A staple of the fantasy franchise since it was first published in 1996, George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series has only grown in influence thanks to HBO game of Thrones. Perhaps more importantly, the much-discussed ending to the series (or, on the other end of the spectrum, the most-loved 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 familiar to most seasoned A Song of Ice and Fire fans, the best order to read everything in can be a bit confusing for new readers. In the meantime, veteran fans might want a new or unique way to relive the universe. To help both of these groups, we’ve compiled a list of the best orders for reading A Song of Ice and Fire. Whether you’re traveling to Westeros for the first time or re-reading the books for the twelfth time, there’s time to prepare for the (hopefully) release of The
Reading of “A Song of Ice and Fire” in order of publication
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 publication keeps the focus on the central story of A Song of Ice and Fire. Martin built the world of Westeros with the Tales of Dunk and Egg stories, so it’s best to mix those in at his pace. This order ignores the smaller releases of stories eventually fed into fire and blood
A Song of Ice and Fire – Books in Chronological Order of the History of Westeros
If you are reading this series for the first time, please do not read them in this order. It will definitely make sense and work well enough for world building, but the narrative itself will be significantly less interesting and the style much less entertaining – since you’re starting with a history book and short story collection, rather than the main novels. But there is a way!
A song of ice and fire that builds the world
This order isn’t much better than chronological for new fans, but it’s quite an interesting order for anyone wanting to re-read A Song of Ice and Fire. This order emphasizes the main story while complementing it with contextual and world-building stories A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. And the most important addition is to delve into the history of Westeros through reading fire and blood shortly after completion A sword stormbefore Martin opens up the wide world of stories a feast for crows And A dance with dragons.
