History Literature / ASongOfIceAndFire

The novels feature [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters a large ensemble cast]], narrated in chapters that relate action from the third-person limited perspective of [[SwitchingPOV alternating protagonists]], some of them at [[AnotherSideAnotherStory times might be on the opposite side of a conflict]]. Some of the plots and subplots of the protagonists [[HyperlinkStory are involved in overlap with each other directly and indirectly]], [[TwoLinesNoWaiting while others merely parallel the central action or counterpoint it in key ways]]. In general, there are three theaters of action in the books -- the Wall, Westeros, and Essos -- where a range of characters and factions gravitate around, slowly converging as the narrative of the series moves to the final act.

'A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a bestselling {{Doorstopper}} epic fantasy series written by Creator/GeorgeRRMartin. The first book (out of a planned seven) was published in 1996 and most recently, Book 5, was published in 2011. In addition to the main books, there are a variety of spin-offs and related media, such as prequels and in-universe history texts.

A [[GreaterScopeVillain much bigger threat]] than the instability of the government and potential invasion from Essos lies in the far North, in the Lands of Always Winter. The Wall was built to keep [[TheFairFolk the Others]] from returning to Westeros and to this end, an organization called the Night's Watch was instituted to permanently garrison the structure in a network of castles that divides the Seven Kingdoms from the far North. The decline of magic has led to the institution of the Night's Watch being deprecated and understaffed over the centuries. It was once regarded as a noble institute by all Seven Kingdoms but now that the Others are believed to be a SealedEvilInACan, only the North regards the Night's Watch as a noble and honorable calling. While younger sons and illegitimate sons of noble houses -- primarily from the North -- still join the Night's Watch voluntarily, it has mostly become an ArmyOfThievesAndWhores who spend most of their time putting down rebellions by Wildings, barbaric tribes who defy the customs of mainland Westeros and who periodically try to get past the Wall. This status-quo gets unbalanced thanks to reports of sightings of the blue-eyed Others, who have led attacks on many Wildling villages as well as ranging parties sent by the Night's Watch. The Others are cold, unnatural, and seemingly immortal beings whose powers allow them to [[NotUsingTheZWord converted the dead into wights]], to serve as slaves in an inhuman army of the dead. This results in the Wildlings to ally around Mance Rayder and mount the largest wildling rebellion in the history of the Watch.

# ''The Winds of Winter'' (TBD)[[note]]GRRM projects that the novel will come out in 2018.[[/note]]

For more information, see the [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFire character sheet]] and GRRM's "[[http://grrm.livejournal.com Not-a-blog]]". Martin has released a few sample chapters for ''The Winds of Winter'' [[http://www.georgerrmartin.com/if-sample.html here]]. Others can be found online.

The Targaryens outlasted their dragons for a century or so after the deaths of their mounts but their dynasty was toppled by a rebellion led by King Robert Baratheon in [[TheAlliance an alliance]] that ultimately included Lord Eddard Stark, Lord Hoster Tully, Lord Jon Arryn, and Lord Tywin Lannister. In the course of their rebellion, their alliance was cemented by marriage, with Lord Eddard Stark marrying Catelyn Tully, and governing the North. He has five children with Catelyn -- Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon -- and an [[HeroicBastard illegitimate son]] Jon Snow, fathered with [[MissingMom another woman]]. Lord Stark's household also includes Theon Greyjoy, a hostage raised in his household to check the ambitions of his rebellious father Balon. King Robert Baratheon married Lord Tywin Lannister's daughter Cersei, the eldest and most ambitious of her father's three children. In addition to Cersei, Lord Tywin has two other children who have prominent roles in the series -- Jaime, Cersei's twin brother, and one of the greatest knights of Westeros who is currently serving Robert's [[Main/PraetorianGuard Kingsguard]], and his youngest son Tyrion, a dwarf who is TheUnfavorite of his family. King Robert is also assisted by his brothers in governing the Seven Kingdoms -- Renly being one of the most prominent courtiers of the Seven Kingdoms, with close ties to the wealthy and powerful House Tyrell; and Stannis, the resentful [[MiddleChildSyndrome middle-child]] who is disliked for his difficult personality, with his only friend being the commoner Davos Seaworth.

The Targaryens outlasted their dragons for a century or so after the deaths of their mounts but their dynasty was toppled by a rebellion led by King Robert Baratheon in [[TheAlliance an alliance]] that ultimately included Lord Eddard Stark, Lord Hoster Tully, Lord Jon Arryn, and Lord Tywin Lannister. In the course of their rebellion, their alliance was cemented by marriage, with Lord Eddard Stark marrying Catelyn Tully, and governing the North. He has five children with Catelyn -- Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon -- and an [[HeroicBastard illegitimate son]] Jon Snow, fathered with [[MissingMom another woman]]. Lord Stark's household also includes Theon Greyjoy, a hostage raised in his household to check the ambitions of his rebellious father Balon. King Robert Baratheon married Lord Tywin Lannister's daughter Cersei, the eldest and most ambitious of her father's three children. In addition to Cersei, Lord Tywin has two other children who have prominent roles in the series -- Jaime, Cersei's fraternal twin brother, and one of the greatest knights of Westeros who is currently serving Robert's [[Main/PraetorianGuard Kingsguard]], and his youngest son Tyrion, a dwarf who is TheUnfavorite of his family. King Robert is also assisted by his brothers in governing the Seven Kingdoms -- Renly being one of the most prominent courtiers of the Seven Kingdoms, with close ties to the wealthy and powerful House Tyrell; and Stannis, the resentful [[MiddleChildSyndrome middle-child]] who is disliked for his difficult personality, with his only friend being the commoner Davos Seaworth.

The Targaryens outlasted their dragons for a century or so after the deaths of their mounts but their dynasty was toppled by a rebellion led by King Robert Baratheon in [[TheAlliance an alliance]] that ultimately included Lord Eddard Stark, Lord Hoster Tully, Lord Jon Arryn, and Lord Tywin Lannister. In the course of their rebellion, their alliance was cemented by marriage, with Lord Eddard Stark marrying Catelyn Tully, and governing the North. He has five children with Catelyn -- Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon -- and an [[HeroicBastard illegitimate son]] Jon Snow, fathered with [[MissingMom another woman]]. Lord Stark's household also includes Theon Greyjoy, a hostage raised in his household to check the ambitions of his rebellious father Balon. King Robert Baratheon married Lord Tywin Lannister's daughter Cersei, the eldest and most ambitious of her father's three children. In addition to Cersei, Lord Tywin has two other children who have prominent roles in the series -- Jamie, Cersei's twin and one of the greatest knights of Westeros who is currently serving Robert's [[Main/PraetorianGuard Kingsguard]], and his youngest son Tyrion, a dwarf who is TheUnfavorite of his family. King Robert is also assisted by his brothers in governing the Seven Kingdoms -- Renly being one of the most prominent courtiers of the Seven Kingdoms, with close ties to the wealthy and powerful House Tyrell; and Stannis, the resentful [[MiddleChildSyndrome middle-child]] who is disliked for his difficult personality, with his only friend being the commoner Davos Seaworth.

[[/index]]

You can vote on the best book in the series [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/BestEpisode/ASongOfIceAndFire?open=all#9p8tu0te here]]!

The series was adapted for television as ''Series/GameOfThrones'' which despite borrowing the title of the first book is an adaptation of the entire series, and between Seasons 1-4 faithfully adapted the first three books. The unusual circumstances of its conception and genesis (an adaptation of an as-yet incomplete series of novels), means that the later seasons have [[CompressedAdaptation compressed books 4-5]], and as of Season 6 is set to move past the chronology of the published books and finish before the author completes his books. Martin has been supportive of the project writing the screenplays for one episode per season (for Seasons 1-4)[[note]]He used to work in television; ironically, he returned to novels because he was tired of budget constraints limiting his imagination. This came back to bite him in the posterior when he was assigned to adapt the episode that contains one of the biggest and most complicated battles of the civil war.[[/note]]. He has also given Weiss and Benioff the outlines for the remaining books in the series in case they outpace him, which they did in 2016.

The series has also spawned several licensed works:

The novels feature a large ensemble cast, narrated in chapters that relate action from the third-person limited perspective of [[SwitchingPOV alternating protagonists]], some of them at [[AnotherSideAnotherStory times might be on the opposite side of a conflict]]. Some of the plots and subplots of the protagonists [[HyperlinkStory are involved in overlap with each other directly and indirectly]], [[TwoLinesNoWaiting while others merely parallel the central action or counterpoint it in key ways]]. In general, there are three theaters of action in the books -- the Wall, Westeros, and Essos -- where a range of characters and factions gravitate around, slowly converging as the narrative of the series moves to the final act.

The series is set on the continent of Westeros, a world where the [[BizarreSeasons seasons can last for years]]. Westeros was once a world suffused with magic. Beings like the Children of the Forest allied with the First Men against the Others, a race of inhuman ice beings and banished them to the [[GrimUpNorth Lands of Always Winter]], with a giant Wall built to repel them. More recently, the dragon-riding Targaryen dynasty, refugees from the doomed Valyrian Freehold on the continent of Essos, unified the seven kingdoms of Westeros under a single realm. But some time later, even the dragons died, and with their death, [[TheMagicGoesAway magic has faded]] for more than a century across the known world prior to the start of the series. However, there are rumors, whispers, and prophesies that someday, the dragons will return.

The Targaryens outlasted their dragons for a century or so after the deaths of their mounts but their dynasty was toppled by a rebellion led by King Robert Baratheon in [[TheAlliance an alliance]] that ultimately included Lord Eddard Stark, Lord Hoster Tully, Lord Jon Arryn, and Lord Tywin Lannister. In the course of their rebellion, their alliance was cemented by marriage, with Lord Eddard Stark marrying Catelyn Tully, and governing the North. He has five children with Catelyn -- Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon -- and an [[HeroicBastard illegitimate son]] Jon Snow with [[MissingMom another woman]]. King Robert Baratheon married Lord Tywin Lannister's daughter Cersei, the eldest and most ambitious of her father's three children. In addition to Cersei, Lord Tywin has two other children: a son Jamie, Cersei's twin and one of the greatest knights of Westeros who is currently serving Robert's [[Main/PraetorianGuard Kingsguard]], and his youngest son Tyrion, a dwarf who is TheUnfavorite of his family.

At the start of the series, a long summer lasting for more than a decade is nearing its end, leaving many observers to fear the onset of an even longer winter which would be hard enough even during the best of times. Unfortunately, what follows would not be the best of times. In the wake of Lord Jon Arryn's sudden and surprising death, King Robert Baratheon resolves to make Eddard Stark his Hand of the King, and his second-in-command, in spite of the grudges House Stark bears with House Lannister. TheAlliance that opposed the Targaryen dynasty, which governed Westeros in the previous decade, fractures in the course of the first three novels, plunging the kingdom into civil war -- even isolationist regions like the Iron Islands and the southern principality of Dorne take advantage of the crisis to assert their own agendas. Across the Narrow Sea, TheRemnant of House Targaryen -- the vengeance-mad Prince Viserys Targaryen and his younger sister Princess Daenerys -- live in exile, planning to return to Westeros and restore their dynasty. They court their own alliance of exiles, mercenaries, and ambitious local states to build an army that would eventually invade Westeros again, and bring them back to power. Naturally, the general instability of Westeros with almost every region in turmoil and civil war is amenable to their interests.

A [[GreaterScopeVillain much bigger threat]] than the instability of the government and potential invasion from Essos lies in the far North, in the Lands of Always Winter. The Wall was built to keep the Others from returning into Westeros and to this end, an organization called the Night's Watch was instituted to permanently garrison the structure in a network of castles that divides the Seven Kingdoms from the far North. The decline of magic has led to the institution of the Night's Watch being deprecated and understaffed over the centuries. It was once regarded as a noble institute by all Seven Kingdoms but now that the Others are believed to be a SealedEvilInACan, only the North regards the Night's Watch as a noble and honorable calling. While younger sons and illegitimate sons of noble houses -- primarily from the North -- still join the Night's Watch voluntarily, it has mostly become an ArmyOfThievesAndWhores who spend most of their time putting down rebellions by Wildings, barbaric tribes who defy the customs and views of mainland Westeros and who periodically try to get past the Wall. This status-quo gets unbalanced thanks to reports of sightings of the blue-eyed Others, who have led attacks on many Wildling villages as well as ranging parties sent by the Night's Watch. The Others are cold, unnatural, and seemingly immortal beings whose powers allow them to [[NotUsingTheZWord converted the dead into wights]], to serve as slaves in an inhuman army of the dead. This results in the Wildlings to ally around Mance Rayder and mount the largest wildling rebellion in the history of the Watch.

The series has been received with great acclaim, with TIME Magazine even going so far as to brand Martin "the American [[Creator/JRRTolkien Tolkien]]." Ironically, their only real trait in common is that they write EpicFantasy. ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' share a SwitchingPOV and infrequent instances of magic, but ''Ice and Fire'' has so many narrators that it is hard to pin down a central protagonist. The series is located on the ''far'' end of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, with [[GrayAndGrayMorality moral ambiguity]] very prevalent and few clear-cut heroes or villains. Martin plays for keeps with his characters, and AnyoneCanDie, no matter who they are, how safe they seem, how beloved by fans they are or how important they are to the setting's stability. While a SaveTheWorldClimax has been foreshadowed ever since the series' opening chapter, it's taken five books of FourLinesAllWaiting for the MythArc to finally start coming together in earnest.

The first three books were released over the course of a decade, with the next two over another. This has led to anxiety for some fans, as when ''A Storm of Swords'' was released, it ended on a cliffhanger, and then later ''A Feast for Crows'' and ''A Dance with Dragons'' suffered major structural problems that led to a lot of ScheduleSlip.

A [[Series/GameOfThrones TV adaptation is now airing on HBO]]. Scripted by Dan Weiss and David Benioff, the show is planned for eight seasons, with ''A Storm of Swords'' comprising two seasons, the fifth and sixth seasons being a combination of ''A Feast For Crows'' and ''A Dance with Dragons'' but told chronologically rather than by splitting locations and characters as in the books; all other seasons roughly corresponding to a single novel. By the time of its fourth season, it has become the highest-rated show in HBO history. Martin has been very supportive of the project, defending the adaptation against detractors and even writing some of the episodes himself[[note]]He used to work in television; ironically, he returned to novels because he was tired of budget constraints limiting his imagination. This came back to bite him in the posterior when he was assigned to adapt the episode that contains one of the biggest and most complicated battles of the civil war.[[/note]] He has also given Weiss and Benioff the outlines for the remaining books in the series in case they outpace him, which they did in 2016.

For more information, see the [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFire character sheet]], GRRM's "[[http://grrm.livejournal.com Not-a-blog]]" and [[http://www.winter-is-coming.net Winter Is Coming]], a central nexus for news on the TV show. Synopsis pages for each novel are in progress; in the meanwhile, feel free also to check out our [[Recap/GameOfThrones recap page]] for the show; HBO has been fairly faithful to the original material for at least the four seasons (and the first three books), and the recaps document any significant deviations.

Martin has released a few sample chapters for ''The Winds of Winter'' [[http://www.georgerrmartin.com/if-sample.html here]]. Others can be found online.

The novels feature a large ensemble cast, narrated in chapters that relate action from the third-person limited perspective of [[SwitchingPOV alternating protagonists]], some of them at [[AnotherSideAnotherStory times might be on the opposite side of a conflict]]. Some of the plots and subplots of the protagonists [[HyperlinkStory are involved in overlap with each other directly and indirectly]], [[TwoLinesNoWaiting while others merely parallel the central action or counterpoint it in key ways]]. In general, there are three theaters of action in the books -- the Wall, Westeros, and Essos -- where a range of characters and factions gravitate around; slowly converging as the narrative of the series moves to the final act.

The series is set on the continent of Westeros, a world where the [[BizarreSeasons seasons can last for years]]. Westeros was once a world suffused with magic. Beings like the Children of the Forest allied with the First Men against the Others, a race of inhuman ice beings and banished them to the Lands of Always Winter, with a giant Wall built to repel them. More recently, the dragon-riding Targaryen dynasty, refugees from the doomed Valyrian Freehold on the continent of Essos, unified the seven kingdoms of Westeros under a single realm. But some time later, even the dragons died, and with their death, [[TheMagicGoesAway magic has faded]] for more than a century prior to the start of the series across the known world. However, there are rumors, whispers, and prophesies that someday, the dragons will return.

The Targaryens outlasted their dragons for a century or so after the deaths of their mounts but their dynasty was toppled by a rebellion led by King Robert Baratheon in [[TheAlliance an alliance]] that ultimately included Lord Eddard Stark, Lord Hoster Tully, Lord Jon Arryn, and Lord Tywin Lannister. In the course of their rebellion, their alliance was cemented by marriage, with Lord Eddard Stark marrying Catelyn Tully, and governing the North. He has five children by Catelyn -- Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, Rickon -- and an [[HeroicBastard illegitimate son]] Jon Snow by an [[MissingMom another woman]]. King Robert Baratheon married Lord Tywin Lannister's daughter Cersei, the eldest and most ambitious of her father's three children. In addition to Cersei, Lord Tywin has two other children: a son Jamie, Cersei's twin and one of the greatest knights of Westeros who is currently serving Robert's [[Main/PraetorianGuard Kingsguard]], and his youngest son Tyrion, a dwarf who is TheUnfavorite of his family.

A [[GreaterScopeVillain much bigger threat]] than the instability of the government and potential invasion from Essos lies in [[GrimUpNorth the far North]], in the Lands of Always Winter. The Wall was built to keep the Others from returning into Westeros and to this end, an organization called the Night's Watch was instituted to permanently garrison the structure in a network of castles that divides the Seven Kingdoms from the far North. The decline of magic has led to the institution of the Night's Watch being deprecated and understaffed over the centuries. It was once regarded as a noble institute by all Seven Kingdoms but now that the Others are believed to be a SealedEvilInACan, only the North regards the Night's Watch as a noble and honorable calling. While younger sons and illegitimate sons of noble houses -- primarily from the North -- still join the Night's Watch voluntarily, it has mostly become an ArmyOfThievesAndWhores who spend most of their time putting down rebellions by Wildings, barbaric tribes who defy the customs and views of mainland Westeros and who periodically try to get past the Wall. This status-quo gets unbalanced thanks to reports of sightings of the blue-eyed Others, who have led attacks on many Wildling villages as well as ranging parties sent by the Night's Watch. The Others are cold, unnatural, and seemingly immortal beings whose powers allow them to [[NotUsingTheZWord converted the dead into wights]], to serve as slaves in an inhuman army of the dead. This results in the Wildlings to ally around Mance Rayder and mount the largest wildling rebellion in the history of the Watch.

The Targaryens outlasted their dragons for a century or so after the deaths of their mounts but their dynasty was toppled by a rebellion led by King Robert Baratheon in [[TheAlliance an alliance]] that ultimately included Lord Eddard Stark, Lord Hoster Tully, Lord Jon Arryn, and Lord Tywin Lannister. In the course of their rebellion, their alliance was cemented by marriage, with Lord Eddard Stark marrying Catelyn Tully, and governing the North. He has five children by Catelyn -- Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, Rickon -- and an [[HeroicBastard illegitimate son]] Jon Snow by an [[MissingMom another woman]]. King Robert Baratheon married Lord Tywin Lannister's daughter Cersei, the eldest and most ambitious of her father's three children. In addition to Cersei, Lord Tywin has two other children: a son Jamie, Cersei's twin and one of the greatest knights of Westeros who is currently serving the Kingsguard, and his youngest son Tyrion, a dwarf who is TheUnfavorite of his family.

A [[GreaterScopeVillain much bigger threat]] than the instability of the government and potential invasion from Essos lies in the far North, in the Lands of Always Winter. The Wall was built to keep the Others from returning into Westeros and to this end, an organization called the Night's Watch was instituted to permanently garrison the structure in a network of castles that divides the Seven Kingdoms from the far North. The decline of magic has led to the institution of the Night's Watch being deprecated and understaffed over the centuries. It was once regarded as a noble institute by all seven kingdoms but now that the Others are believed to be a SealedEvilInACan, only the North regards the Night's Watch as a noble and honorable calling. While younger sons and illegitimate sons of noble houses -- primarily from the North -- still join the Night's Watch voluntarily, it has mostly become an ArmyOfThievesAndWhores who spend most of their time putting down rebellions by Wildings, barbaric tribes who defy the customs and views of mainland Westeros and who periodically try to get past the Wall. This status-quo gets unbalanced thanks to reports of sightings of the blue-eyed Others, who have led attacks on many Wildling villages as well as ranging parties sent by the Night's Watch. The Others are cold, unnatural, and seemingly immortal beings whose powers allow them to [[NotUsingTheZWord converted the dead into wights]], to serve as slaves in an inhuman army of the dead. This results in the Wildlings to ally around Mance Rayder and mount the largest wildling rebellion in the history of the Watch.

** ''The Princess and the Queen, or, The Blacks and the Greens'': A novella written as an in-universe history text, narrating the events of the Dance of the Dragons, a war of succession between rival Targaryen branches 170 years before the time of the main series.

* A [[http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/103343/a-game-of-thrones-the-board-game-second-edition table top strategy game]] and two editions of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Game_of_Thrones_(card_game) a CCG]] have been published by Fantasy Flight Games.

For more information, see the [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFire character sheet]], GRRM's "[[http://grrm.livejournal.com Not-a-blog]]" and [[http://www.winter-is-coming.net Winter Is Coming]], a central nexus for news on the TV show. Synopsis pages for each novel are in progress; in the meanwhile, feel free also to check out our [[Recap/GameOfThrones recap page]] for the show; HBO have been fairly faithful to the original material for at least the four seasons (and the first three books), and the recaps document any significant deviations.

''A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a bestselling {{Doorstopper}} epic fantasy series written by Creator/GeorgeRRMartin. The first book (out of a planned seven) was published in 1996 and most recently, Book 5, was published in 2011. In addition to the main books there are a variety of spin-offs and related media, such as prequels and in-universe history texts.

The novels feature a large ensemble cast, narrated in chapters that relate action from the third-person limited perspective of [[SwitchingPOV alternating protagonists]], some of them at [[AnotherSideAnotherStory times might be on the opposite side of a conflict]]. Some of the plots and subplots the protagonists [[HyperlinkStory are involved in overlap with each other directly and indirectly]], [[TwoLinesNoWaiting while others merely parallel the central action or counterpoint it in key ways]]. In general there are three theaters of action in the books -- the Wall, Westeros, and Essos -- where a range of characters and factions gravitate around; slowly converging as the narrative of the series moves to the final act.

The series is set on the continent of Westeros, a world where the [[BizarreSeasons seasons can last for years]]. Westeros was once a world suffused with magic, beings like the Children of the Forest who allied with the First Men against the Others, a race of inhuman ice beings and banished them to the Lands of Always Winter, with a giant Wall built to repel them. More recently, the dragon-riding Targaryen dynasty, refugees from the doomed Valyrian Freehold on the continent of Essos, unified the seven kingdoms of Westeros under a single realm. But some time later even the dragons died, and with their death for more than a century before the start of the series [[TheMagicGoesAway magic has faded]] across the known world; though there are of course rumors, whispers, and prophesies that some day the dragons will return. The Targaryens outlasted their dragons for a century or so after the deaths of their mounts but they were finally toppled by a rebellion by their vassals, led by King Robert Baratheon, in [[TheAlliance an alliance]] that ultimately included Lord Eddard Stark, Lord Hoster Tully, Lord Jon Arryn, and Lord Tywin Lannister. In the course of their rebellion, their alliance was cemented by marriage, with Lord Eddard Stark marrying Catelyn Tully, and governing the North with his five children (Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, Rickon) [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and his bastard child]] Jon Snow. King Robert Baratheon married Cersei Lannister, the eldest and most ambitious of Lord Tywin's three children -- including Cersei's twin brother Jaime, one of the greatest knights of Westeros and currently serving Robert's [[Main/PraetorianGuard Kingsguard]], and her youngest brother Tyrion a dwarf who is TheUnfavorite of his family.

At the start of the series, a long summer lasting for more than a decade is nearing its end, leaving many observers to fear the onset of an even longer winter which would be hard enough even during the best of times. Unfortunately what follows would not be the best of times. In the wake of Lord Jon Arryn's sudden and surprising death, King Robert Baratheon resolves to make Eddard Stark his Hand of the King, and his second-in-command, in spite of the grudges House Stark bears with House Lannister. TheAlliance that opposed the Targaryen dynasty, and which governed Westeros in the previous decade, fractures in the course of the first three novels, plunging the kingdom into civil war, with even isolationist regions like the Iron Islands and the southern principality of Dorne taking advantage of the crisis to assert their own agendas. Across the Narrow Sea, TheRemnant of House Targaryen, the vengeance-mad Prince Viserys Targaryen and his younger sister Princess Daenerys, live in exile, planning to return to Westeros and restore their dynasty, courting their own alliance of exiles, mercenaries, and ambitious local states, to build an army that would eventually invade Westeros again, and bring them back to power, and naturally the general instability of Westeros with almost every region in turmoil and civil war is amenable to their interests.

A much bigger threat than the instability of the government and potential invasion from Essos lies in the far North, in the Lands of Always Winter. The Wall was built to keep the Others from returning into Westeros and to this end, an organization called the Night's Watch was instituted to permanently garrison the structure in a network of castles that divides the Seven Kingdoms from the true North. The decline of magic has led to the institution of the Watch being deprecated and understaffed, becoming a penal colony staffed with petty criminals, rapists, political exiles, younger sons of noble families and general rejects who spend most of their time putting down rebellions by Wildings, barbaric tribes who defy the customs and values of mainland Westeros and who periodically try to get past the Wall only to be repelled by the Watch. This status-quo gets unbalanced thanks to reports of sightings of the blue-eyed Others, who have led attacks on many Wildling villages as well as ranging parties sent by the Night's Watch. The Others are cold, unnatural, and seemingly immortal beings whose powers allow them to [[NotUsingTheZWord converted the dead into wights]], to serve as slaves in an inhuman army of the dead, leading the Wildlings to ally around Mance Rayder, to mount the largest rebellion in the history of the Watch.

Should the Others return to full strength and get past the Wall, Westeros will be plunged into an eternal winter, a long night that never ends, and it won't matter then whose head wears which crown.

The series is set on the continent of Westeros, a world where the [[BizarreSeasons seasons can last for years]]. Westeros was once a world suffused with magic, beings like the Children of the Forest who allied with the First Men against the Others, a race of inhuman ice beings and banished them to the Lands of Always Winter, with a giant Wall built to repel them. More recently, the dragon-riding Targaryen dynasty, refugees from the doomed Valyrian Freehold on the continent of Essos, unified the seven kingdoms of Westeros under a single realm. But some time later even the dragons died, and with their death for more than a century before the start of the series [[TheMagicGoesAway magic has faded]] across the known world; though there are of course rumors, whispers, and prophesies that some day the dragons will return. The Targaryens outlasted their dragons for a century or so after the deaths of their mounts but they were finally toppled by a rebellion by their vassals, led by King Robert Baratheon, in [[TheAlliance an alliance]] that ultimately included Lord Eddard Stark, Lord Hoster Tully, Lord Jon Arryn, and Lord Tywin Lannister. In the course of their rebellion, their alliance was cemented by marriage, with Lord Eddard Stark marrying Catelyn Tully, and governing the North with his five children (Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, Rickon) [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and his bastard child]] Jon Snow. King Robert Baratheon married Lord Tywin Lannister's daughter Cersei, the eldest and most ambitious of her father's three children, who in addition to Cersei, include her twin brother Jaime, one of the greatest knights of Westeros and currently serving the Kingsguard, and her youngest brother Tyrion, a dwarf who is TheUnfavorite of his family.

A much bigger threat than the instability of the government and potential invasion from Essos lies in the far North, in the Lands of Always Winter. The Wall was built to keep the Others from returning into Westeros and to this end, an organization called the Night's Watch was instituted to permanently garrison the structure in a network of castles that divides the Seven Kingdoms from the true North. The decline of magic has led to the institution of the Watch being deprecated and understaffed, becoming a penal colony staffed with petty criminals, rapists, political exiles, younger sons of noble families and general rejects who spend most of their time putting down rebellions by Wildings, barbaric tribes who defy the customs and values of mainland Westeros and who periodically try to get past the Wall only to be repelled by the Watch. This status-quo gets unbalanced thanks to reports of sightings of the blue-eyed Others, who have led attacks on many Wildling villages as well as ranging parties sent by the Night's Watch. The Others are cold, unnatural, and seemingly immortal beings whose powers allow them to [[NotUsingTheZWord converted the dead into wights]], to serve as slaves in an inhuman army of the dead, leading the Wildlings to ally around Mance Rayder, to mount the largest wildling rebellion in the history of the Watch.

The series is set on the continent of Westeros, a world where the [[BizarreSeasons seasons can last for years]]. Westeros was once a world suffused with magic, beings like the Children of the Forest who allied with the First Men against the Others, a race of inhuman ice beings and banished them to the Lands of Always Winter, with a giant Wall built to repel them. More recently, the dragon-riding Targaryen dynasty, refugees from the doomed Valyrian Freehold on the continent of Essos, unified the seven kingdoms of Westeros under a single realm. But some time later even the dragons died, and with their death for more than a century before the start of the series [[TheMagicGoesAway magic has faded]] across the known world; though there are of course rumors, whispers, and prophesies that some day the dragons will return. The Targaryens outlasted their dragons for a century or so after the deaths of their mounts but they were finally toppled by a rebellion by their vassals, led by King Robert Baratheon, in [[TheAlliance an alliance]] that ultimately included Lord Eddard Stark, Warden of the North, Lord Hoster Tully, Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, Lord Jon Arryn, Warden of the East, and Lord Tywin Lannister, Warden of the West. In the course of their rebellion, their alliance was cemented by marriage, with Lord Eddard Stark marrying Catelyn Tully, and governing the North with his five children (Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, Rickon) and his bastard child Jon Snow. King Robert Baratheon married Lord Tywin Lannister's daughter Cersei, the eldest and most ambitious of her father's three children, who in addition to Cersei, include her twin brother Jaime who is one of the greatest knights of Westeros, and her youngest brother Tyrion, a dwarf who is TheUnfavorite of his family.

Should the Others return to full strength and get past the Wall, Westeros will be plunged into an eternal winter, a long night that never ends.

A much bigger threat than the instability of the government and potential invasion from Essos lies in the far North, in the Lands of Always Winter. The Wall was built to keep the Others from returning into Westeros and to this end, an organization called the Night's Watch was instituted to permanently garrison the structure in a network of castles that divides the Seven Kingdoms from the true North. The decline of magic has led to the institution of the Watch being deprecated and understaffed, becoming a penal colony staffed with petty criminals, rapists, political exiles, younger sons of noble families and general rejects who spend most of their time putting down rebellions by Wildings, barbaric tribes who defy the customs and values of mainland Westeros and who periodically try to get past the Wall only to be repelled by the Watch. This status-quo gets unbalanced thanks to reports of sightings of the blue-eyed Others, who have led attacks on many Wildling villages as well as ranging parties sent by the Night's Watch. The Others are cold, unnatural, and seemingly immortal beings whose powers allow them to [[NotUsingTheZWord converted the into wights]], to serve as slaves in an inhuman army of the dead, leading the Wildlings to ally around Mance Rayder, to mount the largest wildling rebellion in the history of the Watch.

A much bigger threat than the instability of the government and potential invasion from Essos lies in the far North, in the Lands of Always Winter. The Wall was built to keep the Others from returning into Westeros and to this end, an organization called the Night's Watch was instituted to permanently garrison the structure in a network of castles that divides the Seven Kingdoms from the true North. At The decline of magic has led to the institution of the Watch being deprecated and understaffed, becoming a penal colony staffed with petty criminals, rapists, political exiles, younger sons of noble families and general rejects who spend most of their time putting down rebellions by Wildings, barbaric tribes who defy the customs and values of mainland Westeros and who periodically try to get past the Wall only to be repelled by the Watch. This status-quo gets unbalanced thanks to reports of sightings of the blue-eyed Others, who have led attacks on many Wildling villages as well as ranging parties sent by the Night's Watch. The Others are cold, unnatural, and seemingly immortal beings whose powers allow them to [[NotUsingTheZWord converted the into wights]], to serve as slaves in an inhuman army of the dead, leading the Wildlings to ally around Mance Rayder, to mount the largest wildling rebellion in the history of the Watch.

At the start of the series, a long summer lasting for more than a decade is nearing its end, leaving many observers to fear the onset of an even longer winter which would be hard enough even during the best of times. Unfortunately what follows would not be the best of times. In the wake of Lord Jon Arryn's sudden and surprising death, King Robert Baratheon resolves to make Eddard Stark his Hand of the King, and his second-in-command, in spite of the grudges House Stark bears with House Lannister. TheAlliance that opposed the Targaryen dynasty, and which governed Westeros in the previous decade, fractures in the course of the first three novels, plunging the kingdom into civil war, with even isolationist regions like the Iron Islands and the southern principality of Dorne taking advantage of the crisis to assert their own interests. Across the Narrow Sea, TheRemnant of House Targaryen, the vengeance-mad Prince Viserys Targaryen and his younger sister Princess Daenerys, live in exile, planning to return to Westeros and restore their dynasty, courting their own alliance of exiles, mercenaries, and ambitious local states, to build an army that would eventually invade Westeros again, and bring them back to power, and naturally the general instability of Westeros with almost every region in turmoil and civil war.

The series is set on the continent of Westeros, a world where the [[BizarreSeasons seasons can last for years]]. Westeros was once a world suffused with magic, beings like the Children of the Forest who allied with the First Men against the Others, a race of inhuman ice beings and banished them to the Lands of Always Winter, with a giant Wall built to repel them. More recently, the dragon-riding Targaryen dynasty, refugees from the doomed Valyrian Freehold on the continent of Essos, unified the seven kingdoms of Westeros under a single realm. But some time later even the dragons died, and with their death for more than a century before the start of the series [[TheMagicGoesAway magic has faded]] across the known world; though there are of course rumors, whispers, and prophesies that some day the dragons will return. The Targaryens outlasted their dragons for a century or so after the deaths of their mounts but they were finally toppled by a rebellion by their vassals, led by King Robert Baratheon, in [[TheAlliance an alliance]] that ultimately included Lord Eddard Stark, Warden of the North, Lord Hoster Tully, Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, Lord Jon Arryn, Warden of the East, and Lord Tywin Lannister, Warden of the West. In the course of their rebellion, their alliance was cemented by marriage, with Lord Eddard Stark marrying Catelyn Tully, and governing the North with his five children (Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, Rickon) and his bastard child Jon Snow. King Robert Baratheon married Lord Tywin Lannister's daughter Cersei, the eldest and most ambitious of her father's three children, who in addition to Cersei, include her twin brother Jaime who is one of the greatest Knights of Westeros, and her youngest brother Tyrion, a dwarf who is TheUnfavorite of his family.

The novels feature a large ensemble cast, narrated in chapters that relate action from the third-person limited perspective of [[SwitchingPOV alternating protagonists]], some of them at [[AnotherSideAnotherStory times might be on the opposite side of a conflict]]. Some of the plots and subplots the protagonists [[HyperlinkStory are involved in overlap with each other directly and indirectly]], [[TwoSidesNoWaiting while others merely parallel the central action or counterpoint it in key ways]]. In general there are three theaters of action in the books -- the Wall, Westeros, and Essos -- where a range of characters and factions gravitate around; slowly converging as the narrative of the series moves to the final act.

''A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a bestselling {{Doorstopper}} epic fantasy series written by Creator/GeorgeRRMartin. The first book (out of a planned seven) was published in 1996 and the series reached its fifth book in 2011. In addition to the main books there are a variety of spin-offs and related media, such as prequels and in-universe history texts.

The series is primarily set on the continent of Westeros, in a world where the [[BizarreSeasons seasons can last for years]]. Westeros has long been populated by [[RuleOfSeven Seven Kingdoms]], which warred against each other and united only to repel invaders... but 300 years ago, Aegon "the Conqueror" Targaryen, a Valyrian from the continent of Essos, succeeded in taking over the whole place by using Valyria's WeaponOfChoice: dragons. He became king of a united Westeros, and began the tradition of BrotherSisterIncest to keep the Targaryen bloodline (PurpleEyes, [[PeopleOfHairColor silver-gold hair]]) pure.

Fifteen years ago, lords Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon, along with their foster father Jon Arryn, rose up in rebellion and overthrew the RoyallyScrewedUp Mad King Aerys. They appointed Robert to the throne and drove Aerys' children into exile, breaking the 300-year-old Targaryen dynasty. Now Eddard rules his northern homeland and raises his own family in peace. When Jon Arryn unexpectedly dies, King Robert ventures north to name Eddard as his replacement NumberTwo. Eddard must leave his home to join the corrupt court in King's Landing and find the truth about Jon Arryn's death, unwittingly setting a civil war into motion.

Across the narrow sea, the children of King Aerys, the vengeance-mad Viserys Targaryen and his younger sister Daenerys, live in exile, scheming to return to Westeros. House Targaryen is a shadow of its former self -- PrincessInRags is pretty much the way of it, and dragons went extinct more than a hundred years ago -- but by marrying his sister to the leader of some HordesFromTheEast, Viserys hopes to win himself an army. But it's Daenerys upon whom the fortunes of the family rest...

Lastly, Eddard's acknowledged illegitimate son Jon Snow ventures north to join the Night's Watch at the Wall, an ancient structure that has stood for eight thousand years. The Wall was built to keep out [[EvilIsDeathlyCold the Others]], a mysterious race of ice creatures who once ravaged Westeros and nearly wiped out mankind. However, they haven't been seen since, and most living people think them a [[SealedEvilInACan myth]]; the once-honourable Watch has been reduced to a fraction of the size it once was and is now [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores mostly composed of condemned criminals commuting their death sentences]]. The Others are prophesied to return in the Long Night, a winter colder than any other, which will last forever if the Others should conquer Westeros. Naturally, at the time these novels are set, [[ArcWords winter is coming]] and it could not come at a worse time for a land which is soon to be engulfed in tyranny, civil war, and invaders from across the sea.

The series is primarily set on the continent of Westeros, in a world where the [[BizarreSeasons seasons can last for years]]. Fifteen years ago, lords Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon, along with their foster father Jon Arryn, rose up in rebellion and overthrew the [[RoyallyScrewedUp Mad King Aerys Targaryen]]. They appointed Robert to the throne and drove Aerys' children into exile, breaking a 300-year dynasty of inbred kings. Now Eddard rules his northern homeland and raises his own family in peace. When Jon Arryn unexpectedly dies, King Robert ventures north to name Eddard as the new Hand of the King, the most powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms after the king himself. Eddard must leave his home to join the corrupt court in King's Landing and find the truth about Jon Arryn's death, unwittingly setting a civil war into motion. Unbeknownst to all, the children of King Aerys who are living in exile across the narrow sea -- the vengeance-mad Viserys Targaryen and his younger sister Daenerys -- plan their return to Westeros.

Meanwhile, Eddard's acknowledged illegitimate son Jon Snow ventures north to join the Night's Watch at the Wall, an ancient structure erected eons ago. The Wall was built to keep out the Others, a mysterious race of ice demons who once ravaged Westeros and nearly wiped out mankind. However, the Others have been unseen for so long that most living people think them a [[SealedEvilInACan myth]], and the once-honourable Watch has been reduced to a fraction of the size it once was and is now [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores mostly composed of condemned criminals commuting their death sentences]]. The Others are prophesied to return in the Long Night, a winter colder than any other, which will last forever if the Others should conquer Westeros. Naturally, at the time these novels are set, [[ArcWords winter is coming]] and it could not come at a worse time for a land which is soon to be engulfed in tyranny, civil war, and invaders from across the sea.

The series has been received with great acclaim, with TIME Magazine even going so far as to brand Martin "the American [[Creator/JRRTolkien Tolkien]]." They share a SwitchingPOV and infrequent instances of magic, but ''Ice and Fire'' has so many narrators that there is no central protagonist. The series is located on the ''far'' end of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, with [[GrayAndGrayMorality moral ambiguity]] very prevalent and few clear-cut heroes or villains. Martin plays for keeps with his characters, and AnyoneCanDie, no matter who they are, how safe they seem, how beloved by fans they are or how important they are to the setting's stability. While a SaveTheWorldClimax has been foreshadowed ever since the prologue to the first book, it's taken five books of FourLinesAllWaiting for the MythArc to finally start coming together in earnest.

A [[Series/GameOfThrones TV adaptation is now airing on HBO]]. Scripted by Dan Weiss and David Benioff, the show is planned for eight seasons, with ''A Storm of Swords'' comprising two seasons, the fifth and sixth seasons being a combination of ''A Feast For Crows'' and ''A Dance with Dragons'' but told chronologically rather than by splitting locations and characters as in the books; all other seasons roughly corresponding to a single novel. By the time of its fourth season, it has become the highest-rated show in HBO history. Martin has been very supportive of the project, even writing some of the episodes and has given Weiss and Benioff the outlines for the remaining unreleased books in the series in case they outpace him for [[GeckoEnding one reason]] or [[AuthorExistenceFailure another]].

# ''The Winds of Winter'' (TBD)[[note]]GRRM projects that the novel will come out in 2017.[[/note]]

The series is primarily set on the continent of Westeros, in a world where the [[BizarreSeasons seasons can last for years]]. Fifteen years ago, lords Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon, along with their foster father Jon Arryn, rose up in rebellion and overthrew the [[RoyallyScrewedUp Mad King Aerys Targaryen]]. They appointed Robert to the throne and drove Aerys' children into exile, breaking a 300-year dynasty of inbred kings. Now Eddard rules his northern homeland and raises his own family in peace. When Jon Arryn unexpectedly dies, King Robert ventures north to name Eddard as the new Hand of the King, the most powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms after the king himself. Eddard must leave his home to join the corrupt court in King's Landing and find the truth about Jon Arryn's death, unwittingly setting a civil war into motion. Unbeknownst to all the vengeance-mad children of King Aerys, living in exile far away from Westeros, plot their return.

The series is primarily set on the continent of Westeros, in a world where the [[BizarreSeasons seasons can last for years]]. Fifteen years ago lords Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon, along with their foster father Jon Arryn, rose up in rebellion and overthrew the [[RoyallyScrewedUp Mad King Aerys Targaryen]]. They appointed Robert to the throne and drove Aerys' children into exile, breaking a 300-year dynasty of inbred kings. Now Eddard rules his northern homeland and raises his own family in peace. When Jon Arryn unexpectedly dies King Robert ventures north to name Eddard as the new Hand of the King, the most powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms after the king himself. Eddard must leave his home to join the corrupt court in King's Landing and find the truth about Jon's death, unwittingly setting a civil war into motion. Unbeknownst to all the vengeance-mad children of King Aerys, living in exile far away from Westeros, plot their return.

Meanwhile Eddard's acknowledged bastard Jon Snow ventures north to join the Night's Watch at the Wall, an ancient structure erected eons ago. The Wall is supposed to keep out the Others, a mysterious race of ice demons who once ravaged Westeros and nearly wiped out mankind. However the Others have been unseen for so long that most living people think them a myth, and the once-honourable Watch has been reduced to a fraction of the size it once was and is now [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores mostly composed of condemned criminals commuting their death sentences]]. The Others are prophesied to return in the Long Night, a winter colder than any other, which will last forever if the Others should conquer Westeros. Naturally, at the time these novels are set, [[ArcWords winter is coming]] and it could not come at a worse time for a land which is soon to be engulfed in tyranny, civil war, and invaders from across the sea.

* ASongOfIceAndFire/TropesDToI

* ASongOfIceAndFire/TropesAToI

The first three books were released over the course of a decade, with the next two over another. This has led to anxiety for some fans, as when ''A Storm of Swords'' was released, it ended on a cliffhanger, and then later ''A Feast for Crows'' and ''A Dance with Dragons'' suffered major structural problems that led to a lot of ScheduleSlip, exacerbated by Martin and/or over-eager vendors announcing publication dates only to miss them with little-to-no explanation. Repeat this a few times, during which time fellow {{Fantasy}} {{Doorstopper}} writer [[Literature/TheWheelOfTime Robert Jordan]] [[AuthorExistenceFailure passed away]], and the end result is a very worried and impatient fanbase.

Meanwhile Eddard's acknowledged bastard Jon Snow ventures north to join the Night's Watch at the Wall, an ancient structure erected eons ago. The Wall is supposed to keep out the Others, a mysterious race of ice demons who once ravaged Westeros and nearly wiped out mankind. However the Others have been unseen for so long that most living people think them a myth, and the once-honourable Watch has been reduced to a fraction of the size it once was and is now [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores mostly composed of condemned criminals commuting their death sentences]]. The Others are prophesied to return in the Longest Night, a winter colder than any other, which will last forever if the Others should conquer Westeros. Naturally, at the time these novels are set, [[ArcWords winter is coming]] and it could not come at a worse time for a land which is soon to be engulfed in tyranny, civil war, and invaders from across the sea.