Fire and Blood

Article written by Joshua Ehiosun

C2 certified writer.

‘Fire and Blood’ is a novel by American writer George R. R. Martin and illustrated by artist Doug Wheatley. It expands the World of Ice and Fire by showing the history of the great Targaryen Kings who ruled Westeros. From Aegon’s Conquest to the reign of Aegon III Targaryen, the novel dives into the elusive tale of Westeros after it fell under the rule of a single house that stayed at Dragonstone after the Doom of Valyria.

Though Gyldayn compiled the historical events in ‘Fire and Blood,’ he used information from many sources, which mostly conflicted with each other. Because some sources are also fictional, making Gyldayn’s history an unreliable source.

Key Facts about Fire and Blood

• Book Title: ‘Fire and Blood.’
• Author: George R. R. Martin.
• Narrator: Archmaester Gyldayn.
• Inspiration: ‘Fire and Blood’ was conceptualized when George R. R. Martin took about 200,000 words from ‘The World of Ice and Fire,’ a companion book for A Song of Ice and Fire, and made it a separate novel. Over time, he realized the book would be too large for a single story and decided to split it into two. The story is also closely related to The Anarchy.
• Publication Date: November 20, 2018.
• Illustrator: Dough Wheatley.
• Literary Period: Contemporary.
• Point of View: Third-Person Perspective.
• Genre: Historical Fantasy.
• Setting: Westeros, Essos.
• Number of Pages: 736.
• Climax: Because ‘Fire and Blood’ comprises numerous events across different timelines, there are many climaxes, including Aegon’s destruction of Harrenhal, Maegor’s destruction of the Warrior Sons, and The Battle Above the God’s Eye.
• Protagonists: King Aegon Targaryen, King Aenys Targaryen, King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, and King Aegon III Targaryen.
• Antagonists: King Maegor Targaryen, Queen Alicent Hightower, Prince Aemond Targaryen, King Aegon II Targaryen.
• Planned Sequel: ‘Fire and Blood 2.’
• Adaptations: House of the Dragon.

George R. R. Martin and Fire and Blood

Many years after the first novel in A Song of Ice and Fire, ‘A Game of Thrones,’ fans pondered what happened during the most crucial moments in the Targaryen Dynasty and Westeros’s history. As the world in A Song of Ice and Fire was a gigantic feat of world-building, George R. R. Martin, alongside Elio M. Garcia Jr. and Linda Antonsson, began writing a detailed history of the past. However, in 2014, Martin removed some content from ‘The World of Ice and Fire’ and used it to make a stand-alone novel.

Martin fleshed out the stories and continued writing until it was so large that he planned on releasing it in two parts. In 2018, he released the first novel, which he called ‘Fire and Blood;’ this novel added massive amounts of information to A Song of Ice and Fire as it gave a detailed semi-accurate history of what happened from Aegon I Taragaryen’s arrival in Westeros to the ascension of Aegon III Targaryen to the Iron Throne.

Upon publication, Martin received much criticism as some people did not like the style of story-telling used. Others praised the novel as a trailblazer in the historical fantasy genre.

Books Related to Fire and Blood

• ‘The World of Ice and Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones’ by George R. R. Martin, Elio M. Garcia Jr., and Linda Antonsson is a companion book written for A Song of Ice and Fire. It features the numerous family trees of houses great and forgotten, and many illustrations make it a history compendium of Martin’s fictional universe. The novel tells the history of Westeros from the Dawn Age to before the events of ‘A Game of Thrones.’ It tells the stories of the fight between the First Men and the Children of the Forest, Aegon the Conqueror, House Targaryen and its Civil War, and the Dance of the Dragons.
• ‘The Silmarillion’ by J. R. R Tolkien is a novel that goes back to the Elder Days, during the First Age. Its events occur in a time when Morgoth lived in Middle Earth and took the Silmarils. To get the jewels holding the pure light of Valinor, the High Elves march to war against the Dark Lord.
• ‘Dune Messiah’ by Frank Herbert is the second novel in the Dune Series. It continues the journey of Paul Atreides after he became the emperor of the known universe. With his Kwisatz Haderach powers, Paul leads the Fremen on a Jihad across the known universe, and billions die. He gains total control of Melange production, a feat never achieved by any emperor before him. Paul then tries to use his powers to create a path that prevents humanity from extinction. His enemies begin plotting in the shadows. Paul tries to get a child with his lover, Chani, and eventually succeeds when she takes fertility drugs. He then learns of his enemies’ plots, and while fighting against them, he is blinded. He survives, and all his enemies die. Without his sight, Paul walks into the desert.
• ‘A Game of Thrones’ by George R. R. Martin is the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire. It begins with the arrival of King Robert Baratheon to Winterfell. Robert meets his long-time friend and lord of Winterfell, Lord Eddard Stark, and asks him to become the new Hand of the King as the previous one, Lord Jon Arryn, suddenly passes away. Ned Stark then takes his daughters, Arya Stark and Sansa Stark, to King’s Landing. Ned begins investigating the death of Lord Jon and discovers that Robert’s wife, Queen Cersei Lannister, had children out of adultery with her brother. However, before Ned discloses the information, the Queen plots with Lancel Lannister and kills her husband. Cersei arrests Ned, and her son orders his execution; this plunges Westeros into a war called the War of the Five Kings.

The Lasting Impact of Fire and Blood