By the way, Fire and Blood begins with the Targaryen take over of Westeros, three hundred years before the TV series starts. In this volume we get about half-way through that period, so expect a sequel at some point. In this edition, as a bonus, you get a transcript of a conversation between GRR Martin and the mediaeval historian Dan Jones. It gives a fascinating insight into how the author first conceived of Westeros and how he developed this complex world. Apparently, it all started with a dream about the incident – which is very vivid in the TV series – when Bran discovers the direwolf pups. And at first, the author thought of that as a fit subject for a short story, not for a massive series of several doorstep sized novels. He also talks about his interest in history, and how the great thing about being a fantasy writer, rather than a historical novelist, is that you can take a historical event or artefact and then let your imagination go. As an example, he tells how a trip to Hadrian’s Wall led to the Westeros Wall. The author also hints at future Westeros novels, including a sequel to this one.

Fire and Blood is a detailed history of House Targaryen, set long before Game of Thrones and linked to House of the Dragon. It reads like a chronicle of rulers, dragons and wars, from Aegon the Conqueror to the civil war of the Dance of the Dragons. It can feel a bit dense at times, but it’s interesting if you like Westeros lore and backstory. The black-and-white illustrations help. I paid £12.50 at purchase, and with Amazon Prime delivery was free and returns are within 30 days if needed.

Great insight in to the lore if you are a fan of a song of ice and fire

Love how good the quality is for this beautiful book! Thank you so much seller

Coming late to GRR Martin as an author (and like so many, because of watching the GOT tv series first) I am more than halfway through this weighty tome - and loving it - just as I'm loving the other books I've been reading from this author's pen. Don't believe those who say this book is just repeating the 'World of Ice and Fire' book - no, this book takes the detail of that book and builds upon, explains and enhances and, in so doing, Martin proves himself to be a master storyteller with an amazing imagination AND with the great gift of capturing his readers' imagination, enabling him to lead his readers through the myriad characters' intertwining lives and adventures. Martin has created a 'world' and he is helping us 'explore' where his labyrinthine mind (and it is no small feat that this author accomplishes in 'holding' it all together) takes him! It's a big book, but worth the time invested in taking to read it - and read in conjunction with the 'World of Ice and Fire' book, it is a delight, visually, with the superb fantasy art featured in both books, and a joy, from a purely written aspect, as it conjures up a great 'wordscape' that is, truly, fantasy and magical. I for one am looking forward already to the second volume yet to come.

This is a very mixed book. There are many good things, for example it is good to know about the Targaryens and where they came from. Also if you are a fan you don't need much excuse to get back to the world of Westeros. As other reviewers have mentioned It is written more as a history than a story driven by characters so it can be hard to get involved as one does with the other books. Sometimes we are told how different "historians" relate a story differently and I felt this just clogged things up. It isn't real history so why do we need multiple viewpoints? There are lists and lists of people who are briefly introduced and then killed off with the manner of their deaths told in detail. More clogging up. It's hard to see how there were any men left standing after the endless rounds of slaughter. Many names are duplicated which does make it confusing. There is a family tree at the end which is useful. A map would be even more useful. The illustrations are awful in my opinion.

I had a fantastic experience with Rarewaves. My original order was delayed due to regional geopolitical issues, but Michael from customer care was incredibly helpful and understanding. He immediately sent a replacement without any hassle, which arrived safely. Outstanding communication and a genuine commitment to customer satisfaction. Highly recommended!

Fans of 'Game of Thrones' fall into two categories; those who've read (and often studied) the magnificent library of books in the 'Ice & Fire', unfinished, series and then those who think (incorrectly) that they know this fantasy world because they're fans of the TV series, 'Game of Thrones'. If you're a member of the larger group, the TV fans, then don't bother buying this book as it isn't for you. As with most such things, the TV series and the stories told in the books are quite different (S1 of the TV series was a faithful expression of the first book, to the extent that TV episodes exactly matched the book chapters but, after that, they drifted apart ever more markedly). This book is aimed, squarely, at the readers who are totally immersed in the fantasy world that GRRM created. 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! This isn't a slim 'companion book' as it's just as massive as any of the full-blown novels. GRRM has chosen to use a different writing style, taking the viewpoint of a fictional historian rather than a protagonist, and the result is that it's all less of an immersive tale and more like a history textbook. The exciting stories are in there, they're just that bit more hidden. I confess that even I, a dyed-in-the-wool Ice & Fire fan, became a bit bored and reaching the end felt more like completing a marathon than the sadness that it's all over and there's nothing left to read. But it isn't all over! I bought this book thinking that it would fill the complete the entire gap between the dragon-based invasion of Westeros and the beginning of the Ice & Fire books but, actually, huge as it is, it still only fills half the gap and GRRM promises to write a 'Volume 2' soon that completes the narrative. I'm not sure that I have the stamina for another round! There are two major problems with this book, exacerbated in the e-book version. It's almost impossible to follow this story without having to hand a large map of Westeros and the surrounding world and also a family tree for all of those mentioned in the book. There is a simplified family tree of the Targaryens at the end of the book but, as usual, it's too small to see in the e-book so you'll need a print-out. Of course, given the Targaryen penchant for every form of incestuous marriage, even the basic family tree doesn't look like a 'normal' tree. All of the books have maintained a shameful tradition of omission and this one is the same; there are no maps included. I suspect that this is a cynically deliberate decision on the part of the publishers to try to make readers buy the (expensive) companion of GoT maps. Over the years, I've built up a small library of maps and so I could print off and keep to hand a map of Westoros but, without being able to refer to it constantly, following the plot in this book would have been all but impossible. But I had a bigger problem with this book; something common to all of the books but far more evident here. In this world, siblings and children are often given very similar names, often, a child will have the same name as a parent or sibling with just one letter changed. Worse, some, grandsons and other relatives are often given exactly the same name as an ancestor, in their honour. GRRM is also prone to giving us long lists of names, often of people of whom we never hear again. The result is an utterly confusing conglomeration of names and characters of such complexity that it's extremely difficult to keep straight who's who. So, having reeled off a long list of grumbles, I must also say that this is still a GRRM Ice & Fire book and, as such, I wouldn't have missed it for the world (this world or the fantasy one). Will I buy the 'volume 2' if and when GRRM gets around to writing it? Yes, of course I will! So here's the test. If you aren't such a fan of the books that you don't already have your own maps of Westeros, don't bother buying this book. But if, like me, you do, then lap it up as the nerd that you truly are!

leuk boek + plaatjes de letters zijn wel kleiner dan verwacht dus wees voorbereid op een heel lang boek

I am only part way through, but I am thoroughly enjoying the book. It is written in the style of a historian--narrating not from the perspective of the characters, but from what has been said over the years by various authors. I am enjoying getting to know characters spoken about but who were not an integral part of the Song of Ice and Fire series (particularly given they had passed away a long time ago by that point).

W kwestii estetyki mogę powiedzieć że okładka współgra z pozostałymi książkami z serii wydawnictwa Harper/Voyager. Herb Targaryenów na okładce jest "wybity" ponad poziom okładki oraz wraz z tytułem książki pięknie odbijają światło. W środku, poza właściwym tekstem, znajdują się ilustracje obrazujące opisywane wydarzenia. Co do treści, to należy pamiętać że narracyjnie różni się od książek głównej serii - w "Fire & Blood" mamy do czynienia z kroniką historyczną. Nie zmienia to faktu, że polecam ją każdemu fanowi twórczości Martina, czy też jego serialowych adaptacji - szczególnie tym którzy czekają na kolejny sezon "House of the Dragon". Książka dostarczona w doskonałym stanie, w ciągu 5 dni roboczych (zamówiona we wtorkowy wieczór - dostarczona w poniedziałek). Wysyłka z magazynu w Wielkiej Brytanii. Jeżeli dobrze posługujecie się językiem angielskim, to nie widzę powodu żeby przepłacać za dwu-częściową polską edycje, podczas gdy oryginał robi to taniej i w jednej książce.

I love it. Thank you 💙

Con el libro todo bien aunque el tamaño de la letra es un poco pequeña. Incluso la versión de tapa blanda tiene una calidad notable tanto en el papel como en la carátula, trabajada y con relieve. Sin embargo, y no sé bien cómo, el logo de la portada es incorrecto ya que el dragón que aparece en el estandarte de la casa Targaryen no debería tener 4 patas sino 2...