Fire & Blood: Includes PDF of Illustrations (A Song of Ice and Fire) Audio CD – Unabridged, 1 Jan. 1900

Written as a history, not as a story. An unusual style but works well with such a great richness of story lines.

I read this book following watching S1 of House of the Dragon. I must say I was immediately gripped by the story; Martin always delivers. It’s a fantastically detailed history-esque tale set across a 130 year-ish period. It details the highs and lows of the Targaryens we have loathed and loved on tv.The book is unique in that it is compiled by eye witness accounts and therefore there are differences in opinion rather than one ‘true story’. Through this there is limited dialogue and lots of opinion. I really enjoyed the way it was told including sections where you have 3 different perspectives and you can choose your ‘truth’.I would highly recommend this book and I devoured it very quickly. I am however giving it 4 stars as I felt the pace dropped in the last 1/4 of the book. I am wondering if this is due to the editing and I am aware that Martin has a sequel planned. At times it felt like a few different pieces of work blended together and wasn’t as seamless as earlier in the book. Well worth a read nevertheless.

Fans of 'Game of Thrones' fall into two categories; those who've read (and often studied) the magnificent library of books in the 'Ice & Fire', unfinished, series and then those who think (incorrectly) that they know this fantasy world because they're fans of the TV series, 'Game of Thrones'. If you're a member of the larger group, the TV fans, then don't bother buying this book as it isn't for you.As with most such things, the TV series and the stories told in the books are quite different (S1 of the TV series was a faithful expression of the first book, to the extent that TV episodes exactly matched the book chapters but, after that, they drifted apart ever more markedly). This book is aimed, squarely, at the readers who are totally immersed in the fantasy world that GRRM created. The books often make passing reference to historical events that shaped the creation of this world (in this case, the creation of Westeros) without fleshing out those references, and this book seeks to provide the full back story; well, half of it!This isn't a slim 'companion book' as it's just as massive as any of the full-blown novels. GRRM has chosen to use a different writing style, taking the viewpoint of a fictional historian rather than a protagonist, and the result is that it's all less of an immersive tale and more like a history textbook. The exciting stories are in there, they're just that bit more hidden. I confess that even I, a dyed-in-the-wool Ice & Fire fan, became a bit bored and reaching the end felt more like completing a marathon than the sadness that it's all over and there's nothing left to read.But it isn't all over! I bought this book thinking that it would fill the complete the entire gap between the dragon-based invasion of Westeros and the beginning of the Ice & Fire books but, actually, huge as it is, it still only fills half the gap and GRRM promises to write a 'Volume 2' soon that completes the narrative. I'm not sure that I have the stamina for another round!There are two major problems with this book, exacerbated in the e-book version. It's almost impossible to follow this story without having to hand a large map of Westeros and the surrounding world and also a family tree for all of those mentioned in the book. There is a simplified family tree of the Targaryens at the end of the book but, as usual, it's too small to see in the e-book so you'll need a print-out. Of course, given the Targaryen penchant for every form of incestuous marriage, even the basic family tree doesn't look like a 'normal' tree. All of the books have maintained a shameful tradition of omission and this one is the same; there are no maps included. I suspect that this is a cynically deliberate decision on the part of the publishers to try to make readers buy the (expensive) companion of GoT maps. Over the years, I've built up a small library of maps and so I could print off and keep to hand a map of Westoros but, without being able to refer to it constantly, following the plot in this book would have been all but impossible.But I had a bigger problem with this book; something common to all of the books but far more evident here. In this world, siblings and children are often given very similar names, often, a child will have the same name as a parent or sibling with just one letter changed. Worse, some, grandsons and other relatives are often given exactly the same name as an ancestor, in their honour. GRRM is also prone to giving us long lists of names, often of people of whom we never hear again. The result is an utterly confusing conglomeration of names and characters of such complexity that it's extremely difficult to keep straight who's who.So, having reeled off a long list of grumbles, I must also say that this is still a GRRM Ice & Fire book and, as such, I wouldn't have missed it for the world (this world or the fantasy one). Will I buy the 'volume 2' if and when GRRM gets around to writing it? Yes, of course I will!So here's the test. If you aren't such a fan of the books that you don't already have your own maps of Westeros, don't bother buying this book. But if, like me, you do, then lap it up as the nerd that you truly are!

Really enjoyed the first half of the book which deals with the dance and characters we know from the tv series. After that the book becomes rather dull

Any fan of ASoIaF or GoT will enjoy this book as I did. Deepens the backstories of many noble houses and cities. Has more of a historical perspective than the other books bit still good.

For the full story behind the TV series.

I've just begun reading this book and so far it is not a story but a history. I was very pleased that 'Fire and Blood' was one of my Christmas presents and although a little disappointed at first that it was illustrated (instead of allowing the reader to be creative enough to imagine the characters themselves), I did start to accept the inevitable and focus on the 'history'. I was extremely pleased last year to find the whole box set of 'Game of Thrones' amongst the pretty 'Xmas papers. However I was disappointed then with the poor quality of the printing out of the 'maps' and thought the publishers should have added the proviso that readers "should have gone to Specsavers". The initial dozen or so pages of 'Fire and Blood' constantly refer to various points of the compass for towns and villages and Fiefdoms. To be quite honest, it is very difficult to have several paper backs as well as a 600 page hardback on the duvet with a cup of tea trying to match the evidence of one book with the graphics of a paperback with a 6" magnifier in the other hand!I am also, I think like many others' reading 'Thrones', a Tolkien fan. In my first edition copy of the second impression of 'Lord of the Rings' from 1966 the publishers had the foresight to print a full scale folding B3 size map which folded out at the side of the book enabling the reader to follow at a glance. Over 50 years later with the aid of so called modern technology (in an age where we are constantly asked on our computers ..."share if you still read a paper copy of a book") I am still waiting! Is it too much to ask for the sake of your future viewing public to please consider adding an enlarged paper copy of the maps - "buy the hard back and get a free map"!

Like all of George RR Martins work, this is beautifully written and emerses you in a familiar setting with very unfamiliar characters. The first thrid is quite a gard read and slow going, once we get past Maegor the nasty things pick up well and by the time we are meeting Viserys, Vhagar, Otto and Co things are rattling along well.Just, please, please finish the Winds of Winter soon George