Does this lore deep-dive wash the taste of disappointment from our mouths?
Game of Thrones has been a frustrating addiction in the last eighteen months. In April last year, I met up with my best friend in Kent; over a hundred miles away from where I live, for a weekend spectacular that would see us watch Avengers: Endgame and Game of Thrones: The Long Night; otherwise known as The Battle of Winterfell, within 48 hours. The former was an unforgettably amazing experience, the portals scene alone sending me into a panic attack from sheer excitement; while the emotional highs were just as strong. It is up there with the top three best cinema viewing experiences I have ever had and I was riding high; expecting Game of Thrones to finish off this weekend of geek-wonder in spectacular fashion.
Well, it was unforgettable. For all the wrong reasons and the rest of the season continued to get so much worse. In a year where The Rise of Skywalker had the audacity to exist, Star Wars greed managed to sink the once-brilliant HBO series; as series showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss attempted to jump ship in a rushed hurry. They failed miserably; their planned Star Wars trilogy cancelled, while Game of Thrones fans are left with very little to chew on in the interim between HBO’s uncertain Game of Thrones spinoffs.
George R. R. Martin’s: “The Winds of Winter” will come out eventually; in 2062, so in the meantime, a journey into the deep-lore was a welcome trip for me in the first volume of: “Fire and Blood”. An in-universe history book; written from the perspective of Archmaester Gyldayn of the Citadel, chronicling the rise and fall of the Targaryen Dynasty from Aegon the Conqueror to the end of regency for Aegon III; with the second volume planning to reach Mad King Aerys and Robert’s Rebellion. Considering George R. R. Martin has said that he will not release any more spinoffs until the main series is completed, that book will likely debut… (scrolls through a folder, spills drink; puts on reading glasses) at the heat death of the universe. Excellent!
Nevertheless, how does this stand up on its own merit?
Phenomenally well. William Faulkner and George R. R. Martin have both said that ‘The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself’. That sentiment deeply permeates Fire and Blood, as the descriptions weave a tapestry of characters; defined by their tragedies, ironies and contradictions. Grief victims become tyrannical parents, the mighty are brought down in their bedchambers, the vicious thrive; for a time, only to face their own twisted cruelty echoed back at them with twice-the-fury.
Much like the main series of ‘A song of Ice and Fire’, Fire and Blood thrives in this kind of pseudo-sadistic emotional character torture; for the reader’s pleasure and despair, yet revitalises the formula with a sense of tragic certainty. To quote the Three-Eyed Raven in Season 6 of the show: “The past is already written. The ink is dry” and knowing this gives every journey, every story; every character a sense of dark-foreboding hanging over them.
Every time House Reyne of Castamere is mentioned, I wince; simply hearing those chilling notes of doom in the back of my mind. This is not to say however that the story never surprises. Indeed, it often catches the reader off-guard; sometimes in its brutality, yet other times in its humour, positivity or ironic charm. The fate of Princess Rhaena Targaryen in particular was deeply tragic, yet solemn in peaceful ends; rather than vicious ones.
The six-daughter of weak king Aenys, she suffered her husband’s death and was married to his killer; the new king Maegor, suffering rape among multiple others for months as a: “Black Bride”. Finding a new husband and a greater love in his sister, she pushed both away through her pride, trauma and obsession with the inheritance she felt robbed of: The Iron Throne of Westeros. Her daughters became opposites of her and each other, one a dutiful; faith-bound Septa, the other a rebellious free-spirit; who would grow to loath her mother’s cold and awkward nature towards her.
Rhaena’s husband; emasculated and driven into an insane rage, poisoned most of her friends and committed suicide, while her true love stole dragon’s eggs from her and fled her island kingdom of Dragonstone. Her daughter; sick of her also, would flee atop the very dragon that slew her own father, Rhaena’s first husband and returned only at death’s door; her body ravaged by the shrouded horrors of a ruined empire.
Only now able to see past her ego; when all was lost to her, she retired from public life to the fire-blasted ruins of Harrenhal and became friends with its dying lord: Maegor Rivers; named after the very-man whose cruelty had defined her. For decades after; she lingered, a ghost in a ruined castle, until at her own funeral, her brother and king would state what all already knew: “My brother Aegon died at the hands of our uncle… My sister Rhaena was not with him at the battle but she died that day as well”.
Fire and Blood is full of writing like that, tragic for its ironies; not its violence, potent from its emotion, not its bloodiness and it is practically full-to-bursting with all of the elements that make the main series so compelling. That being said, it’s not going to be for everyone.
While each Targaryen reign has several characters whose emotional states and plot-progression are tracked well, the story doesn’t have the expertly-crafted POV focus of the main story. Instead, it’s a world-builder’s wet dream and a mega fan’s playground; with details galore, yet laser-focussed writing this is not. The main series is like a network of intimate, interconnected rollercoasters; spinoffs like: ‘A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms’ are slices-of-life in a crazy world but this: This is a god’s eye, scenic tour of a world; yet one with clever biases and gaps, to remind you of its own internal biases.
If you crave another look into Martin’s feudalistic-fantasy funhouse; yet can’t stomach the show, nor have the appetite for your one-hundredth re-read of the main series: Then this is the book for you. Cleverly written, emotionally intense, consistently engrossing and while occasionally bogged down in over-detailing, it remains a brilliant addition to Martin’s series and a very-worthy potential addition to any reader’s library.
Does this lore deep-dive wash the taste of disappointment from our mouths?
Book Title: Fire and Blood
Book Description: The first volume of a two-part, in-universe history book, detailing the rise and fall of the Targaryen Dynasty from Aegon the Conqueror to the Mad King Aerys and Robert's Rebellion. Exploring famous events in the last three-hundred years of Westeros, from the Field of Fire to Maegor's Trial by Seven, Jaehaerys long-reign and the bloody civil war known as: 'The Dance of the Dragons'. Blood, betrayal, love and war clash in this feudal-inspired fantasy exploration, of a society under the reign of the dragon-kings.
Book Author: George R. R. Martin
Book Edition: 1st
Book Format: Hardcover
Publisher - Orgnization: Bantam Books
Publisher Logo: 
Date published: December 20, 2018
Illustrator: Doug Wheatley
Number Of Pages: 736
George R. R. Martin's 'Fire and Blood' – Book Review
Fans are desperate for any content to keep them going, while they wait for: ‘The Winds of Winter’ to release. Is ‘Fire and Blood’ up to the task?
Marley Eleven Bury is a twenty-one-year-old Film & TV writer who loves takeaway and the superhero genre far too much. His claims to fame are having listened to the entire 26-hour+ Fire and Blood audiobook multiple times and being able to sing the Periodic Table song from memory.
