The best order to read the Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire books
An avid fantasy fan since its debut in 1996, George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series of books has only grown in influence thanks to HBO’s Game of Thrones. Perhaps more importantly, the series’ much-talked-about ending (or on the other end of the spectrum, the most beloved first season of House of the Dragon) made the prospect of experiencing Martin’s original vision even more appealing… even if it’s not finished yet.
While the order of the books is old-fashioned for the most veteran A Song of Ice and Fire fans, the best order to read it all in can be a bit confusing for new readers. Meanwhile, seasoned fans may want a new or unique way to revisit the universe. So to help both groups, we’ve put together a list of the best order to read A Song of Ice and Fire in. time in preparation for the eventual (hopefully) release of The Winter windsthere are options.
Read A Song of Ice and Fire in order of release
If you’re reading this series for the first time, this is probably the best, safest option – and probably the one you’re looking for. Reading these in order of release keeps the focus on the central Song of Ice and Fire story. Martin would continue to build out the world of Westeros with the Tales of Dunk and Egg stories, so it’s best to mix those up at his pace. This order ignores the smaller releases of stories that eventually entered Fire and blood in favor of waiting for the end of A dance with dragonswhich all history best suits.
A Song of Ice and Fire books in chronological order of Westeros history
If this is your first time reading this series, don’t read it in this order. It will certainly make sense and work well enough for world-building, but the story itself will be considerably less interesting and the style much less fun – since you start with a history book and collection of short stories, rather than the main novels. But it’s a path!
A Song of Ice and Fire quest for building a world
This order isn’t much better for new fans than the chronological order, but it’s a fairly interesting order for anyone looking to reread A Song of Ice and Fire. This sequence emphasizes the main story and complements it with context and world-building stories A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. And the most important addition is to dig into the history of Westeros by reading Fire and blood just afterwards a storm of swordsbefore Martin opens up the wider world of the stories A Feast for Crows And A dance with dragons.