Fire and Blood: 300 Years Before a Game of Thrones

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The thrilling 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 The thrilling history of the Targaryens comes to life in this masterly work by the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, the inspiration for HBO's Game of Thrones. 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 With all the fire and fury fans have come to expect from internationally bestselling author George R. R. Martin, this is the first volume of the definitive two-part history of the Targaryens in Westeros. Centuries before the events of A Game of Thrones , House Targaryenthe only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyriatook up residence on Dragonstone. Fire and 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 did it become so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What is the origin of Daeneryss three dragon eggs? 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 Gibbons The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Fire and Blood is the ultimate game of thrones, giving readers a whole new appreciation for the dynamic, often bloody, and always fascinating history of Westeros. Aegon's conquest Reign of the dragon: the wars of King Aegon I Three heads had the dragon: governance under King Aegon I The sons of the dragon Prince into king: the ascension of Jaehaerys I The year of the three brides: 49 AC A surfeit of rulers A time of testing: the realm remade Birth, death, and betrayal under King Jaehaerys I Jaehaerys and Alysanne: their triumphs and tragedies The long reign: Jaehaerys and Alysanne: policy, progeny, and pain Heirs of the dragon: a question of succession The dying of the dragons: the blacks and the greens The dying of the dragons: a son for a son The dying of the dragons: the red dragon and the gold The dying of the dragons: Rhaenyra triumphant The dying of the dragons: Rhaenyra overthrown The dying of the dragons: the short, sad reign of Aegon II Aftermath: the hour of the wolf Under the regents: the hooded hand Under the regents: war and peace and cattle shows Under the regents: the voyage of Alyn Oakenfist The Lysene spring and the end of regency Lineages and family tree. This is the first volume of the definitive two-part history of the Targaryens in Westeros and covers Aegon I (the Conqueror) to the regency of Aegon III (the Dragonslayer). House Targaryen was the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria, and took up residence on Dragonstone. Re-hear tales of the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne. Meet the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, from Aegon the Conqueror 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 by a learned maester of the Citadel. Discover the often bloody history of Westeros when dragons ruled the skies 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.