# Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before a Game of Thrones - Hardcover

by **George R. R. Martin** (Author), **Doug Wheatley** (Illustrator)

**#1 _NEW YORK TIMES_ BESTSELLER** - **The history of the Targaryens comes to life in this masterly work, the inspiration for HBO's _Game of Thrones_ prequel series _House of the Dragon  
_**  
**"The thrill of _Fire & Blood_ is the thrill of all Martin's fantasy work: familiar myths debunked, the whole trope table flipped."--_Entertainment Weekly_**

Centuries before the events of _A Game of Thrones,_ House Targaryen--the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria--took up residence on Dragonstone. _Fire & Blood_ 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.  
What 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 and featuring more than eighty black-and-white illustrations by artist Doug Wheatley. Readers have glimpsed small parts of this narrative in such volumes as _The World of Ice & Fire,_ but now, for the first time, the full tapestry of Targaryen history is revealed.

With all the scope and grandeur of Gibbon's _The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Fire & Blood_ 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.

**Praise for _Fire & Blood_**

"A masterpiece of popular historical fiction." **\--_The Sunday Times_**

"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."**\--_The Guardian_**

### Author Biography

**George R. R. Martin** is the #1 _New York Times_ bestselling author of many novels, including those of the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire--_A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows,_ and _A Dance with Dragons_\--as well as _Tuf Voyaging, Fevre Dream, The Armageddon Rag, Dying of the Light, Windhaven_ (with Lisa Tuttle), and _Dreamsongs Volumes I_ and _II_. He is also the creator of _The Lands of Ice and Fire,_ a collection of maps featuring original artwork from illustrator and cartographer Jonathan Roberts, and _The World of Ice & Fire,_ with Elio M. García, Jr., and Linda Antonsson. As a writer-producer, he has worked on _The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast,_ and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

**Doug Wheatley** is a comic book artist, concept designer, and illustrator who has worked on such properties and characters as _Star Wars, Aliens,_ Superman, The Incredible Hulk, and Conan the Barbarian, to name just a few. Wheatley was the artist on the comic book adaptation of the film _Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith_ and contributed illustrations to _The World of Ice & Fire_.

**Number of Pages:** 736

**Dimensions:** 2 x 9.4 x 6.5 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** November 20, 2018

## Details

- **Price:** 35.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 35.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before a Game of Thrones - Hardcover

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/fire-blood-300-years-before-a-game-of-thrones-hardcover)
> Updated: 2026-07-21
