A Song Of Ice And Fire Reading Order: Chronological Vs. Release Date

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If you’re planning to read George R.R. Martin’s epic A Song of Ice and Fire series, this list will help you read the books in the correct order. For those unfamiliar, A Song of Ice and Fire is the original book series that the popular TV show Game of Thrones is based on.

I’m a huge fan of George R.R. Martin’s books, and it’s kind of interesting how things got named! The first book is actually called Game of Thrones, which is what most of us know the whole series as, but it’s part of a larger series, A Song of Ice and Fire, and we’re all still waiting for the sixth book! I guess HBO thought Game of Thrones sounded better for the TV show. Anyway, people often use A Song of Ice and Fire as a general term to refer to all the books set in that amazing world.

Fans of George R.R. Martin have several options for diving deeper into his world. There’s Fire & Blood, which inspired the House of the Dragon series, and Tales of Dunk and Egg, a series of shorter stories. The first Dunk and Egg story, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, is coming to HBO Max soon. While there are also guidebooks and extra materials available, you’ll have a solid understanding of the universe with A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF), Fire & Blood (F&B), and Tales of Dunk and Egg (TODAE).

How To Read A Song Of Ice And Fire In Chronological Order

  • Fire & Blood (2018)
  • The Hedge Knight (Tales of Dunk and Egg) (1998)
  • The Sworn Sword (Tales of Dunk and Egg) (2003)
  • The Mystery Knight (Tales of Dunk and Egg) (2010)
  • A Game of Thrones (ASOIAF) (1996)
  • A Clash of Kings (ASOIAF) (1998)
  • A Storm of Swords (ASOIAF) (2000)
  • A Feast for Crows (ASOIAF) (2005)
  • A Dance with Dragons (ASOIAF) (2011)

To experience the complete fantasy world of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, readers currently need to read six novels and three shorter stories. If Martin completes the next two planned novels, The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, the series will eventually include eight books in total.

If you’re starting with the history of Westeros, Fire & Blood is the best place to begin. It opens with Aegon the Conqueror’s invasion and his uniting of the Seven Kingdoms, an event that marks the start of the Westerosi calendar (1 AC). The book covers the history of Westeros up to roughly 131 AC.

The events known as the Dance of Dragons conclude at this point, which likely marks the end of the House of the Dragon story. The Hedge Knight is set in the year 209 AC, and the subsequent books take place in 211 and 212 AC. A Game of Thrones then begins in 297 AC, and the following five books cover the next three years.

Reading the A Song of Ice and Fire books in the order the events happen can make it easier to follow the complex history of Westeros and the world George R.R. Martin created. The books feature many characters with similar names, and following the timeline will help you keep track of who’s who.

You can read either the Tales of Dunk and Egg or A Song of Ice and Fire series independently without getting lost, as they don’t overlap. However, if you read them in publication order rather than internally, you might miss some references from one series appearing in the other.

  • A Game of Thrones (ASOIAF) (1996)
  • The Hedge Knight (Tales of Dunk and Egg) (1998)
  • A Clash of Kings (ASOIAF) (1998)
  • A Storm of Swords (ASOIAF) (2000)
  • The Sworn Sword (Tales of Dunk and Egg) (2003)
  • A Feast for Crows (ASOIAF) (2005)
  • The Mystery Knight (Tales of Dunk and Egg) (2010)
  • A Dance with Dragons (ASOIAF) (2011)
  • Fire & Blood (2018)

The order in which the A Song of Ice and Fire books were published isn’t straightforward. The earliest parts of the story, in terms of what actually happened, weren’t released until later. Adding to the confusion, the Tales of Dunk and Eggs stories were published in between the main A Song of Ice and Fire books.

It’s generally best to start your exploration of George R.R. Martin’s world with A Game of Thrones. While later books cover events that happened earlier in the timeline, the core concepts and themes of the entire series originate in this first installment.

It’s best to read Fire & Blood last. It’s essentially a history book about the Targaryen family, and you’ll appreciate it much more after getting to know them through A Song of Ice and Fire and Tales of Dunk and Egg.

You can choose whether to read the entire A Song of Ice and Fire series before starting Tales of Dunk and Egg, or read them alongside each other. Dunk and Egg are shorter stories, so they won’t disrupt your main reading experience. However, I recommend reading all three Dunk and Egg stories together, as they’re fast-paced and connect to each other.

When New A Song Of Ice And Fire Books Will Come Out

There are nine books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, whether you read them as they were published or in the order the story takes place. But even after reading all nine, the story isn’t complete, as none of the books have finished their storylines.

George R.R. Martin is great at beginning his A Song of Ice and Fire series, but we haven’t seen the completed versions of all three planned stories yet. Fire & Blood is intended to be the first of two volumes, and the second part, Blood & Fire, is currently in progress according to WinterIsComing.

Martin has promised to release more Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas in early 2025 (according to his blog, GeorgeRRMartin). He’s still working on The Winds of Winter, the sixth book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, and hasn’t begun writing the seventh book, A Dream of Spring, yet.

It’s possible that George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series will have more than seven books. There’s a lot of story left to tell, and some believe he’ll need an eighth book to finish everything. While the series offers fantastic fantasy reading, fans should be prepared for potentially a long wait – or even the possibility that the story may never be fully completed.

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2026-01-06 23:33