TRANQUIL READER

Review - Fire and Blood by George R. R. Martin

By Carmen, 29 February 2020

Year Published: 2018

Genre: Fantasy

Blurb:

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.

About the Author:

George R.R. Martin is the globally bestselling author of many fine novels, including A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons, which together make up the series A Song of Ice and Fire, on which HBO based the world's most-watched television series, Game of Thrones. Other works set in or about Westeros include The World of Ice and Fire, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. His science fiction novella Nightflyers has also been adapted as a television series; and he is the creator of the shared-world Wild Cards universe, working with the finest writers in the genre. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Connect with the Author:

Facebook: George R. R. Martin Facebook

Twitter: George R. R. Martin Twitter

Author Website: George R. R. Martin Author Website

Buy the Book:

Amazon: Amazon Purchase Link

My Take on the Book:

I found it extremely interesting how all these houses came about as well as how things were back then, and even though Aegon reigned in terror; he could also be very fair as a king. There were also times where the plot became pretty vague – even though this was most likely done intentionally and to not make the book become even longer than it was.

I ended up giving this leisurely read a four star rating.

Last Word:

It’s always nice to dive into the world of ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’, or what is usually known as ‘A Game of Thrones’. I’ll definitely be carrying on reading the series this year – and if we don’t get another book in the series this year; maybe it’ll happen next year.

Enjoy,
Carmen