A Song of Ice and Fire
An unfinished epic fantasy novel series by George R. R. Martin, beginning with A Game of Thrones and set in the fictional world of Westeros.
A Game of Thrones: The first novel in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, published in 1996. It introduces Westeros, the Stark family, and the political struggle that launches the series.
Multiple point of view: A narrative technique that presents events through the perspectives of multiple characters. Each novel’s viewpoint chapters reveal only part of the story and its competing interpretations.
George R. R. Martin: An American novelist, short-story writer, and television producer, best known for A Song of Ice and Fire. He created the series and writes its novels.
Game of Thrones: An HBO television series adapted from A Song of Ice and Fire, broadcast from 2011 to 2019. The adaptation changes, condenses, and ultimately extends beyond the published novels’ events.
Westeros: A fictional continent in George R. R. Martin’s fantasy world, divided among rival regions and noble houses. Its kingdoms and contested throne provide the series’ main political landscape.
Unreliable narrator: A narrator whose account is limited, biased, mistaken, or otherwise not fully dependable. Character viewpoints restrict knowledge and can make readers misjudge motives or events.
The Accursed Kings: A series of historical novels by Maurice Druon about dynastic conflict in medieval France. Martin has cited Druon’s novels as an influence on his approach to political history and intrigue.
House of the Dragon: An HBO television series based on the Targaryen history in George R. R. Martin’s Fire & Blood. It dramatizes an earlier Westerosi civil war rather than adapting the main novel series.
Iron Throne: The throne forged from the swords of Aegon the Conqueror’s defeated enemies, seat of the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. Competing claims to this seat of power drive much of the series’ court politics.
Political intrigue: The use of concealed alliances, deception, and maneuvering in struggles for political power. Rival factions pursue the throne through plots as well as open warfare.