How to Read Every 'Game of Thrones' Book in Order

Leah Marilla Thomas
·3 min read
How to Read Every 'Game of Thrones' Book in Order
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.


"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

The dust never settles on the Iron Throne, even though Game of Thrones ended years ago and we're still waiting for more House of the Dragon. Has the time finally come to read George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice And Fire? Heck, if you start now, there might be a new Game of Thrones book for you to read by the time you're done. You never know...

Here's how to read the series we all saw portrayed in the HBO series Game of Thrones. To give you an idea of how much further the story went on the TV show: the last published book ends with Jon Snow getting stabbed, Bran meeting the children of the forest, Arya becoming an apprentice Faceless assassin, the business with Daenerys in the fighting pits, and Theon finally escaping from House Bolton. Sooo much happened on the TV show after that. There's still a lot of story to tell!

For those who are more interested in those blonde incest enthusiasts of House Targaryen, there are also some books and novellas you can read that will give you the background (and potential spoilers) on House of the Dragon. Since the author tends to go back and forth, and some of his supplemental books cover the same ground that the novels do, there's not really a good way to read everything in chronological order. So let's start with the original series, A Song of Ice and Fire, and then break down how everything else fits into the vast history of Westeros.

These books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series have been published:

These books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series have NOT been published:

  • The Winds of Winter

    • Various chapters of the next book have been released in various formats. Nosy fans should probably take a look, since it's been over ten years and this book still doesn't have a release date.

  • A Dream of Spring

    • If you say so, GRRM!

There are other books/stories set in the GOT world, too:

  • Fire & Blood (2018)

    • This one, written like a history textbook, is all about House Targaryen's reign before the events of ASOIAF. It is also what House of the Dragon has drawn most of its source material from. The novella "The Sons of the Dragon" about Aegon the Conquerer, is included in it as well. If you really want to read every Game of Thrones book in order, I would start with this one. Then read the original series. Then fill in the gaps with the novellas below.

  • A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2015)

    • This is a series of novellas set before ASOIAF, aka the Tales of Dunk and Egg:

      • "The Hedge Knight"

      • "The Sworn Sword"

      • "The Mystery Knight"

  • "The Princess and the Queen"

    • This novella, about the two leads of House of the Dragon, was published in an anthology collection from several fantasy authors called Dangerous Women.

  • "The Rogue Prince"

    • This novella also features characters you know from House of the Dragon and was published in a similar anthology called Rogues.

  • "The World of Ice and Fire"

    • Finally, if you need EVEN MORE Westeros history, there's this!

You Might Also Like