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[Fuzzy]

IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOKS AND DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THEM THEN YOU SHOULD LEAVE NOW.

THIS IS NOT A NOVEL.

From the publisher:

THE NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN HISTORY OF WESTEROS AND THE LANDS BEYOND • WITH HUNDREDS OF PAGES OF ALL-NEW MATERIAL FROM GEORGE R. R. MARTIN

If the past is prologue, then George R. R. Martin’s masterwork—the most inventive and entertaining fantasy saga of our time—warrants one hell of an introduction. At long last, it has arrived with The World of Ice & Fire.

This lavishly illustrated volume is a comprehensive history of the Seven Kingdoms, providing vividly constructed accounts of the epic battles, bitter rivalries, and daring rebellions that lead to the events of A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO’s Game of Thrones. In a collaboration that’s been years in the making, Martin has teamed with Elio M. García, Jr., and Linda Antonsson, the founders of the renowned fan site Westeros.org—perhaps the only people who know this world almost as well as its visionary creator.

Collected here is all the accumulated knowledge, scholarly speculation, and inherited folk tales of maesters and septons, maegi and singers, including

• full-color artwork and maps, with more than 170 original pieces
• full family trees for Houses Stark, Lannister, and Targaryen
• in-depth explorations of the history and culture of Westeros
• 100% all-new material, more than half of which Martin wrote specifically for this book

The definitive companion piece to George R. R. Martin’s dazzlingly conceived universe, The World of Ice & Fire is indeed proof that the pen is mightier than a storm of swords.

Sample from GRRM:

AEGON’S CONQUEST

The maesters of the Citadel who keep the histories of Westeros have used Aegon’s Conquest as their touchstone for the past three hundred years. Birth, deaths, battles, and other events are dated either AC (After the Conquest) or BC (Before the Conquest).

True scholars know that such dating is far from precise. Aegon Targaryen’s conquest of the Seven Kingdoms did not take place in a single day. More than two years passed between Aegon’s landing and his Oldtown coronation . . . and even then the Conquest remained incomplete since Dorne remained unsubdued. Sporadic attempts to bring the Dornishmen into the realm continued all through King Aegon’s reign and well into the reigns of his sons, making it impossible to fix a precise end date for the Wars of Conquest.

...

Read the rest of the sample here: http://www.georgerrmartin.com/world-of-ice-and-fire-sample/

ROBERT'S REBELLION

What followed Prince Rhaegar’s infamous abduction of Lyanna Stark was the ruin of House Targaryen. The full depth of King Aerys’s madness was subsequently revealed in his depraved actions against Lord Stark, his heir, and their supporters after they demanded redress for Rhaegar’s wrongs. Instead of granting them fair hearing, King Aerys had them brutally slain, then followed these murders by demanding that Lord Jon Arryn execute his former wards, Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark. Many now agree that the true start of Robert’s Rebellion began with Lord Arryn’s refusal and his courageous calling of his banners in the defense of justice. Yet not all the lords of the Vale agreed with Lord Jon’s decision, and soon fighting broke out as loyalists to the crown attempted to bring Lord Arryn down.

...

Read the rest of the sample here: http://www.vulture.com/2014/10/game...-roberts-rebellion-world-of-ice-and-fire.html

Want more sample excerpts? There are 3 in the World of Ice & Fire app (iOS, Android) as well as some around the web.

 

[BroDudeGuy]

Picked it up earlier this week and can't wait to dive in. The art in this book is fantastic.

 

[negreenfield]

I've got this on my amazon wish list but don't have it yet. I'll contribute again once I get the book and start reading it. The reviews are mixed on Amazon but the complaints don't seem well founded.

 

[Real Hero]

Love it. Apart from the occasional twinge of regret I'm not reading a real history book.

 

[PhoenixDark]

I've got this on my amazon wish list but don't have it yet. I'll contribute again once I get the book and start reading it. The reviews are mixed on Amazon but the complaints don't seem well founded.

Last time I checked many of the reviews were focused on Linda Antonsson's involvement. And while she is truly a piece of shit, I can't dislike the book due to her.

I'm getting it tomorrow.

 

[Incandenza]

Enjoy, you lucky dogs. See you in December ;_;

 

[Kain]

Aaaaagh, mine arrives in two weeks, enjoy you lucky bastards!

 

[cubicle47b]

I read up to Aegon's conquest last night. It's pretty good so far.

 

[Fuzzy]

I was very happy to see it waiting for me when I got home after Amazon.ca originally had it listed for delivery next week on my order page. I've already read the 3 samples on the app and I just started with the book right now.


If anyone wants me to add anything to the OP then send me a PM.

 

[ahoyhoy]

Is this written from the perspective of the Maesters? Does it cover the War of the Five Kings?

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

Just a few chapters away from finishing A Dance with Dragons. Definitely going to pick this up after.

 

[Sibersk Esto]

 

[PhoenixDark]

Is this written from the perspective of the Maesters? Does it cover the War of the Five Kings?

It's written from the perspective of Maesters who gave the book to Robert shortly after he was crowned, so no.

 

[Fjordson]

I'm loving it. It's probably not going to break much ground for diehards, but I've never completely familiarized myself with the pre-books timeline, so I'm picking a few new pieces of information here and there.

Is this written from the perspective of the Maesters? Does it cover the War of the Five Kings?

Yeah, it's basically like a collection of history presented to Tommen as a gift from a maester. It's pretty neat. But it doesn't cover the War of the Five Kings. It's basically about everything leading up to the book series. As well as more information about the various kingdoms, the free cities, the North, etc.

 

[tryagainlater]

Last time I checked many of the reviews were focused on Linda Antonsson's involvement. And while she is truly a piece of shit, I can't dislike the book due to her.

I'm getting it tomorrow.

Whoa, what did she do? As far as I know, people don't like her because she complains about the show but did something else happen with her I'm not aware off?

 

[Fjordson]

Some of the other negative reviews also seem to be from people who were expecting the wrong type of book. Like I want The Winds of Winter as much as anyone, but this was never supposed to be advancing the plot. Review quote I posted in the spoiler megathread:

I really liked the first three books of the song of ice and fire series, but after the fourth book has been out Mr. Martin has been dropping his book quality from average to mediocre at best. This book has long list of names of people I really didn't care about, and a history lesson on stuff I don't care about ( still don't know s*** about the white walkers)

 

[Jackben]

This was not what I was expecting at all.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Whoa, what did she do? As far as I know, people don't like her because she complains about the show but did something else happen with her I'm not aware off?

Here's some of it: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=136478857&postcount=19025

She's rather possessive of the series as if its hers, and being a co-author with Martin will probably make her worse. I'm moreso annoyed with the ugly manner in which she runs Westeros.org, how she shits on fans, makes ugly comments about other sites (including WiC which a GAFer created), etc. She just strikes me as a very angry, bitter person.

 

[Fuzzy]

Some of the other negative reviews also seem to be from people who were expecting the wrong type of book. Like I want The Winds of Winter as much as anyone, but this was never supposed to be advancing the plot. Review quote I posted in the spoiler megathread:

Yeah, that's why I added "THIS IS NOT A NOVEL" to the OP when I made it.

 

[Joe]

Just ordered, can't wait.

 

[KingGondo]

If any big ASOIAF fans out there are on the fence, just buy it.

I'm very impressed thus far.

 

[Noks415]

ot mine yesterday, just finished reading about Maegor Targaryen, btw the Roynish are fucking badass

 

[kswiston]

Does this include the Princess and The Queen and Rogue Prince short stories that were in the Dangerous Women and Rogues anthologies?

 

[A Human Becoming]

Does this include the Princess and The Queen and Rogue Prince short stories that were in the Dangerous Women and Rogues anthologies?

No short stories, only the history of Westeros, the Houses and the rest of the world.

 

[Fuzzy]

Does this include the Princess and The Queen and Rogue Prince short stories that were in the Dangerous Women and Rogues anthologies?

No, those will be included in the book Fire and Blood (used to be referred to as the GRRMarillion). That's not supposed to be released until after he finishes ASoIaF, so 20 years from now.

This also doesn't include the three Dunk & Egg stories. Those will be collected in Spring 2015 in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

 

[kswiston]

No, those will be included in the book Fire and Blood (used to be referred to as the GRRMarillion). That's not supposed to be released until after he finishes ASoIaF, so 20 years from now.

No short stories, only the history of Westeros, the Houses and the rest of the world.

Thanks. Those two stories were told from the perspective of being historical accounts, so I wasn't sure.

 

[Supermanisdead]

Nice sections on the far east lands and the Summer Isles, but compared to what we already knew, it's not that great. The illustrations are incredible and the book has a nice presentation. It's written from a maester's perspective, so it's not the end-all, be-all of ASOIAF lore. A lot of hearsay, a lot of references to other fictional works without going into great detail.

Overall, it's a great work and definitely worth the 30$ that it's going for at the moment, but I wish there was something more conclusive. Places like Sothoryos, the far North and Asshai are still shrouded in mystery.

Edit: page 306 for amazing Yi-Ti and Leng people illustration

 

[Gruco]

Honestly I kind of wish I skipped everything related the Dunk and Egg. Worried I spoiled the rest of the short stories now.

Loose ends on the Dance with Dragons short stories, however, were very welcome.

 

[Steiner84]

well, fuck me, its finally out?
just ordered it, cant wait

 

[Ikael]

*reads index of chapters*
*reads "Asshai by the shadow"*


Nnnnngggggghhhhhh

This shall be soooo mine.

 

[Basileus777]

I've read about 1/3 of it so far and I can see why people would complain about the writing. There are a lot of awkward phrasings and jarring transitions that have bothered me, and it's pretty clear that GRRM didn't write much of this. Perhaps part of the problem is the poor stitching together of material written by multiple authors. There's a stark difference in the quality of writing between different segments, making it really obvious that it wasn't written by one person. The whole in-universe written by a maester conceit isn't executed particularly well either. I wish the text were more polished, but if you're not expecting more than a vehicle to deliver information, it does its job. But the real draw here is the art, and that is really good.

 

[Ratrat]

Does this include the Princess and The Queen and Rogue Prince short stories that were in the Dangerous Women and Rogues anthologies?

A bit off topic but are these worth checking out? I enjoyed Dunk and Egg but thought Ice Dragon was garbage.

 

[Veelk]

A bit off topic but are these worth checking out? I enjoyed Dunk and Egg but thought Ice Dragon was garbage.

Ice dragon is not part of ASOIAF's world, though it'd certainly fit there.

Anyway, I have no idea. Unlike the dunk and egg stories, these are written very much in the form of just a history lecture. THere is certainly some drama inherent in the events, but it's not told as compellingly from the voice of a historian that's just trying to put down the facts as it is would be from GRRM's prose. But they are interesting events. I'd say go ahead. Even if you don't like them, you have an 2 entire anthologies of stories to try out.

 

[afternoon delight]

Well I'm loving it one hundred pages in- so much knowledge being dropped. Whereas everyone in the books relates the parcels of history they know or have been told, these are a summation of a maester's study at the Citadel with lots of reports and notes.

Absolutely wonderful and hints to many events to come, along with clarifying or further obfuscating things that have already happened.

 

[The Elite]

Looks like I need this in my life.

 

[Basileus777]

The Essos section is really nice, full of new information. It's much better (especially the writing) than than opening ancient history section. Though the Sothoryos part was kind of uncomfortable to read, even knowing that it was written in character by someone who is meant to be ignorant/racist.

Now I just need to read the rest of the Targ stuff (which composes most of the book).

 

[Acidote]

I've read almost half of it. I just finished the Riverlands. Interesting read so far, specially the Targaryen history although great deals of it were already told.

 

[Real Hero]

Coolest thing I've learnt so far: Nobody knows where the fuck the seastone chair came from.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Coolest thing I've learnt so far: Nobody knows where the fuck the seastone chair came from.

Same with the base of the Hightower, which is also made of oily black stone. Some other places are made of the same material, and as mysterious. Makes me wonder if there was a race that predates the children of the forest/First Men/Andals. Maybe the Others built all that stuff, who knows.

 

[Basileus777]

Same with the base of the Hightower, which is also made of oily black stone. Some other places are made of the same material, and as mysterious. Makes me wonder if there was a race that predates the children of the forest/First Men/Andals. Maybe the Others built all that stuff, who knows.

The Five Forts in Yi Ti are made of mysterious black stone too, and those forts seem to serve as their equivalent of the Wall, a barrier against some kind of ancient evil.

 

[Acidote]

Coolest thing I've learnt so far: Nobody knows where the fuck the seastone chair came from.

Coolest thing I've read so far in something about Sesame Street inside House Tully.

Spoiler

Ser Elmo Tully and Lord Kermit Tully

 

[PhoenixDark]

The Five Forts in Yi Ti are made of mysterious black stone too, and those forts seem to serve as their equivalent of the Wall, a barrier against some kind of ancient evil.

It's quite a Lovecraftian riff, very interesting. Too bad it probably won't be explored within the novels. Asshai's walls and buildings are made of the same black stone, which makes it even more foreboding.

 

[Basileus777]

It's quite a Lovecraftian riff, very interesting. Too bad it probably won't be explored within the novels. Asshai's walls and buildings are made of the same black stone, which makes it even more foreboding.

Northeastern Essos and the eastern part of the Shivering Sea have a very strong Lovecraftian vibe. There's even a Church of Starry Wisdom mentioned in the Yi Ti section, which is definitely a Lovecraft reference. The entirety of the Thousand Isles feel like a Lovecraft homage.

 

[Reyne]

Lets not forget the very important input of iron-born bastard Maester Theron, whose credible opinion is that the Seastone Chair was made by a freaky misshapen half-race ( half-men, half sea-creatures ) which he names... dun dun dun... Deep Ones.

How subtle.

 

[SquiddyCracker]

Couldn't that oily black stone just be flameproof stuff?
So they were just building using materials they knew dragons couldn't melt?

 

[PhoenixDark]

Another interesting tidbit:

A handful of maesters, influenced by fragments of the work of Septon Barth, hold that Valyria had used spells to tame the Fourteen Flames for thousands of years, that their ceaseless hunger for slaves and wealth was as much to sustain these spells as to expand their power, and that when at last those spells faltered, the cataclysm became inevitable.

Of these, some argue that it was the curse of Garin the Great at last coming to fruition. Others speak of the priests of R’hllor calling down the fire of their god in queer rituals. Some, wedding the fanciful notion of Valyrian magic to the reality of the ambitious great houses of Valyria, have argued that it was the constant whirl of conflict and deception amongst the great houses that might have led to the assassinations of too many of the reputed mages who renewed and maintained the rituals that banked the fires of the Fourteen Flames.

Seems to lend more credence to the theory that the Faceless Men caused the Doom.

 

[bengraven]

I was surprised to read that

Spoiler

Aerys, Tywin, and Steffon Baratheon were best friends. You literally read the story of their falling out over a twenty year period.

Also apparently there were dragons everywhere at some point, even before Valyria, and in Westeros (before the first men).

Also, I noticed a couple of important Jeyne Westerlings. I wonder what with her being in the next book of our Jeyne has a bigger part to play.

And read the Grass Sea section. Apparently it's the cradle of civilization. Quarth is probably the oldest continuous civilization then

.

 

[Basileus777]

This is a spoiler thread, no need to hide anything.

I was surprised to read that Aerys, Tywin, and Steffon Baratheon were best friends. You literally read the story of their falling out over a twenty year period.

Also apparently there were dragons everywhere at some point, even before Valyria, and in Westeros (before the first men).

Also, I noticed a couple of important Jeyne Westerlings. I wonder what with her being in the next book of our Jeyne has a bigger part to play.

I think don't it means she has a larger role, I'm pretty sure most of that information was already in ASOS.

And read the Grass Sea section. Apparently it's the cradle of civilization. Quarth is probably the oldest continuous civilization then.

Yi Ti is probably older.

 

[Iksenpets]

It's quite a Lovecraftian riff, very interesting. Too bad it probably won't be explored within the novels. Asshai's walls and buildings are made of the same black stone, which makes it even more foreboding.

It seems like GRRM has always really wanted to do Lovecraft homage, but hasn't found a place for it in the fantasy setting, outside of the bits of tentacle imagery in the Iron Islands, so he's just working it in on the margins with this world building stuff. Plus he gets to add to the mystery of the world by having a pre-children society that seems to have spanned the east so far that it eventually wrapped around and touched the West at Oldtown and Pyke, that he'll never have to bother really explaining.

 

[Gruco]

I found the descriptions of the Dothraki campaigns against the Sarnori kinda weird. Like, I didn't think Dothraki did sieges, they just rode on to find braver foes. (it is known)