The World of Ice & Fire

The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones

By: George R. R. Martin, Elio M. Garcia, Linda Antonsson

Narrated by: Roy Dotrice, Nicholas Guy Smith

Length: 21 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best seller

The perfect gift for fans of A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO’s Game of Thrones - an epic history of Westeros and the lands beyond, featuring hundreds of minutes 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 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 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.

©2014 George R.R. Martin (P)2014 Random House Audio

Masterpiece, as expected

To be honest, I have to say that when I first started listening to this book, I was surprised by the fact that this is not a novel( or a story). It is a history book. Some parts that talked about the early history of Westeros, I can't call anything but boring, but once the book got closer to the "present time", I found it very interesting. It gives a very detailed history of every house and even the free cities. The longer I listened the more hooked I was. It is clear that the authors have spent countless hours creating this world.
Bottom line, if you're a die-hard Game of Thrones fan, you'll love it, but if you're just looking for an easy listen, pass on this one.

Thorough analysis

This was a very detailed look on the history that goes with the A Song of Ice and Fire series. It was very well done and helped to give new perspective on the events. Loved the expansion to the other areas besides Westeros.

Excellent history of Westeros et al

Because I enjoy a well told story, especially when there is an historical aspect, I thoroughly enjoyed World of Ice and Fire. Detailed explanations of houses and battles make Game of Thrones much easier to understand and enjoy.

I would describe this book as a good book.

I would describe this book as a good book. not flashy, just a good book.

Great background to understand the world of GOT!

I wish I read it after the first book. It helps put context around the characters and plot of the story.

world of ice and fire review

it is a robust and difficult read, due primarily to the nature of it's content. while rich in lore, its very much a history book.

Wow. Could have accomplished the same thing in 12 hours

Liked the background and how it provided more detail of the people and places. Then it became so long that I was not captivated any longer. Just covering the main locations and their history would have been more than sufficient.

Like having an encyclopedia read to you

It was hard for me to stay engaged with this. I'd probably like it as cross referenced and indexed conventional book. A lot of backstory, but it was often like having someone reading the family tree of all of the royal families of Europe.

Good book for a fan but not as an audio book.

It just blows the mind.

The sheer scope of The World of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin just blows the mind. I bought the hard cover book as well and the illustrations are brilliant. The narrators do a great job and the breaks in the main text for the annotations are brilliantly done, with little interruption to the reading and listening experience. The untold history of Westeros is brilliantly written and fills in a lot of gaps in the history leading up to the events in Song of Ice and Fire. It also gives a bit of an insight into the lives of the adult Egg (Aegon V The Unlikely) and Dunk (Sir Duncan the Tall). This is a masterful piece of literature.

For the die heart TGOT series reader, a must!

Historical account that really adds to the world of Planetos. The audio voices are awesome and really make it all seem real.