Name: The World of Ice & Fire
Rating: 4.144736842105263 (38 reviews)
ISBN: 9780553805444

George R. R. Martin

Linda Antonsson

Elio Garcia

A lavishly illustrated guide to the A Song of Ice and Fire universe traces the pre-historical period and the coming of the First Men through the reign of the Targaryen kings and Robert's Rebellion. 75,000 first printing. TV tie-in.

The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones

The World of Ice & Fire

Really good read. Took me a long time, even though Im a fast reader, because I wanted to absorb all the details properly so I wouldnt get overwhelmed with the characters and places and terms. But I ended up very satisfied in the end.

The plot, the prose, and the aura of the book is very rich & deep. I relished every moment of the book. The world building is one the best Ive ever seen yet, although amateur readers may have a hard time absorbing all the levels of detail. The promise of magic and supernatural forces made me very excited, but those aspects werent shown in this book. They were introduced, yes, like the threat beyond The Wall, but GRRM didnt give us a very clear picture. Bran and the crows seem otherworldly too, but Martin didnt expound that too much. I feel like this book was just an introduction, a very long one, on how the events in the next books started to unfold. This just shows how Martin is one of the best fantasy writers of this era. The withheld magic lets the reader focus more on the drama forming over The Seven Kingdoms.

The book is filled with delicious murder plots, plans for overtaking the throne, deceits & lies.  The characters are very realistic, they make all the wrong choices, fall for the wrong people and fall prey to worldly temptations. Ned Stark is on the few remaining men who remain loyal and value honor beyond anything. Most of the men are too caught up in the web of politics and intrigue. 

One thing that really got me, though, was how Martin seems to find it okay to kill characters Ive grown very attached to. If he didnt kill them, he made their lives very miserable. This it what makes the story so painful, and irresistible to the reader. The book is filed with raw power and so much emotion.

Warning: Adult Content (ex. violence, sex)

Mariane Ferrantino 

Super interesting information at times, but there’s a reason it took me almost two years to finish it. There was always something better to pick up in between checking this out from the library app.

Mandy Picard

A great in depth look into the past of ASOIAF!

Kerri McDonald

I feel I should start this review with a disclaimer: I absolutely LOVE learning about the origins of different cultures and things. Therefore, an entire book dedicated to the back story of Westeros had me sold before I even opened it. That being said, this was a well-written and entertaining book. I enjoyed the fact that it mimed being written by a maester out of Game of Thrones universe. It was a nice little added touch. And the history! Uuuugh, so much history! It has the stories of each of the Targaryen kings, it delves into some of the history of the lands across the sea from Westeros, it goes into the background of each of the Seven Kingdoms. So much love. If you're into learning about what was, you're going to enjoy this book.

Now, Mr. Martin, mayhaps we can have the next installment in the Song of Ice and Fire? Please?

The World of Ice & Fire The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones

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