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How many Game of Thrones books are there?

Cliff Weitzman
By Cliff Weitzman Dyslexia & Accessibility Advocate, CEO/Founder of Speechify in Reading on April 19, 2023

    How many Game of Thrones books are there?

    Game of Thrones is a name that most people recognize for its television series that ran from 2011 to 2019. However, it’s also an epic fantasy series called A Song of Ice and Fire, written by American author George R. R. Martin.

    This article will give you the complete list of books, their overview, and where to read them.

    An overview of the Game of Thrones series

    The popular book series is set in the fictional world of Westeros and features dragons, magical elements, and various non-human creatures.

    The story follows the power struggle of several houses vying for control of the Iron Throne and making their house representative the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms.

    Going by HBO

    The Game of Thrones TV series was a massive success for HBO. Despite that, many felt the last season didn’t meet its expectations.

    The first two seasons of the show covered the material from Martin’s A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings books. The plot of the second book aligns with the series’ third and fourth seasons. By the end of season five of the TV show, the plot starts to deviate from the books.

    Since the last book in the series was published in 2011 when the HBO series started, the last three seasons continued without a book source.

    Catching up to the Game of Thrones series

    A Song of Ice and Fire books includes five novels so far and some prequels. Here’s how to read the Game of Thrones books in order. This section might include some spoilers.

    Fire and Blood

    Fire and Blood is a prequel in the World of Ice and Fire that outlines the history of House Targaryen. It starts with Aegon, the creator of the legendary Iron Throne, and follows the generations that came after until the Civil War that broke their dynasty.

    A Game of Thrones

    A Game of Thrones is the first book in the series that introduces us to Westeros and Essos as the main parts of this fictional world. It follows the perspective of Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and the Stark children, which include Bran, Arya, Robb, and Sansa Stark.

    Even though it’s only the first book, we already say goodbye to some important characters like Robert Baratheon and Ned i.e. Eddard Stark of Winterfell.

    A Clash of Kings

    A Clash of Kings follows the events during the war between the Seven Kingdoms. We are introduced to new characters like Stannis Baratheon, Renly Baratheon, and Night’s Watch at the Wall.

    A Storm of Swords

    A Storm of Swords is considered to be the best book in the series. It’s full of shocking twists like the Red Wedding and Joffrey Baratheon’s death.

    The book also shows Jon Snow becoming the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch while the threat of the White Walkers grows.

    A Feast for Crows

    A Feast for Crows shows the aftermath of the war and focuses on the Lannister family in King’s Landing after their victory. While Cersei struggles to maintain control over her new reign, Jaime Lannister seeks to rebuild his reputation.

    We meet new characters like the Martell family of Dorne and follow Arya in her training with the Faceless Men.

    A Dance with Dragons

    The last published book continues where A Feast of Crows left off. It follows Tyrion Lannister as he seeks to take revenge on his family, Daenerys Targaryen in her conquests, and Jon Snow as he deals with the consequences of the Wildling invasion.

    The rest of the book is filled with the stories of Theon Greyjoy, who is being tortured by the sadistic Ramsey, Davos Seaworth, who is searching for Rickon Stark, and Bran, who starts gaining control over his powers as a warg.

    George R. R. Martin has yet to finish his sixth book, The Winds of Winter. The seventh book, A Dream of Spring, is planned, but with an unknown release date.

    Meanwhile, he’s participating in the Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon, which is based on his books Fire & Blood and novellas The Princess and the Queen and The Rogue Prince.

    In addition, George R. R. Martin has written Dunk and Egg novellas, which are set in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire novels. The first three (The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight) are in the collection called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

    There’s also The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones, which is a companion book of the A Song of Ice and Fire series.

    Where can you read the Game of Thrones books?

    The Game of Thrones books are available in different formats and from multiple sources.

    Physical books

    If you prefer reading from a tangible source, physical books are probably your choice. You can get the Game of Thrones books at various bookstores across the country or order them online.

    E-books

    Game of Thrones books are widely available and you can get them on Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play Books, and Barnes & Noble Nook.

    Speechify Audiobooks

    Speechify Audiobooks offers an extensive library of titles from different genres, including fantasy. You can listen to some famous titles like Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Chronicles of Narnia, or get an overview of the popular GoT series with The Unofficial Guide to Game of Thrones.

    You can listen to books at any speed, in any voice, and in over 30 languages and accents. If you enjoy reading at night, you can set a sleep timer and fall asleep by listening to your favorite books.

    Download Speechify as an app on your mobile phone and take your audiobooks wherever you go. Get your first free Game of Thrones book today by signing up for Speechify Audiobooks.

    FAQ

    What are the 3 prequel books to Game of Thrones?

    The three prequels of the Game of Thrones series are The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight.

    How many Game of Thrones books are there currently?

    There are currently five books in the series.

    Is Game of Thrones book series complete?

    No. The author of the Game of Thrones book series plans to publish at least two more books.

    Cliff Weitzman
    Cliff Weitzman

    Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.

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