George R.R. Martin’s A Music of Ice and Hearth e-book collection has been a fantasy stalwart because it first debuted in 1996, and it’s solely grown in affect due to HBO’s Recreation of Thrones. Perhaps much more importantly, the collection’ extremely debated ending (or on the opposite finish of the spectrum, the principally beloved first season of Home of the Dragon) made the prospect of experiencing Martin’s unique imaginative and prescient much more interesting… even when it isn’t completed but.
Whereas the order of the books is old-hat to most skilled A Music of Ice and Hearth followers, the very best order to learn every thing in generally is a little complicated for brand new readers. In the meantime, seasoned followers may desire a new or distinctive strategy to revisit the universe. So, to assist each of these teams out, we’ve compiled an inventory of the very best order to learn A Music of Ice and Hearth in. Whether or not you’re simply leaping into Westeros for the primary time, or rereading the books for the dozenth time in preparation for the eventual (hopefully) launch of The Winds of Winter, there are alternatives.
Studying A Music of Ice and Hearth in launch order
In case you’re studying this collection for the primary time, that is most likely the very best, most secure choice — and doubtless the one you’re on the lookout for. Studying these in launch order lets the main target stay on the central Music of Ice and Hearth story. Martin would go on to construct out the world of Westeros with the Tales of Dunk and Egg tales, so it’s finest to combine these in at his tempo. This order ignores the smaller releases of tales that had been finally fed into Hearth & Blood in favor of ready for the tip of A Dance with Dragons, the place all the historical past matches finest.
A Music of Ice and Hearth books in chronological order of Westeros historical past
If that is your first time studying this collection, please don’t learn it on this order. It should actually make sense, and work nicely sufficient for world constructing, however the narrative itself will likely be considerably much less attention-grabbing and the model a lot much less enjoyable — because you’re beginning with a historical past e-book and a brief story assortment, somewhat than the primary novels. However it’s a path!
A Music of Ice and Hearth world-building order
This order isn’t a lot better for brand new followers than the chronological one, however it’s a pretty attention-grabbing order for anybody trying to reread A Music of Ice and Hearth. This order emphasizes the primary story whereas supplementing it with context and world-building tales from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. And crucial addition is pivoting to dig into Westeros historical past by studying Hearth & Blood simply after ending A Storm of Swords, earlier than Martin opens up the broader world of the tales with A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons.
