Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
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Web ID: 11774523Not for me.
I've read history books that were written more like novels - and enjoyed them - but this was straight history. Very dry, didn't hold my interest.
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The Blood of the Dragon
This book is absolutely amazing, although jahaerys’s reign is a bit boring it gets exciting. The conquest and the dance of dragons is my personal favorite.
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House Targaryen
One thing people need to understand about this book is that it reads like a history book. It is about Targaryen history, not necessarily a storyline like ASOIAF. I personally love the Targaryens and they are my favorite house in the Game of Thrones universe, so I enjoyed this book. Also, this book is more than just the events from "House of the Dragon". If you are interested in the history of the Targaryens from the beginning of Aegon the Conqueror, this is the book for you.
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Dracarys
This reads like a history book, which I absolutely loved. Although this book was packed with information, it never felt overwhelming and it was easy to read through. There was almost never a dull moment while reading this book and I honestly can't wait for part two of this book to come out. Also super excited to see which scenes from the Dance of Dragons will be added to the new HBO TV series. Overall, had a really good time reading this giant book.
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A great read!!
I enjoyed this book through and through!! I hope we get a second one!
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I have come to expect disappointment with GOT
I thought this book would cover the Targaryen dynasty from Aegon I all the way to the events leading up to the events of S1. Really it’s Aegon I through Rhaenyra’s heirs.
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Mind-Numbing
I'm about halfway through this book and I just can't keep going. Reading this book is like being back in high school. It's hard to keep up with all the information being thrown at you and feels like you should be taking notes so you don't forget anything. Just not my thing.
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Sprawling, epic, and a bit of a hot mess
Although I’ve seen every episode of every season of “Game of Thrones,” I am a newcomer to the literary world of George R.R. Martin, so I decided to begin with the book that comes earliest in the chronology of Westeros. First, the aspects I enjoyed: • Martin excels at world-building. It was quite easy to believe that the people and places he describes—while pure fantasy—are real. • The majority of the large middle portion of the text, the section that details the royal and political intrigues of House Targaryen from the reign of Jaehaerys I through Aegon II, was captivating and quite exciting. This also happens to be the section that features dragons—LOTS of dragons—prominently. • The text is seasoned with nuggets of humor, ribaldry, and grotesquery. Now, the aspects that challenged, frustrated, and/or bored me: • It took me a while to acclimate to the narrative form, which is more of a fictional history than a conventional novel, with a structured plot, well-developed characters, dialogue that propels the story, and other conventional elements of a novel. Once I realized I was reading a history, I was able to adjust my strategy. • Martin’s excellent world-building can become quite excessive too. Every part of the text is overtaxed with the names of minor characters, tangential episodes, complex relationships, and descriptions of geography that weaken the main narrative. About one-third of the way through, the book, I just decided to skim these superfluous parts, and doing so had zero impact on my ability to follow the story. • While the family tree at the end of the book provided much-needed help in understanding the relationships among the main characters, the lack of a map seems curious. Westeros is such a rich and varied place, with many kingdoms, lordships, regions, etc. that a map seems necessary. • The end of the book—approximately the last 150 pages or so—is pretty dreadful. It’s just a meandering and pointless narrative that simply brings the book to an end without providing any clear conclusion. I enjoyed the good parts more than I disdained the poor parts, but I recommend this book only for hardcore fans of fantasy and/or George R.R. Martin. I will likely skip the next volume of this two-part history of the Targaryens, but I am still determined to read the entire A Song of Ice and Fire series, whether or not Martin actually ever finishes writing it.
Recommends this product
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