So, World of Ice and Fire is out today, the first new Game of Thrones book in more than three years. And it’s pretty gorgeous, and filled with so, so much Game of Thrones info. So much that I can’t even begin to process it—we’ll have a full review early next week, but for now, I just wanted to get the public service announcement out there: The book is out, and you can buy it with money. And read it with your eyes. And if you do, you’ll know way more than this dope:
The World of Ice and Fire Release Date Is Here!
World of Ice and Fire is a history of the world of Game of Thrones, from the perspective of a maester of Oldtown who is writing at the “present day” of the books and the show, somewhere between A Storm of Swords and A Dance With Dragons. So there’s a small chance of spoilers in the book, if you’re not caught up with the show, but really, that’s not what this book is about.
The book is designed just as a contemporary medieval fantasy history would be. Basically, it’s not entirely accurate or complete, by design. For facts that the maesters know—like the families of Westeros, the histories of the Great Houses, goings-on in the Free Cities—it is quite accurate indeed. For other matters, it is less so. And this isn’t just a theoretical thing. The very first page of text discusses how giants are extinct, and have been for a hundred years. This is what the maesters knew. But, as we’ve learned in both the shows and the books, giants are not actually extinct. It’s a nice way for the book to show that, like the novels, it comes from a limited perspective of one character.
So that’s what the book is. But how is A World of Ice and Fire? I am just starting it; it’s a doozy, with more than 300 oversize pages, most packed with texts and sidebars and art. And oh, the art. I knew I would love this book just for the histories of Westeros in it, but the beauty of the art has taken me by surprise. Go to a bookstore and open it up; take a look through. It’s a stunning mix of full color paintings and smaller sketches. Beautiful.
As for the content, World of Ice and Fire is organized according to history and geography. First, it covers the Dawn Age and the Age of Heroes in the Ancient History section, all of which is somewhat murky. That’s followed by the Reign of the Dragons and then the history of Robert’s Rebellion, up until the present time. That’s about the first third of the book. The next third takes a look at the Seven Kingdoms, and the history of each region, house, and city within it. This looks like the real meat. The third section looks at lands beyond Westeros—the Free Cities and beyond. And a few appendices provide detailed family trees for the Targaryens, Starks and Lannisters, including names we’ve never seen before—like Ned’s mother.
It’s clear at first glance that World of Ice and Fire is an exciting book, and a dense one. It will take a long time to unpack it entirely, or even partially—it will take a long time just to read all of it. But it’s clearly an exciting prospect. It’s out now, and not cheap—retail is $50, but you’ll get it cheaper at most places—but could very easily be worth it. We’ll have a full review in a few days, but if you just can’t wait… yea, this probably looks like a necessity for your shelf.
