Winning the Game of Thrones: The Host of Characters and their Agendas (32 page)

A Game of Thrones,
Bantam Books, 1996

Corresponds to Season One. Encountering the White Walkers and finding the direwolves through Ned Stark’s death.

A Clash of Kings,
Bantam Books, 1999

Corresponds to Season Two. Renly, Stannis, Robb, the Iron Islands, and the Lannisters battle for the throne.

A Storm of Swords,
Bantam Books, 2000

Corresponds to Seasons Three and Four. Tywin Lannister schemes in King’s Landing while Robb’s campaign begins to falter. Martin notes that book three offers

Four weddings,
two
funerals, and a wake. Four trials as well. And three dragons, four bears, many mammoths, an unkindness of ravens, and a turtle of unusual size. More battles, swordfights, and deaths than I can count, but two births as well, just to remind us all that life goes on.
^[78]

A Feast for Crows,
Bantam Books, 2005

This book follows new and old characters to Dorne, the Maesters’ Citadel in Oldtown, and Braavos, along with the Iron Islands. Cersei, Jaime, Brienne, Arya, Sansa, and Sam are viewpoint characters, along with some new faces; however, only half the usual characters appear, not including Tyrion, Daenerys, or Jon. Martin explains:

When I was writing that book, it became so large that in 2003 or 2004 my editors and I realized that it would have to be split into two books. It wasn’t finished at that point, but ultimately I made the decision to split the book geographically, since my characters were spread out across the world – to tell the story completely for some characters in
A Feast for Crows
, and to tell the story for some different characters, but within the same time frame, in
A Dance with Dragons
. In that sense, A Dance with Dragons is not the fifth book, but is more like four B. The two books run in parallel, and both begin five minutes after the end of
A Storm of Swords
.
^[79]

A Dance with Dragons,
Bantam Books, 2011

This follows what the other characters – Bran, Jon, Daenerys, Tyrion and several Greyjoys – were doing during the events of book four, though this volume extends beyond that to rejoin Cersei’s, Arya’s and other characters’ plots. Once again, several new individuals are introduced or become point-of-view characters. Much of the action takes place over the sea, rather than in King’s Landing, as Daenerys prepares to move on Westeros. When Martin had first envisioned his seven book series as a trilogy, this was to be the title and possibly the plot arc of book two.

The Winds of Winter,
Bantam Books, forthcoming

Martin has already released chapters from Arienne Martell, Victarion Greyjoy, Barristan Selmy, and Theon’s point of views, which he’s read at various conventions. He adds that the sixth book will “open with the two big battles that I was building up to, the battle in the ice and the battle at Meereen – the battle of Slaver’s Bay. And then take it from there.”
^[80]
He’s also assured readers that we’ll explore even farther north and discover what lies in The Lands of Always Winter. To the east, the Dothraki will also feature in the plot. In multiple interviews, he’s mentioned uniting more characters as the plot threads from the East to the Wall interlock the characters’ storylines.

A Dream of Spring,
Bantam Books, forthcoming

This of course will conclude the epic struggle and wrap up the storylines. Of course, with an end to the saga, Martin could certainly have beloved characters find heroic or ironic deaths as their tales draw to a close. And he knows where it’s all headed. As he says:

The ending hasn’t changed. I know the ending I’m heading for. It’s like a journey and I know my eventual destination. I know the main roads I’m going to take to go there and the cities I’m passing through but I don’t necessarily know all the fine details of the journey, that’s what I discover along the way. You know, where I’m going to stop for dinner and what hitchhikers I’m going to pick up, where I’m going to hit a bump, where my car is gonna break down. So that’s the sort of adventure of going on a journey or the adventure of writing a book. But I do know my ultimate destination.
^[81]

A Song of Ice and Fire Short Stories

Dunk and Egg

v
 
“The Hedge Knight” (1998) available in George R.R. Martin,
Dreamsongs: Volume II
 (Bantam Books, 2012) and
Legends I,
ed. Robert Silverberg (Ballantine, 2001).

v
 
“The Sworn Sword” (2003) available in
Legends II
, ed. Robert Silverberg (Ballantine, 2004).

v
 
“The Mystery Knight” (2010) available in
Warriors
, ed. George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois (Tor, 2010.)

v
 
“The She-Wolves of Winterfell” Planned for inclusion in
Dangerous Women
, now delayed and instead intended for a forthcoming Dunk and Egg collection.

v
 
The Hedge Knight Graphic Novels
by Ben Avery and Mike S. Miller. (
Dabel Brothers Publishing, Marvel. Ongoing.)

As described in the
Dunk and Egg
 section of Targaryen history, these stories chronicle the future Aegon V, great-grandfather to Daenerys and the younger brother of Maester Aemon. He and Ser Duncan tour the countryside a century prior to
A Game of Thrones.
These popular tales brought Martin many new fans.

Other A Song of Ice and Fire Short Stories

“The Princess and the Queen” (novella about the Targaryen civil war
 
called “The Dance of the Dragons”),
 
Dangerous Women
, ed. George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. (Tor, 2013.)

Other A Song of Ice and Fire Adaptations

A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel Series
by Daniel Abraham and George R.R. Martin, illustrated by Tommy Patterson (Bantam Books, Ongoing).

A Game of Thrones: The Board Game
(Fantasy Flight Games, 2003).

A Game of Thrones: The Card Game
(Fantasy Flight Games, 2008).

Battles of Westeros
(Fantasy Flight Games, 2010).

Many add-ons for all three games are available as well.

The Art of George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire.
Brian Wood & Patricia Meredith,
Editors.
 
(Fantasy Flight Games, 2005).
 

The Lands of Ice and Fire
(Poster Map) George R.R. Martin (2012).

A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook.
Chelsea Monroe-Cassel and Sariann Lehrer. (Bantam Books, 2012).

The World of Ice and Fire: The Official History of Westeros and The World of A Game of Thrones.
George R.R. Martin, Elio Garcia, and Linda Antonsson. (Bantam Books, 2014).

NOTES

^[1]
George R.R. Martin, “
Interview in Barcelona.”
Asshai.com,
July 28, 2012. http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Asshai.com_Interview_in_Barcelona.

^[2]
“Correspondence with Fans,” The Citadel: So Spake Martin, Aug 15 2001.
http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Category/C91/P90

^[3]
“George R.R. Martin Interview,” The World Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, Aug 29-Sept 3 2012, in Chicago, IL.

^[4]
George R.R. Martin, “The Hedge Knight” in
Dreamsongs II 
(New York: Bantam, 2007), 607.

^[5]
“Correspondence with Fans,” The Citadel: So Spake Martin, Aug 15 2001.
http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Category/C91/P90

^[6]
“A Very Long Interview with George R.R. Martin,”
Oh No They Didn’t.com
, Oct 10 2012.
http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/72570529.html
.

^[7]
Linda Antonsson and Elio M. Garcia, Jr., “The Palace of Love, The Palace of Sorrow” in
Beyond the Wall: Exploring George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, From A Game of Thrones to A Dance with Dragons,
ed. James Lowder (USA: BenBella Books, Inc., 2012). Kindle Edition, Kindle Locations 354-357.

^[8]
Bill Keveney, “In Game of Thrones, the Women Are,”
USA Today
, Mar 29, 2012. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost.

^[9]
Myke Cole, “Art Imitates War,” in
Beyond the Wall: Exploring George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, From A Game of Thrones to A Dance with Dragons
ed. James Lowder (USA: BenBella Books, Inc., 2012). Kindle Edition, Kindle Locations 1301-1306.

^[10]
Andrew Zimmerman Jones, “Of Direwolves and Gods,” in
Beyond the Wall: Exploring George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, From A Game of Thrones to A Dance with Dragons,
ed. James Lowder (USA: BenBella Books, Inc., 2012). Kindle Edition, Kindle Locations 1773-1776.

^[11]
Martin, “
Interview in Barcelona.”

^[12]
George R.R. Martin, “The Mystery Knight” in
Warriors,
ed. George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
(New York: Tor, 2010), 668.

^[13]
Correspondence with Fans,” The Citadel: So Spake Martin, June 3 2000.
http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Category/C91/P180.

^[14]
George R.R. Martin, “The Heirs of Turtle Castle” in
Dreamsongs: Volume I
(USA: Bantam Books, 2007).

^[15]
“A Very Long Interview with George R.R. Martin.”

^[16]
Nick Gevers, “Sunsets of High Renown – An Interview with George R. R. Martin,”
infinityplus.co.uk.
Retrieved Dec 2000. http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/intgrrm.htm

^[17]
Josh Roberts, “‘Game of Thrones’ Exclusive! George R.R. Martin Talks Season Two, ‘The Winds of Winter,’ and Real-World Influences for ‘A Song of Ice and Fire.’”
Smarter Travel.
April 1 2012. http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/today-in-travel/game-of-thrones-exclusive-george-martin-talks-season-the-winds-of-winter-and-real-world-influences-for-song-of-ice-and-fire.html?id=10593041.

^[18]
Antonsson and Garcia, “The Palace of Love, The Palace of Sorrow” Kindle Locations 316-317.

^[19]
John Birmingham, "A Conversation with Game of Thrones Author George RR Martin,"
The Sydney Morning Herald.
Aug 1, 2011. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/blogs/the-geek/a-conversation-with-game-of-thrones-author-george-rr-martin-20110801-1i6wj.html.

^[20]
Ibid.

^[21]
James Hibberd, “EW Interview: George R.R. Martin Talks ‘A Dance With Dragons,’”
EW.com,
July 12 2011. http://shelf-life.ew.com/2011/07/12/george-martin-talks-a-dance-with-dragons.

^[22]
“Five Year Gap,” The Citadel: So Spake Martin, Nov 30 1998. http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/Five_Year_Gap.

^[23]
Hibberd, “EW Interview.”

^[24]
“A Very Long Interview with George R.R. Martin.”

^[25]
Nina Shen Rastogi, “TV’s Best Show about Women,”
Salon.com,
Apr 8 2012.
http://www.salon.com/2012/04/08/tvs_best_show_about_women
.

^[26]
Sara Stewart, “Dames of Thrones,”
New York Post,
March 26, 2013. http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/dame_of_thrones_7GGHhdZ30KagLzk4gfDbWI.

^[27]
Jenna Sackler, “Women of Westeros: An Introduction to Feminism in Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire,”
Feminists At Large,
Mar 14 2013. http://feministsatlarge.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/women-of-westeros-an-introduction-to-feminism-in-game-of-thronesa-song-of-ice-and-fire.

^[28]
“A Very Long Interview with George R.R. Martin.”