A tale of court intrigues in the land of Seven Kingdoms, a country "blessed by golden summers that go on for years, and cursed by cruel winters that can last a generation." Treachery, murder, incest. "Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister...

As the brutal struggle for power nears its climax, the battered and divided kingdom faces a terrifying invasion by a supernatural army of the living dead. "Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands...

"In the aftermath of a colossal battle, Daenerys Targaryen rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way east--with new allies who may not be the ragtag band they seem. And in the frozen north, Jon Snow confronts creatures from beyond the Wall of ice and stone,...

Description, Part 1: Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another is disfavor, and still the wards rage, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Sannis, stands defeated and disgraced, victim of the sorceress who holds him in her thrall.

The kingdom of the royal Stark family faces its ultimate challenge in the onset of a generation-long winter, the poisonous plots of the rival Lannisters, the emergence of the Neverborn demons, and the arrival of barbarian hordes.

"This is the comprehensive guide to all things Game of Thrones and beyond. From the prehistory to the coming of the First Men, through the reign of the Targaryen kings and Robert's Rebellion, this guide--co-written by George R.R. Martin and the immensely knowledgeable founders and keepers of the www.westeros.org site--will tell series readers old and new all they might want to know about the history and culture of Westeros and the lands beyond the...

This is the first volume of the definitive two-part history of the Targaryens in Westeros and covers Aegon I (the Conqueror) to the regency of Aegon III (the Dragonslayer). House Targaryen was the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria, and took up residence on Dragonstone. Re-hear tales of the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne. Meet the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, from...