Name: Fire & Blood
Rating: 4.03125 (128 reviews)
ISBN: 9780593598009

George R. R. Martin

Doug Wheatley

300 Years Before A Game of Thrones

Fire & Blood

The first volume of a definitive two-part history of the Targaryens in Westeros is set centuries before the events of "A Game of Thrones" and answers key questions about the dynasty's origins, conflicts and relationships with dragons.

Fire and Blood

Jacob

Loved how much more depth it added to the ASOIAF world. I did take issue with the number of women dying in childbirth. That was common in medieval times, but not as common as George writes it in F&amp;B. Plus, the ages of women who die in childbirth are way too young. People of medieval times weren’t stupid enough to have a 12-year-old try to give birth. They knew that wouldn’t work. Women were married young, but George seems to make young marriage and death in childbirth a central aspect of like, every woman in the book and it’s boring at best, and sexist at worst. Still a fantastic read. Queen Rhaena is one of my favorite Targaryens now. And god damn Mushroom is hilarious.

300 Years Before A Game of Thrones, this tells the Targaryen history from Aegon the Conquerer to Aegon III. It is both the rise of the dragons in Westeros, as well as the beginning of decline.

Honestly I picked this up simply to stop having stuff spoiled for me online after each episode of season two of House of the Dragon. If I can see it online, or google the answer myself, I might as well just read the story.

The writing in this is just simply so superb that it blows my mind. It is so well done, so meticulous, so real. Each page is like a section of a textbook, each sentence like a piece of history. And with that, it has its climactic moments, as well as its tiring ones. The conquering of Westeros, while interesting, was one of the drier parts. I’m not sure if he was just getting started, or if that just wasn’t his focus. I’m not sure how that’ll become its own show, as the burning of Harrenhal, a part that seems so extreme, actually happened in a single night. I did like that he addressed the clash of religion with the Targaryen’s incestuous nature though.

At about 50% into the story, you finally get to the crowning of Viserys and to his children. Aka the start of HotD. At about 25%+ of the book itself, this is the largest story it has to offer. The dance of dragons is long, bloody, and absolutely spilling with betrayal. Truly the amount of times Rhaenyra gets betrayed is mind blowing. And while the show seems to want to drag out every single line of dialogue possible, the book has an awful lot of dragons flying into action and fighting. I won’t say more for spoilers-sake but the fact that the show writers keep changing things for no reason doesn’t make any sense to me. Same with their desire to connect so heavily into GoT itself. The two are not really related whatsoever.

While I really enjoyed this, and I get that he’s going for a ‘time-period based’ fantasy, I just wish he spent more time on the story than on caring so much about girls’ virginities.

C. J. Daley 

300 Years Before A Game of Thrones, this tells the Targaryen history from Aegon the Conquerer to Aegon III. It is both the rise of the dragons in Westeros, as well as the beginning of decline.

Honestly I picked this up simply to stop having stuff spoiled for me online after each episode of season two of House of the Dragon. If I can see it online, or google the answer myself, I might as well just read the story.

The writing in this is just simply so superb that it blows my mind. It is so well done, so meticulous, so real. Each page is like a section of a textbook, each sentence like a piece of history. And with that, it has its climactic moments, as well as its tiring ones. The conquering of Westeros, while interesting, was one of the drier parts. I’m not sure if he was just getting started, or if that just wasn’t his focus. I’m not sure how that’ll become its own show, as the burning of Harrenhal, a part that seems so extreme, actually happened in a single night. I did like that he addressed the clash of religion with the Targaryen’s incestuous nature though.

At about 50% into the story, you finally get to the crowning of Viserys and to his children. Aka the start of HotD. At about 25%+ of the book itself, this is the largest story it has to offer. The dance of dragons is long, bloody, and absolutely spilling with betrayal. Truly the amount of times Rhaenyra gets betrayed is mind blowing. And while the show seems to want to drag out every single line of dialogue possible, the book has an awful lot of dragons flying into action and fighting. I won’t say more for spoilers-sake but the fact that the show writers keep changing things for no reason doesn’t make any sense to me. Same with their desire to connect so heavily into GoT itself. The two are not really related whatsoever.

While I really enjoyed this, and I get that he’s going for a ‘time-period based’ fantasy, I just wish he spent more time on the story than on caring so much about girls’ virginities.

Felt like a memoir, which in fairness it is. Enjoyed understanding the history behind the Aegon/s 

Uchenna Ukwu

I found the book to be somewhat dull. It was good , but the style of writing makes it somewhat uninteresting. Written from the perspective of a Maester (a historian), it details the rise and apex of Targaryen power in Westeros. Fire and Blood is sometimes boring to read, but when it is in full swing it is an utter delight. 

Noah Cross

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The history of the Targaryens comes to life in this masterly work, the inspiration for HBO’s upcoming Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon “The thrill of Fire & Blood is the thrill of all Martin’s fantasy work: familiar myths debunked, the whole trope table flipped.”—Entertainment Weekly 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 & 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. What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why was it so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What were Maegor the Cruel’s worst crimes? What was it like in Westeros when dragons ruled the skies? These are but a few of the questions answered in this essential chronicle, as related by a learned maester of the Citadel and featuring more than eighty all-new black-and-white illustrations by artist Doug Wheatley. Readers have glimpsed small parts of this narrative in such volumes as The World of Ice & Fire, but now, for the first time, the full tapestry of Targaryen history is revealed. With all the scope and grandeur of Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Fire & Blood is the the first volume of the definitive two-part history of the Targaryens, giving readers a whole new appreciation for the dynamic, often bloody, and always fascinating history of Westeros. Praise for Fire & Blood “A masterpiece of popular historical fiction.” —The Sunday Times “The saga is a rich and dark one, full of both the title’s promised elements. . . . It’s hard not to thrill to the descriptions of dragons engaging in airborne combat, or the dilemma of whether defeated rulers should ‘bend the knee,’ ‘take the black’ and join the Night’s Watch, or simply meet an inventive and horrible end.”—The Guardian

Annabella

I read this because HOTD time jumps were driving me nuts. It was unexpectedly interesting, I must say, even as someone whose favourite Westerosi family is the Stark clan. (I know R+L=J is basically common knoweldge by now, but still...)

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 & 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.
 What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why was it so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What were Maegor the Cruel's worst crimes? What was it like in Westeros when dragons ruled the skies? These are but a few of the questions answered in this essential chronicle, as related by a learned maester of the Citadel. Readers have glimpsed small parts of this narrative in such volumes as The World of Ice & Fire, but now, for the first time, the full tapestry of Targaryen history is revealed.
 With all the scope and grandeur of Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Fire & Blood is the first volume of the definitive two-part history of the Targaryens, giving readers a whole new appreciation for the dynamic, often bloody, and always fascinating history of Westeros.

Wonderfully written. The author managed to immerse me in this fantasy world. 

MereCivilian

GEORGE. Please FINISH YOUR STORIES. I have been reading this forever and yet never noticed the “part 1” anywhere. Now I am heavily invested in two of your Westerosi epics that have no ends in sight. 

Mariane Ferrantino 

Aditi

Really impressive but I'm just not a history nerd and this was a lot to get through. I do want to reread it though so maybe it wasn't as bad of a reading experience and I'm remembering.

Robin M Cabana

There's a family tree in the back of the book. Add a bookmark or Post-It to the page. It will help you navigate the twisted, intertwining history of the Targaryens. This was a fascinating history of the dragon-riding clans' rise to power - at least the first half of it - and is written like a historical record from the world of Westeros. This book could also have used a family tree of dragons because there are tons of them. There's lots of battles, politics, interesting side characters, and adventures. I think it also helps illustrate how the GOT series ending made sense, and it also suggest how Dani's eggs came to Essos. It's a long book, but I found it hard to put down. 

I'm hoping GRRM has time to write about the next 100+ years of Targaryen history, among the the other books he's working on.

Maria

я: надо быстро почитать книжку на русском, чтобы нагнать челлендж
тоже я: *беру читать 700-страничную историю дома Таргариенов в Вестеросе*

на удивление увлекательное чтение, надо сказать, несмотря на то, что написана она не в формате романа, а в формате исторической хроники. в который раз упиваюсь детализацией, огромным количеством персонажей, бескрайним миром и вообще колоссальным каким-то потенциалом. я бы почитала отдельные романы и при Эйегона с Рейенис и Висеньей, и про Нимерию с ройнарами, и про колдунов из Асшая. а какой шикарный роман можно было бы написать про принцессу Таргариен, сбежавшую из дома в Лисс и ставшую там богатой куртизанкой. жаль, сам Мартин уже вряд ли что-то такое успеет - он и так-то жалуется, что старость не радость, и работать стало тяжело, а впереди еще две книги основной саги

Nickie Mohler

I really enjoyed this. It took me a while to read it because it is very dense, but the history is fascinating. It just wasn't a quick read. I will definitely pick up the next one.

Neveen Badr

Kaitlyn Krna

I really enjoyed this book. I know that most Martin fans are all desperate for him to finish Winds of Winter, but don't let your frustration that this isn't the book you want keep you from reading this. I thoroughly enjoyed this deep dive into the history of the Targaryen dynasty. Martin has developed such a rich world, and I am thankful that we get to experience more of it through Fire & Blood.

Through this book, Martin expands the rich lore of his world as he presents readers with the histories of the kings and queens of old. The Targaryens of old were diverse. There were some who were heroes, some who were cowards, some who were king, some who were cruel, some were noble, and others were selfish.

I would compare this to Tolkien's The Silmarilion in that both books expand the lore and history of the respective worlds. In my opinion, this is a fantastic addition to Martin's cannon.

Fire & Blood 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones

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