The World of Ice and Fire

Review by Paul Fiander

by George R. R. Martin, Elio M. Garcia Jr., Linda Antonsson

Westeros is but one part of the world that George R.R. Martin created and within this brilliantly produced book we get to learn more about the Seven Kingdoms and the lands beyond. The illustrated volume acts as a prologue to the main story contained within A Song of Ice and Fire and fills in many gaps up to the victory of Robert Baratheon. However, this is a history text that reaches far beyond the living memory all the way back to the Dawn Age.

The whole book is created in the style of a volume created at the citadel of Oldtown by a Maester. This illusion stays throughout the book as you get to hear prejudices of other religions as well the unwillingness to speculate on unrecorded events you would expect from a historian. This gives the text a nice weight and, as with all of Martin’s writings, it is told in the first person, there is even a dedication at the start to King Robert Baratheon giving you some idea of where this fit into the timeline of the story we already know.

The history told is rich and after reading you will know more about the Targareyn than is probably healthy but is still fascinating. We also get the history of all the kingdoms of Westeros as well as some ideas about the lands beyond the Sunset Kingdom. The section on Aerys II is perhaps the most in-depth and helps to give us more insight into the character of the Mad King as well as Tywin Lannister. Their relationship is discussed in Game of Thrones but is explored at greater depth here. It helps to flesh out a character we know from the main series but more importantly shines a light on the Fall of the Dragons.

Throughout your time with the book you will read many sections that relate to a passage you would have read in one of Martin’s earlier titles. A great example is the role John Arryn played in the Rebellion against Aerys II and the story of how the fourth son of a fourth son became the King of Westeros. For those who have not read the books and are instead coming from the HBO show there is still tonnes of accessible information to improve your enjoyment of the show.

I do have a few issues though, true to form, with the books; very little of the actual battles are actually revealed. The wannabe Military Historian in me would have loved to have known more than just the broad strokes of battles especially where the Dragons are concerned. Secondly, I just wonder who this is fort? It says Game of Thrones on the front but I think it will appeal more to fans of the books rather than the TV show. Obviously there is an element of Game of Thrones having a larger appeal and that is probably the reason for this name being used instead of A Song of Ice and Fire. These complaints are very small but perhaps the biggest issue is that this really does read as a history book and may well put off some readers. Personally I love this type of work but be warned, it has the feel of a textbook more than a novel.

At the start I mentioned about the aesthetics of the book and they really are quite stunning. The front cover shows the three headed dragon of House Targareyn (or Aegon I Targaryen to be more exact). On opening the book you get the first of around 170 images. This displays Dragonstone in all its terrifying glory. Throughout the rest of the book there are loads more to drool over and they do help to break up names and dates that can be a bit daunting. The pages themselves are crafted to look like parchment, again adding weight to the authentic feel of the work.

I love both A Song of Ice and Fire and a Game of Thrones in equal measure and see this book as a way to flesh out both works. If you want to learn more about the world the stories are set in then this is a must-read but, due to its textbook type structure, it may not be for all.