Back History of the Game of Thrones

The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Before you watch or read Game of Thrones I think you may want to give this book a read . It gives you the whole back history of the series, especially Westeros.

Westeros is where the series takes place. Before men came over on a land bridge Westeros was inhabited by the children of the forest and Giants. The children of the forest worshipped their gods and carved their faces into the trees. Eventually the first men came over from Essos. They at first were friendly with the children of the forest but eventually hostilities would erupt and the children of men would drive them away. The first men set up small kingdoms which were petty for the most part. Then came the Andals on their ships from essos. THey were driven out by the wars over there, especially with the Valerians. When the Andals came they conquered all of Westeros and drove the children and the giants away further into the woods.

In Essos war was constant. Valeria is a volcanic land from where the Dragons and the Targaryans come from . The Valerians are known not only for dragons but also for their steal swords and their purple eyed women. Eventually the Valerians would set up 9 free cities in Essos each one independent. When the Targaryans came over first they settle on Dragonstone before conquering Westeros. Eventually they took kings landing for their own rebuilding the old castle. Other groups like the Royner came over on ships fleeing war between Andals and Valerians.

Agon the conqueror and his sisters would conquer the Westeros and it would be house Targaryans that would ruled Westeros for 700 years. During this time there would be uprising and civil wars. The Dance of the Dragons was the Civil war that saw the demise of the dragon. There would also be Valerian rivals like the Blackfires and the 9 simple kings .

The Royner would eventually join the Dorns. This is a desert land and home of formidable warriors. They would eventually bend the knee after a real long time. The Iron Born from the IRon islands would make their fortune off raiding and mining. Their main god was the drowned god. Eventually they would turn to trading.

There is history on Essos as well. The Dothraki civilization is discussed along with what lies beyond the bone mountains , like the Yi TI, Ying Island and a haunted city.

For all die hard GOT fans this book will be a good edition to your library. If you are just starting this will give you a good background and you will get more out of the stories you are following.

View all my reviews