A Song of Ice and Fire

A Song of Ice and Fire

File:WikiFullASoIaFSizeEdit.JPG US covers for the first five books
A Game of Thrones A Clash of Kings A Storm of Swords A Feast for Crows A Dance with Dragons
Author	George R. R. Martin
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	High fantasy, dark fantasy, historical fantasy
Publisher	Bantam Books (USA) Voyager Books (UK, Australia)
Published	August 6, 1996 – present
Media type	Print (Hardcover and paperback) Audiobook

A Song of Ice and Fire is an award-winning series of epic fantasy novels by American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the series in 1991 and the first volume was published in 1996. Originally planned as a trilogy, the series now consists of four published volumes with three more projected. There are also two prequel novellas available, with several more planned, and a series of novellas consisting of excerpts of the main novels. One of these excerpt novellas has won a Hugo Award. The series has been translated into eighteen languages and the fourth volume reached the top of the New York Times bestseller lists upon its release. Overall, the series has sold more than 3.5 million copies in the USA.

The story of A Song of Ice and Fire takes place in a fictional world, primarily upon a continent called Westeros but also on a large landmass to the east, known as Essos. Most of the characters are human but as the series progresses other races are introduced, such as the cold and menacing Others from the far North and fire-breathing dragons from the East, both races thought to be extinct by the people of the story. There are three principal storylines in the series: the chronicling of a dynastic civil war for control of Westeros between several competing families; the rising threat of the Others who dwell beyond an immense wall of ice that forms Westeros' northern border; and the journey of Daenerys Targaryen, the exiled daughter of a king who was murdered in another civil war fifteen years previously (War of the Usurper) and now seeks to return to Westeros and claim her rightful throne. As the series progresses, all three storylines become intensely interwoven and dependent on each other.

The series is told in the limited third-person through the eyes of a number of POV characters. By the end of the fourth volume, there have been twenty-five such characters, although these include eight who appear only once.

The growing popularity of the series led to it being optioned by HBO for development into a television adaptation. A pilot episode, called Game of Thrones, was produced in 2009, and a series commitment for 9 further episodes was made in March 2010.

There are popular board and role-playing games based on the books available, as well as a collection of artwork based on and inspired by the series. The French video game company, Cyanide, has announced that they have partnered with Martin to create a video game adaption of the books.

The series is the number 1 rated fantasy series at the Internet Book List.

Back story

The background to A Song of Ice and Fire is revealed through the lengthy appendices which follow on from each volume, with additional information revealed through the novellas, the text of the novels themselves and the role-playing game.

The narrative is set primarily in the fictional Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, a large, South America–sized continent with an ancient history stretching back some twelve thousand years, and where the seasons last for years. The original inhabitants of the land were the Children of The Forest (whose old gods are still worshipped in the North), a dimunitive race who lived in harmony with nature and employed powerful magic. The First Men, a civilization of primitive warriors wielding bronze weapons and riding horses, crossed over from the eastern continent via a land bridge (destroyed in the resulting conflicts) and fought a series of wars against the Children which ended with the Pact of the Isle of Faces being signed, with the First Men taking control of the open lands and the Children remaining in the forests.

The Pact was weakened after four thousand years by the emergence of the Others, an enigmatic race from the furthermost north, who swept south into Westeros and caused great death and destruction, bringing about a night that lasted a generation and a winter that lasted decades. In the War for the Dawn, the Others were thrown back by the First Men and the Children of The Forest, and the vast wall of ice was raised to bar their passage south should they come again. In the following centuries the Children gradually disappeared, and it was presumed that they left Westeros or died out altogether.

Approximately two thousand years after the War for the Dawn, the Andals crossed the narrow sea from the eastern continent. The Andals wielded iron weapons, had tamed horses to use in battle and brought with them the Faith of the Seven. They landed in the Vale of Arryn and over the course of several millennia subjugated the southern kingdoms. However, they could not take the North due to natural defences. Over time six great and powerful kingdoms were forged across Westeros: the Kingdom of the North, the Kingdom of the Iron Islands, the Kingdom of Vale and Sky, the Kingdom of the Rock, the Kingdom of the Storm Kings and the Kingdom of the Reach. A seventh kingdom—that of the Riverlands—was repeatedly conquered by its neighbours and eventually was destroyed altogether, whilst the small desert kingships in the far south of Westeros were divided by constant struggle and war. One thousand years prior to the events of the novels, a great host of refugees from the region of the River Rhoyne on the eastern continent—displaced by the growing power of a distant empire called Valyria—crossed the narrow sea under the warrior-queen Nymeria and landed in the southern-most part of Westeros. The Rhoynar allied with the native Lord Mors Martell and conquered the southern peninsula of Dorne, forging another powerful kingdom.

Five centuries later the expanding Valyrian Freehold had reached the far coast of the narrow sea and established links with Westeros, using the island of Dragonstone as a trading port. However, a mere century later the Valyrian Freehold was destroyed by a titanic disaster known as the Doom. The Valyrian family that controlled Dragonstone, the Targaryens, spent a further century in preparing their forces, and then launched a devastating invasion of Westeros under Aegon the Conqueror. Although their forces were tiny, they had with them the last three dragons in the western world and they were able to use these to subjugate the continent. Six of the Seven Kingdoms were conquered in this initial war, but Dorne resisted so fiercely that Aegon agreed to let them remain independent. The Targaryens adopted the native Faith of the Seven (although they still married brother to sister in the ancient Valyrian tradition in defiance of the Faith's teachings) and Westerosi customs, and within a few decades had crushed all resistance to their rule. Dorne was eventually absorbed through marriage-alliance. The last dragons died out a century and a half into the Targaryen rule, but by this time they had become the ruling power on the continent and their rule was not challenged at this time.

Fifteen years prior to the beginning of the novels, the Targaryens were displaced from power in a civil war brought about by King Aerys II's (called "the Mad King") insanity and cruelty. An alliance of houses under the leadership of Lord Robert Baratheon, Lord Jon Arryn, and Lord Eddard Stark successfully destroyed the Targaryen armies, then went on to kill king Aerys's heirs and wiped out most of the line, aside from Aerys' pregnant wife and his son Viserys, who fled to Dragonstone. King Aerys himself was killed by Jaime Lannister, his own sworn sword, who since then has been nicknamed the Kingslayer. Aerys' wife died giving birth to Daenerys Targaryen, who was taken to safety in the Free Cities beyond the narrow sea by loyal retainers. In the meantime, Robert Baratheon took the Iron Throne and married Cersei Lannister, whose father Tywin had delivered Robert the capital of King's Landing through treachery.

Synopsis

See also: List of characters in A Song of Ice and Fire

A Song of Ice and Fire follows three principal storylines, divided by geography and participants.

The first storyline, set in the Seven Kingdoms themselves, chronicles a many-sided struggle for the Iron Throne that develops after King Robert's death. The throne is claimed by his son Joffrey, supported by his mother's powerful family, House Lannister. However, Lord Eddard Stark, King Robert's Hand, finds out Robert's children are illegitimate, and that the throne should therefore fall to Robert's unpopular eldest brother, Stannis. Robert's charismatic and popular youngest brother, Renly, also places a claim, openly disregarding the order of precedence, with the support of the powerful House Tyrell. While the claimants battle for the Iron Throne, Robb Stark, Lord Eddard Stark's heir, is proclaimed King in the North as the northmen and their allies in the Riverlands seek to return to self-rule. Likewise, Balon Greyjoy also (re-)claims the ancient throne of his own region, the Iron Islands, with an eye toward independence. This war is exacerbated by a foreign priestess of a fire god, who believes that the answer to her religion's prophecy is to be found in Westeros. The War of the Five Kings is the principal storyline in the second and third novels, while the fourth novel concerns the realm's recovery in the face of the coming winter.

The second storyline is set on the extreme northern border of Westeros. Here, 8,000 years prior, a huge wall of ice and gravel was constructed by both magic and labor to defend Westeros from the threat of The Others, a race of now-mythical creatures living in the uttermost north. This Wall, 300 miles (480 km) long and 700 feet (210 m) tall, is defended and maintained by the Sworn Brotherhood of the Night's Watch, whose duty is to guard the kingdom against the Others. By the time of the novels, it is badly under-strength and has almost forgotten its original purpose, instead being threatened by the human "wildlings" or "free folk" who live to the north. This storyline follows Jon Snow, bastard son of Eddard Stark, as he rises through the ranks of the Watch, learns the true nature of the threat from the north, and prepares to defend the realm even though the people of Westeros are too busy warring to send support. By the end of the third volume, this storyline is somewhat entangled with the civil war to the south.

The third storyline is set on the huge eastern continent of Essos and follows the journeys of Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen and another claimant to the Iron Throne. Daenerys's adventures showcase her growing ability as she rises from a near-penniless wanderer to a powerful and canny ruler. Her rise is aided by the birth of three dragons, creatures thought long extinct, from fossilized eggs given to her as wedding gifts. Because her family standard is the dragon, these creatures are of symbolic value before they have grown big enough to be of tactical use. Though her story is separated from the others by many thousands of miles, her stated goal is to reclaim the Iron Throne.

Concept and creation

Background

Martin had a long love of model knights and medieval history, but his early novels and short stories mostly fit into the science fiction genre; however, eventually several fantasy stories did appear, such as The Ice Dragon. In the mid-1980s, Martin worked mainly in Hollywood, principally as a writer or producer on The New Twilight Zone and Beauty and the Beast. After Beauty and the Beast ended in 1989 Martin returned to writing prose and started work on a science fiction novel called Avalon. In 1991, whilst struggling with this story, Martin conceived of a scene where several youngsters find a dead direwolf with a stag's antler in its throat. The direwolf has several pups, which are taken by the youngsters to raise as their own. Martin's imagination was fired by this idea and he developed it into an epic fantasy story, which he envisaged as a trilogy consisting of the books A Game of Thrones, A Dance with Dragons and The Winds of Winter. Martin had previously apparently not been inspired by the genre, but reading Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series had convinced him it could be approached in a more adult and mature way than previous authors.

After a hiatus spent producing a television pilot for a series called Doorways, Martin resumed work on A Game of Thrones in 1994 and completed it the following year, although he was only partway through his initial plan for the first novel. As a result of this, Martin then expanded his plan for the series to four books, and then to six. Publication of A Game of Thrones followed in early 1996. Pre-release publicity included publication of a "sample novella" called Blood of the Dragon, which went on to win the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novella. In order to fit A Game of Thrones into one volume, Martin had pulled out the last quarter or so of the book and made it the opening section of the second book, 1998's A Clash of Kings. In May 2005 Martin noted that his manuscript for A Game of Swords had been 1088 pages long without the appendices, and A Clash of Kings was even longer at 1184 pages.

Influences

Although Martin has acknowledged his debt to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Jack Vance and Tad Williams, the series differs from these earlier works in its greater interest in and use of realistic elements. While Tolkien was inspired by mythology, A Song of Ice and Fire is more clearly influenced by medieval history, most notably the Wars of the Roses. Likewise, while Tolkien tended toward romantic relationships, Martin writes frankly of sex, including incest, adultery, prostitution, and rape. As a result, illegitimate children play prominent roles throughout the series. This has led to the series being cited as a forerunner of a 'gritty' new wave of epic fantasy authors that followed, including Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie, Steven Erikson and Scott Bakker. On his website, Martin has acknowledged historical fiction authors such as Bernard Cornwell and George MacDonald Fraser to be influences on the series. Martin has cited the cover blurb by Robert Jordan for the first book to have been influential in ensuring the series' early success with fantasy readers.

Martin is an avid student of medieval Europe, and has said that the Wars of the Roses, along with many other events in Europe during that time, have influenced the series. However, he insists that "there's really no one-for-one character-for-character correspondence. I like to use history to flavor my fantasy, to add texture and verisimilitude, but simply rewriting history with the names changed has no appeal for me. I prefer to reimagine it all, and take it in new and unexpected directions."

Publication history

After expanding the series to four volumes, Martin remarked, "What can I say? It's a BIG story, and a cast of thousands."

After A Storm of Swords was completed in 2000, Martin began writing A Dance with Dragons, the intended fourth volume which would pick up the story five years after the previous volume. Martin found it difficult to make this work without an over-reliance on flashbacks. At the World Science Fiction Convention in Philadelphia on 1 September 2001, Martin announced that he was scrapping more than a year's work and writing a different fourth book that would fill in the gap, named A Feast for Crows. He found it extremely difficult to go back and start again, especially as this novel was not planned for in his scheme for the series, and work on the book progressed slowly.

By May 2005, A Feast for Crows had become longer than A Storm of Swords (the manuscript for which had been 1521 pages) and Martin's publishers said they could not publish the book in one volume. They suggested splitting the book in two and releasing the volumes as A Feast for Crows, Volume I and A Feast for Crows, Volume II, but Martin was unhappy with this idea. After discussing the matter with his publishers and his friend and fellow writer Daniel Abraham, Martin decided to split the book by character and location instead. The published A Feast for Crows thus contained all of the characters in the South of the Seven Kingdoms, while the forthcoming A Dance with Dragons will contain the characters in the North, the Free Cities and in Slaver's Bay.

In a May 2005 statement, the author also said that this move now meant that the series would require seven volumes. Martin recognized that this decision could cause frustration among some of his fans. He wrote: "I know some of you may be disappointed, especially when you buy A Feast for Crows and discover that your favorite character does not appear, but given the realities I think this was the best solution... and the more I look at it, the more convinced I am that these two parallel novels, when taken together, will actually tell the story better than one big book."

These problems aside, A Feast for Crows was released in October 2005 and immediately won largely positive reviews. Time dubbed Martin "the American Tolkien", and the novel went straight to the top of the New York Times bestseller list.

Despite initial hopes of A Dance with Dragons being published quickly after A Feast for Crows, the writing and revision process for this fifth novel proved more difficult than anticipated. On January 1, 2008, Martin published an update on his website saying he hoped to have the book published in the autumn of 2008. As of February 2010, the author has published no further updates on his website. Although major retailers had quoted release dates for A Dance with Dragons of September 29, 2009 in the US and the following month in the UK, Martin stated that these release dates were incorrect, and that he would announce the release of A Dance with Dragons when he has finished the manuscript. Martin has in the past announced finishing dates for earlier works on his blog, and in the last several years also announced the genesis of other projects, which has caused some fans to wonder if he has lost interest in writing A Song of Ice and Fire. Martin has said that this is not the case.

George R. R. Martin has addressed fan frustration with the many delays in releasing Ice and Fire novels, including fears that he may "pull a Robert Jordan" and leave the series forever unfinished. Martin insists that he will not be bullied and continues to work at his own pace, on this and several other projects, to make sure they come out as good as he can possibly make them. In a February 2009 update on his LiveJournal, Martin confirmed that he had hoped to finish the novel in June, which would permit a September-October 2009 publication. This goal was not achieved, though in late June 2009 he mentioned that he had achieved more progress within the preceding weeks than any other concentrated period of work of the previous year, perhaps longer.

Supplementary works

There are also three novellas based on chapter sets from the books:

• Blood of the Dragon is a novella taken from the Daenerys chapters in A Game of Thrones. It won the Hugo Award for Best Novella in 1997.
• Path of the Dragon is a second novella based on the Daenerys chapters, this time taken from A Storm of Swords.
• Arms of the Kraken is a novella based on the Iron Islands chapters from A Feast for Crows.

There are also three separate novellas set in the same world, known as the "Tales of Dunk and Egg" after the main protagonists. They are set about ninety years before the novels and for now have no direct connection with the plot of A Song of Ice and Fire.

• The Hedge Knight (1998)
• The Sworn Sword (2003)
• The Mystery Knight (2010)

The Hedge Knight and The Sworn Sword are also both available as graphic novels from Dabel Brothers Productions. The author has said that he would like to write a number of these stories (varying from six to twelve from interview to interview) covering the entire lives of these two characters. Publication of the third "Dunk and Egg" novella, titled The Mystery Knight, is provisionally set for 2010 in an anthology named Warriors, which will be edited by Martin and Gardner Dozois.

A companion volume for the series, provisionally known as a "world book", is in development by George R. R. Martin and co-authors Elio M. García, Jr. and Linda Antonsson, although no publication date has been confirmed as yet. García and Antonsson run the largest A Song of Ice and Fire community on the web and assisted in the writing of the first roleplaying game. The companion volume was given the working title The World of Ice and Fire at the 2006 Worldcon during a discussion between the writers. They confirmed that the book will open with a historical overview of the setting, have a "who's who" of characters and have a large amount of heraldry and at least the Targaryen family tree, and possibly more. The book will contain a large amount of artwork and will be published after A Dance with Dragons is released. The artist Ted Nasmith, best known for his work on illustrated editions of J. R. R. Tolkien books, has been asked to do some landscape and castle portraits for the book. In his correspondence with the publishers, Nasmith was told that the target release date was spring 2008, although the book was subsequently moved back.

Reception

• A Game of Thrones (1996) - Locus Award winner, Nebula and World Fantasy Awards nominee, 1997
• A Clash of Kings (1998) - Locus Award winner, Nebula Award nominee, 1999
• A Storm of Swords (2000) - Locus Award winner, Hugo and Nebula Awards nominee, 2001
• A Feast for Crows (2005) - Hugo, Locus, and British Fantasy Awards nominee, 2006

Adaptation

Main article: Game of Thrones (TV series)

A Song of Ice and Fire will be adapted for television in the format of a serial drama.

Variety reported on 17 January 2007 that the rights for A Song of Ice and Fire have been sold to HBO with the intent of turning the novels into a television series. Written and executive produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the series is expected to cover one novel’s worth of material per season. Martin plans to co-executive produce the series and is expected to write one episode per season. The series is to be filmed in Northern Ireland. Martin reported in August 2007 that the first draft of the script was complete and stated in November that the script was approved and budgeting had begun. At this point the series had still not been officially greenlit, and the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike could have delayed the process.

In April 2008 David Benioff confirmed that development of the script and series was continuing. He suggested a ‘crappy’ tagline for the project could be, “The Sopranos in Middle-earth.” In June, Martin reported in his blog that the second draft of the script was complete, but again a final decision had not been made. If the series were to go ahead, the BBC would also be financially involved much as they were for the HBO series Rome.

In September 2008, according to Martin's not-a-blog, HBO exercised its option to buy the television rights to produce A Game of Thrones. Martin is quick to point out the project has still not been greenlit, but it is an encouraging first step. In November, Variety reported that HBO has committed to filming a pilot episode before a decision is made in regards to filming the entire first book of the series.

In May 2009 Martin announced that HBO had selected actor/ director Tom McCarthy as director of the Game Of Thrones pilot. Also, the first cast member, Peter Dinklage, has been cast as Tyrion Lannister. McCarthy and Dinklage previously worked together on "The Station Agent." The pilot episode will be shot in and around Belfast in Northern Ireland during the fourth quarter of 2009.

On July 19, 2009 The Hollywood Reporter(THR) announced that Sean Bean (best known as Boromir in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings) has signed on to play Eddard Stark. THR is also reporting that Mark Addy is in final negotiations to play Robert Baratheon. Additional cast includes Kit Harrington as Jon Snow, Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon, Harry Lloyd as Viserys Targaryen, and Jennifer Ehle as Catelyn Stark.

On October 1, 2009, Martin's not-a-blog, mentioned that the filming would start "in just three more weeks or thereabouts."

On October 23, 2009, the BBC reported that scenes were to be filmed over the coming weekend at Doune Castle in Scotland.

On March 2, 2010, HBO announced a series commitment for 9 episodes (in addition to the pilot), with production set to begin in Belfast, Northern Ireland in June 2010.

Franchise

Main articles: A Game of Thrones collectible card game, A Game of Thrones (board game), and A Game of Thrones (role-playing game)

A collectible card game (CCG) has been produced by Fantasy Flight Games. A number of base sets have been released for the game, each with a number of expansions. The game's primary designer is Eric Lang and the lead developer is Nate French. The A Game of Thrones: Westeros Edition won the Origins Award for Best Trading Card Game of 2002. The Game of Thrones: Ice and Fire Edition won the Origins Award for Best Card Game Expansion or Supplement of 2003. It is an ongoing project consisting of five editions and eight expansions to date.

In 2003, Fantasy Flight Games released the A Game of Thrones strategy board game created by Christian T. Petersen. The Origins Award-winning game allows the players to take on the roles of several of the Great Houses vying for control of the Seven Kingdoms, including House Stark, House Lannister, House Baratheon, House Greyjoy, House Tyrell, and as of the expansion A Clash of Kings, House Martell. Players maneuver armies to secure support in the various regions that comprise the Seven Kingdoms, with the goal of capturing enough support to claim the Iron Throne. Two expansions for the game, A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords have been released.

The A Game of Thrones Roleplaying Game (2005), created by the defunct Guardians of Order company and published by White Wolf, is a roleplaying game using the d20 and the Tri-Stat dX rules systems. The game consists of a single large, full-colour rulebook featuring information on role-playing in the Seven Kingdoms and also background information to the series not found in the novels, including a detailed map of the Seven Kingdoms. The game was very well-received and was nominated for several awards (and won 3 silver ENnie awards for Best Production, Best Game, and Best d20/OGL Product), but this was not enough to save its parent company from closure in July 2006.

On 28 July 2006 George R. R. Martin confirmed that he had received word from the head of Guardians of Order that the company was folding and that no further releases for the setting would take place. Martin expressed hope that the game might be salvaged by another company, and on 24 April 2007, Green Ronin Publishing announced they would be producing a new role-playing game titled A Song of Ice and Fire.

Green Ronin has or will publish the following titles:

• "A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying Quick-Start Rules" (free PDF) (June 21, 2008)
• "A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying: Adventures in the Seven Kingdoms" (rulebook) (ISBN-13: 978-1-934547-12-0, 10 March 2009)
• "A Song of Ice and Fire Narrator's Kit" (ISBN-13: 978-1-934547-28-1, 21 May 2009)
• "Peril at King's Landing" (adventure) (ISBN-13: 978-1-934547-16-8, 13 August 2009)
• "A Song of Ice and Fire Campaign Guide" (ISBN-13: 978-1-934547-13-7, 18 February 2010)
• "A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying: Pocket Edition" (ISBN-13: 978-1-934547-34-2, no release date announced)

Blood of Dragons is an online, text-based roleplaying MUSH and the only online game specifically authorized by the author as of February 2009. Blood of Dragons fully opened in 2007 and is set approximately 140 years prior to the initial series, during the reign of Daeron I and his conquest of Dorne. The game is maintained by the administrators of Westeros.org, who are collaborating with Martin on The World of Ice and Fire.

On May 13, 2009 Cyanide Studio announced they will be developing a series of video games based on A Song of Ice and Fire for the PC and consoles.. Martin has since revealed that both an RTS and an RPG game are currently in development.

The Art of Ice and Fire, published in 2005 by Fantasy Flight Games, contains numerous works of art inspired by the series from a variety of different artists and illustrators. Some of the art previously appeared in the card game or on-line, but most of it was new.

Testor Corporation announced that in late 2006 it would begin releasing model figures based on the series, to be followed by a tactical wargame. Only one product shipped, a Ruby Ford diorama. In April 2007, Martin announced that the licensing agreement with Testor had expired, and Testor's A Song of Ice and Fire product lines had been canceled. In December 2006, Haute Productions signed a deal to release a range of resin mini-busts featuring characters from A Song of Ice and Fire, under the name Valyrian Resin. The company plans to expand the line to include resin statues and pewter chess sets. On August 13, 2007, Dark Sword Miniatures announced a line of premium pewter miniatures based on the world of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, and sculpted by renowned miniatures artist Tom Meier.

On 20 March 2007, George R. R. Martin announced on his blog that he had "signed a deal with Jalic, Inc of East Lansing, Michigan, granting them a license to manufacture and sell full-sized high-quality replicas of the arms and armor from A Song of Ice and Fire", under the name Valyrian Steel, starting with the bastard sword Longclaw wielded by Jon Snow. As of early 2009, Jalic has had Arya Stark's Needle from “A Song of Ice and Fire” on pre-sale. Both Needle and Longclaw are currently listed and available in a Limited Edition of 2500 each.

See also

Westeros

External links

• George R. R. Martin's Official Website
• A Song of Ice and Fire at Curlie
• So Spake Martin – extensive archive of correspondence from the author to the fans