u003cbu003e#1 u003ciu003eNEW YORK TIMESu003c/iu003e BESTSELLERu003c/bu003e • u003cbu003eThe thrilling history of the Targaryens comes to life in this masterly work, the inspiration for HBO’s u003ciu003eGame of Thronesu003c/iu003e prequel series u003ciu003eHouse of the Dragonu003cbru003eu003c/iu003eu003c/bu003eu003cbru003eu003cbu003e“The thrill of u003ciu003eFire & Bloodu003c/iu003e is the thrill of all Martin’s fantasy work: familiar myths debunked, the whole trope table flipped.”—u003ciu003eEntertainment Weeklyu003c/iu003eu003c/bu003eu003cbru003eu003cbru003eCenturies before the events of u003ciu003eA Game of Thrones,u003c/iu003e House Targaryen—the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria—took up residence on Dragonstone. u003ciu003eFire & Bloodu003c/iu003e 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.u003cbu003eu003ciu003eu003cbru003eu003c/iu003eu003c/bu003eu003cbru003eWhat 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. Readers have glimpsed small parts of this narrative in such volumes as u003ciu003eThe World of Ice & Fire,u003c/iu003e but now, for the first time, the full tapestry of Targaryen history is revealed.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eWith all the scope and grandeur of Gibbon’s u003ciu003eThe History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Fire & Bloodu003c/iu003e is 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.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eu003cbu003ePraise for u003ciu003eFire & Bloodu003c/iu003eu003c/bu003eu003cbru003eu003cbru003e “A masterpiece of popular historical fiction.”u003cbu003e—u003ciu003eThe Sunday Timesu003c/iu003eu003c/bu003eu003cbru003eu003cbru003e “The saga is a rich and dark one, full of both the title’s promised elements. . . . It’s hard not to thrill to the descriptions of dragons engaging in airborne combat, or the dilemma of whether defeated rulers should ‘bend the knee,’ ‘take the black’ and join the Night’s Watch, or simply meet an inventive and horrible end.”u003cbu003e—u003ciu003eThe Guardianu003c/iu003eu003c/bu003e
