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=== Hizdahr zo Loraq === Hizdahr zo Loraq is a Ghiscari noble of the city of Meereen. With the Sons of the Harpy continuing to cause trouble in the streets, the Green Grace advises Daenerys to take a husband of Ghiscari blood to placate the Meereenese and recommends Hizdahr. After keeping the peace, Hizdahr marries Daenerys as her second husband. Hizdahr tries to gain control of Meereen after the disappearance of Daenerys, but Grey Worm and his Unsullied refuse to obey him. In the HBO television adaptation, he is portrayed by Joel Fry.

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=== Yezzan zo Qaggaz === Yezzan zo Qaggaz is a slave-trader from the city of Yunkai, on the coast of Slaver's Bay, and one of the Wise Masters, the ruling elite of the city. He bought Tyrion Lannister, Penny, and Jorah Mormont from the slavers, and gives them to the charge of his henchman, Nurse. Yezzan was one of the few Yunkai lords who wished to honor the peace between Yunkai and Meereen. He later died of the pale mare that was spreading throughout the Yunkish siege lines, and several of his slaves used the opportunity to escape. In the HBO television adaptation, a character named Yezzan, who takes on aspects of Yezzan zo Qaggaz, is portrayed by Enzo Cilenti.

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=== Tycho Nestoris === Tycho Nestoris is a representative of the Iron Bank of Braavos. Tycho is sent to the Wall to negotiate payment of the debt of the Iron Throne with King Stannis Baratheon. Jon Snow negotiates with him for the use of his ships for a voyage and a loan to purchase food for the winter while the Night's Watch provides him guides to reach Stannis, who has left Castle Black. In the HBO television adaptation, he is portrayed by Mark Gatiss.

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=== The Waif === The Waif is a priestess of the Many-Faced God in the House of Black and White in Braavos. The waif is assigned to teach Arya the tongue of Braavos and then how to detect lies. In the HBO television adaptation, she is portrayed by Faye Marsay.

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=== Meribald === Meribald is a septon of the Riverlands. He guides Brienne of Tarth to the Quiet Isle to meet the Elder Brother. In the HBO television adaptation, the character is renamed Brother Ray and is portrayed by Ian McShane.

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=== Septa Unella === Septa Unella is a member of the Most Devout, the ruling council of the Faith of the Seven. Unella is the septa who forces Cersei Lannister to admit her crimes to her in ''A Feast for Crows''. In the HBO television adaptation, she is portrayed by Hannah Waddingham.

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== External links == * A sourced list of GRRM's pronunciations, hosted at Westeros.org * HBO's official pronunciation guide for ''Game of Thrones'' characters

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"'''Breaker of Chains'''" is the third episode of the fourth season of HBO's fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones'', and the 33rd overall. The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and directed by Alex Graves. It aired on April 20, 2014. The episode received critical praise overall, but triggered a public controversy as many interpreted the sexual encounter between Jaime and Cersei Lannister as rape. It marks the final appearance of Jack Gleeson (Joffrey Baratheon).

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===In King's Landing=== Sansa flees with Dontos while Cersei and Tywin order a search for Sansa. Dontos leads Sansa to a ship, led by Petyr, who kills Dontos and tells Sansa that necklace Dontos gave her was fake and part of the plan. In the Sept, Tywin speaks to Tommen about becoming the king. Cersei grieves for Joffrey. Jaime arrives and Cersei asks him to kill Tyrion, but he refuses. Tywin suspects that Oberyn had a hand in Joffrey's murder and Oberyn accuses Tywin of ordering the Mountain to murder Elia. Tywin offers to have the Mountain speak with Oberyn in exchange for Oberyn serving as one of the three judges in Tyrion's trial. Podrick visits Tyrion in his cell. Tyrion asks Podrick to bring Jaime.

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===In the North=== Sam takes Gilly to Mole's Town for her safety. Tormund's wildling group raids a village and Styr forces a young boy, Olly, to run to Castle Black and tell the Night's Watch what they have done. Edd Tollett and Grenn return to Castle Black and inform them that Karl's group is living at Craster's Keep. Jon remembers his lie to Tormund about having 1,000 men guarding the Wall and says they must kill Karl's group before Tormund finds out the truth about the Night's Watch forces.

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===At Dragonstone=== Stannis informs Davos that Joffrey is dead and chastises him for releasing Gendry. Davos has Shireen write a message to the Iron Bank of Braavos in Stannis' name.

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===In the Riverlands=== Sandor and Arya continue their journey to the Vale.

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===Outside Meereen=== Daenerys’ army arrive at Meereen. Jorah informs Daenerys that she must send a champion to fight the Champion of Meereen. Daario is selected and he kills the Champion. Daenerys tells slaves from Meereen that she intends to bring them freedom.

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==Production== The episode was written by series co-creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. "Breaker of Chains" was written by executive producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, based upon the source material, Martin's ''A Storm of Swords''. The controversial Jaime-Cersei scene was adapted from chapter 62 of ''A Storm of Swords'' (Jaime VII). Other content came from chapters Sansa V, Tyrion IX and Daenerys V.

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===Ratings=== "Breaker of Chains" was watched by an estimated 6.6 million people during the first hour. Another 1.6 million watched it on rerun. In the United Kingdom, the episode was viewed by 1.665 million viewers, making it the highest-rated broadcast that week. It also received 0.099 million timeshift viewers.

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===Critical reception=== The episode was well received by critics, with a 95% rating from 37 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Matt Fowler of IGN wrote that the episode deals "with the direct aftermath of King Joffrey's violent demise, though it also feels like the most bereft of the first three episodes" and that it "ended with a big, grandiose Daenerys moment – though if one were to compare her launching canisters filled with broken shackles over the walls of Meereen to last year's flambéing of Astapor and stealing off with an entire army (which came at the end of episode 4), this moment lacked 'oomph.'"

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====Rape scene==== The episode attracted controversy for a scene where Jaime Lannister forces himself upon Cersei Lannister in the Great Sept of Baelor. In the episode, Cersei repeatedly tells Jaime "no", "stop", and "it's not right" while attempting to push him away. In the source novel, however, Cersei initially rejects Jaime's advances but changes her mind, saying "yes", though some readers interpret it as implying rape. Alan Sepinwall of HitFix stated that viewers interpreted the scene as a rape: "Though there aren't comments on these reviews at the moment, the reaction I've seen on Twitter, in emails and on other blogs suggests nobody is agreeing with director Alex Graves' interpretation of the scene and are viewing it as rape, plain and simple." Sandy Hingston of ''Philadelphia'' wrote that the scene had outraged many viewers, but had led others to make "tentative attempts in comments sections to explain why maybe actually this wasn't rape." Critics, including Erik Kain of ''Forbes'', Sonia Saraiya of ''The A.V. Club'', Megan Gibson of ''Time'', Amanda Marcotte of ''Slate'', and Alyssa Rosenberg of the ''Washington Post'', also viewed the scene as rape. The episode's director, Alex Graves, described the scene in an interview with ''The Hollywood Reporter'' as "and then Jaime comes in and he rapes her". In another interview with HitFix, Graves said "it becomes consensual by the end, because anything for Jaime and Cersei ultimately results in a turn-on, especially a power struggle." In an interview with Vulture, Graves further elaborated: "The consensual part of it was that she wraps her legs around him, and she's holding on to the table, clearly not to escape but to get some grounding in what's going on. And also, the other thing that I think is clear before they hit the ground is she starts to make out with him. ... before he rips her undergarment, she's way into kissing him back." Graves stated that it was important for him and others involved with filming the scene to indicate to viewers that the sexual encounter was not completely one-sided, and that he hoped this aspect would not be overlooked. Noting that during filming, "nobody really wanted to talk about what was going on between the two characters", he described the scene as "one of my favorite scenes I've ever done". Others involved with the series also commented on the scene. David Benioff, who co-wrote the episode and serves as showrunner with D. B. Weiss, described the interaction of the two siblings as "a really kind of horrifying scene, because you see, obviously, Joffrey's body right there, and you see that Cersei is resisting this. She's saying no, and he's forcing himself on her. So it was a really uncomfortable scene, and a tricky scene to shoot." George R.R. Martin, author of the novels from which the series is adapted, stated that the dynamic is different between Jaime and Cersei in the show because, as opposed to the books, "Jaime has been back for weeks at the least, maybe longer." He stated that while the setting is the same, "neither character is in the same place as in the books" and that he surmises this "may be why Dan Weiss & David Benioff played the sept out differently." Martin added that he never discussed the scene with them, and that the scene "was always intended to be disturbing... but I regret if it has disturbed people for the wrong reasons." Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who portrays Jaime, said in an interview that while many saw the scene as a brutal rape, "that was obviously never intended. I understand that one can see it as that, but for us it was much more complex." Lena Headey, who portrays Cersei, declined to comment about whether she interpreted the sex as consensual, but said that "it's a very complicated moment for many reasons ... There was this need and it wasn't right and yet it felt great and yet it wasn't right and it played out the way it did. And I was really happy with the scene." To Saraiya, the series' choice to portray this scene as rape appeared to be an act of "exploitation for shock value". Marcotte and Josh Wigler of MTV commented that the rape scene may have damaged Jaime's character's arc of redemption from his earlier crimes, and Marcotte wrote that it might never recover from the rape. Dustin Rowles of ''Salon'' noted that viewers who were previously able to sympathize with Jaime despite his earlier crimes of murder and incest now became angry at the series' creators "for allowing a terrible person to do something more terrible than our minds will allow us to forgive." Andrew Romano of ''The Daily Beast'' opined that the scene "wasn't supposed to be a rape. It was supposed to look consensual. The filmmakers messed up." He cited the fact that "neither the director of the scene nor the two actors who played it seem to think that Jaime raped Cersei—and the story itself is continuing to chug along as if the rape never happened and Jaime is still a character we're supposed to root for." He suggested that viewers "ignore the rape—at least from a narrative perspective" because Benioff and Weiss had "botched" it. In a broader context, Hingston credited the episode with furthering "the furious debate over consent going on in our culture". Laura Hudson of ''Wired'' described the scene and its appraisal by its director as "one that encourages the most dangerous thinking about rape imaginable: that when a woman is held down on the ground, screaming for the man to stop, that deep down inside her she might still really want it." She considered Graves' lack of realization that he was filming a rape scene disturbing because, according to Hudson, his comments encouraged the thinking that a man's persistence might "'turn' a rape into something consensual", and that it is a "dysfunctional, dangerous way of looking at sex and consent, one that is based on the idea of forcing women to give it".

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'''Theon Greyjoy''' is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones''. Theon is the youngest son and presumptive heir of Balon Greyjoy, taken as a ward by Lord Eddard Stark following Balon's failed rebellion. Theon's complex and often troubled relationship with both his birth and adoptive family are central to the character's arc throughout the novels and its television adaptation. Introduced in 1996's ''A Game of Thrones'', Theon subsequently appeared in ''A Clash of Kings'' (1998) and ''A Dance with Dragons'' (2011), after a 13-year gap in which he is reintroduced as '''Reek''', the tortured vassal of Ramsay Bolton. He is one of the major third person points-of-view through which Martin narrates both books. Theon is portrayed by English actor Alfie Allen in the HBO television adaptation.

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==Character description== Theon Greyjoy is the heir apparent and only living son of Balon Greyjoy. Theon is the narrator for a total of thirteen chapters in the second and fifth novels, ''A Clash of Kings'' and ''A Dance with Dragons''. Ten years before the events of the series, Theon was taken hostage by Eddard Stark. He would have been executed had his father Balon displeased King Robert Baratheon. Theon was raised at Winterfell with the Stark children and developed a close friendship with Robb Stark. As an adult, Theon was arrogant, cocky, and proud until being imprisoned by Ramsay Snow, who is the eldest and bastard son of Roose Bolton. During the imprisonment, Ramsay severely tortured Theon physically and psychologically before emasculating him and mockingly changing his name to "Reek".

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==== ''A Game of Thrones'' ==== Theon Greyjoy becomes a trusted companion of Robb Stark on the battlefield, participating in the North's victories at Riverrun and the Whispering Wood.

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==== ''A Clash of Kings'' ==== Robb sends Theon as an envoy to Pyke, seeking Balon Greyjoy's aid in his rebellion against House Lannister. Theon arrives to find Balon instead intends to seize the North while Robb is fighting in the Riverlands. Theon is charged to reave on the Stony Shore, but is jealous when he learns that his sister Asha has captured Deepwood Motte. After sending some of his men to besiege Torrhen's Square and lure Winterfell's garrison away from the castle, Theon and his party invade and capture Winterfell. He releases the prisoner Reek, formerly a servant of House Bolton. When Bran and Rickon Stark apparently escape Winterfell, Reek advises Theon to kill two young boys and pass their bodies off as those of the Stark children. Winterfell's garrison soon repels the ironborn at Torrhen's Square and besieges Winterfell. When Asha refuses to give Theon men to hold the castle, he allows Reek to seek reinforcements from the Dreadfort. Reek returns with several hundred Bolton men and defeats the Stark soldiers, but then reveals his true identity as Roose Bolton's bastard Ramsay Snow and takes Theon prisoner.

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==== ''A Storm of Swords'' and ''A Feast for Crows''==== Ramsay imprisons Theon in the Dreadfort's dungeons and tortures him for his own amusement, though most of the Ironborn believe that Theon is dead. At some point, Theon manages to escape with his former bedwarmer, Kyra, though this turns out to be a trick of Ramsay's and the two are soon recaptured.

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==== ''A Dance with Dragons'' ==== Ramsay's torture leaves Theon with many of his toes, fingers and teeth missing; it is implied that Ramsay also removes his penis. The trauma of this torture causes Theon to lose much of his body weight, turns his hair white, and leaves him resembling an old man. Psychologically broken, he is forced to assume the identity of Reek. When Roose Bolton begins to lead his forces back to the North, Ramsay (who has since been legitimised as a Bolton) has Theon convince the Ironborn garrison holding Moat Cailin to surrender, but flays them regardless. Theon is ordered to give away Jeyne Poole (who is posing as Arya Stark) at her wedding to Ramsay, who later forces Theon to participate in his sexual abuse of Jeyne. Theon later encounters Mance Rayder (disguised as Abel the bard) and his spearwives, who enlist his help in freeing Jeyne, having been sent by Jon Snow. When the alarm is raised, Theon jumps from Winterfell's battlements with Jeyne and is rescued by Mors Umber, who sends him to Stannis Baratheon's camp several days' ride away. There he is reunited with Asha, who initially does not recognise him.

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==== ''The Winds of Winter'' ==== Theon is kept prisoner by Stannis, who notes that he may have useful information about the Boltons but means to execute him for the supposed murders of Bran and Rickon. Asha unsuccessfully tries to ransom Theon before convincing Stannis to behead him rather than burn him alive.

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==TV adaptation== Alfie Allen plays the role of Theon Greyjoy in the television series Theon Greyjoy is played by Alfie Allen in the television adaptation of the series of books.

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====Season 1==== Theon is introduced as the hostage and ward of Lord Eddard Stark, stemming from the failed Greyjoy Rebellion. Despite his position, he remains loyal to Eddard and is good friends with his sons Robb and Jon. While he has never questioned his position, he soon begins to have doubts after Tyrion Lannister tells him he is nothing more than a servant to the Starks and that not everyone respects him. Nevertheless, Theon initially remains loyal to Robb after he goes to war with the Lannisters and supports his decision to have the North secede from the Seven Kingdoms and form their own kingdom.

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====Season 2==== Theon is sent to the Iron Islands to persuade Balon to ally with the Starks against the Lannisters, but Balon instead intends to conquer the North while its army is fighting in the Westerlands. Theon is insulted when he is given command of a single ship to raid the Stony Shore and contemplates sending a warning to Robb, but ultimately decides to remain loyal to his family. When his crew proves to be disrespectful of Theon's station, his first mate Dagmer Cleftjaw suggests that Theon prove himself by capturing Winterfell. Theon lures the Stark garrison away from Winterfell and easily captures the castle, but is forced to execute his old mentor Ser Rodrik Cassel when he refuses to yield. Theon is seduced by the wildling servant Osha, who later frees Bran and Rickon Stark. Theon's men are unable to recapture the two and Theon kills two farm boys to pass their bodies off as those of the Stark boys, an act he soon feels guilty for. Theon asks his sister Yara to bring reinforcements, but instead she arrives with a paltry force to warn Theon of his unstable position and to return to the Iron Islands. Theon refuses, and soon afterwards Winterfell is besieged by men of House Bolton commanded by (the then unnamed) Ramsay Snow, the sadistic bastard son of Lord Roose Bolton. Theon attempts to rally his men to fight to the death, but they knock him out and hand him over to Ramsay, hoping for amnesty. Unknown to the viewer, Ramsay disobeys his orders to free the Ironborn and instead flays them all and sacks Winterfell, before taking Theon back to the Dreadfort as prisoner.

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====Season 3==== Theon is taken captive and tortured in an unknown castle, but later manages to escape with the help of a serving boy who claims to work for Yara. He is brought back to the very castle he escaped from, the serving boy proving to actually be his captor, Ramsay Snow. Theon is subsequently brutally tortured, flayed and castrated by Ramsay, who forces him to rename himself Reek, and beats him until he submits to his new name. Theon's penis is sent in a box to Balon, with Ramsay threatening to mutilate Theon further unless the Ironmen retreat from the North. Balon refuses, as Theon defied him and is now unable to further the Greyjoy line. Outraged, Yara responds that she intends to save her brother on her own accord.

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====Season 4==== Theon, submitting to his identity as Reek, remains a prisoner, locked in the kennels with Ramsay's hounds. Yara infiltrates the Dreadfort, but he refuses to go with her, and Yara is forced to flee when Ramsay releases his hounds. Impressed with Theon's loyalty, Ramsay has him resume his identity as Theon Greyjoy to gain entry to Moat Cailin, a fortress occupied by Ironborn that is preventing Roose Bolton's forces from returning North. Theon promises Ramsay will give the Ironborn amnesty if they surrender, but Ramsay goes back on his word and has the garrison flayed. Afterwards, Theon accompanies Ramsay (now legitimized as a Bolton) and the rest of House Bolton as they move to occupy Winterfell.

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====Season 5==== Theon is stunned to find that Ramsay has been betrothed to Sansa Stark. He tries to avoid her until Ramsay's psychotic paramour Myranda leads Sansa to Theon's sleeping quarters, a cage in the kennels. After learning of their reunion, Ramsay involves Theon in his torment of Sansa by having him give her away at the wedding and then forces him to watch as he rapes her on their wedding night. Sansa asks for Theon's assistance to escape from Ramsay, but Theon, wishing to spare her Ramsay's wrath, instead warns Ramsay, causing him to flay the maid who had tried to help Sansa escape. When Sansa confronts Theon, he confesses that he did not kill her brothers, but is too scared to give more information. While Ramsay and the Bolton army attack Stannis Baratheon's forces, Sansa makes another escape attempt, but is caught and threatened by Myranda. Finally snapping, Theon pushes Myranda over a walkway to her death, just as the victorious Boltons return. Rather than face Ramsay's anger, Theon and Sansa jump from the Winterfell battlements into the snow and flee.

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====Season 6==== Theon and Sansa are caught by Bolton hunters in the woods surrounding Winterfell, but are saved by the arrival of Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne, who kill the hunters. Although Sansa and Brienne decide to make for Castle Black, where Jon Snow is Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Theon tells her that he does not deserve the Starks' forgiveness and instead decides to return to the Iron Islands. Theon returns to the Iron Islands to discover that Balon is dead, and offers to support Yara at the Kingsmoot, a ceremony where the Ironborn elect their new leader. However, the Kingsmoot is won by Theon's uncle Euron Greyjoy, who admits to killing Balon but wins over the Ironborn by promising to conquer Westeros through marriage to Daenerys Targaryen, who possesses the only living dragons in the world. Correctly surmising that Euron will have them put to death, Theon, Yara, and their loyalists flee the Iron Islands with the best ships of the Iron Fleet. Theon remains psychologically traumatized by Ramsay's torture, but is urged by Yara to find courage. They travel to Meereen, which Daenerys has taken as her seat, and form an alliance with her. Theon and Yara then join Daenerys as she sets sail for Westeros.

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====Season 7==== After Daenerys seizes Dragonstone as her base for the invasion of Westeros, Theon and Yara are sent with Ellaria Sand and the Sand Snakes to Dorne to transport the Dornish army to besiege King's Landing. However, Yara's fleet is attacked by Euron in the Narrow Sea, with Euron personally taking Yara captive. Theon is triggered after watching the carnage and jumps overboard, being rescued some time later by survivors of the battle unimpressed by his cowardice. Theon returns to Dragonstone, seeking Daenerys' aid in freeing Yara, but discovers that Daenerys has left to confront the Lannister army on the Roseroad. He is confronted by Jon Snow, now King of the North after defeating Ramsay. Jon reassures Theon that Sansa is safe, but furiously tells him that his life is only being spared since he helped save Sansa. After Jon captures a wight beyond the Wall, Theon joins Daenerys, Jon, and their retinues as they present the wight to Queen Cersei Lannister as evidence of the White Walkers' threat. During the meeting, Theon is confronted by Euron, who threatens to execute Yara if Theon does not bend the knee to him. Returning to Dragonstone, Theon speaks to Jon, who reassures him that Theon is both a Stark and a Greyjoy and forgives him, urging him to find and rescue Yara. Inspired by this, and remembering that Yara was the only one who tried to free him from Ramsay, Theon orders the Ironborn survivors to aid him in freeing Yara. Their leader, Harrag, defies Theon and nearly beats him to death, but Theon eventually gains the upper hand and beats Harrag senseless. Having regained the respect of the Ironborn, Theon leads his men to find Yara.

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====Season 8==== Theon and his men infiltrate Euron's ship and rescue Yara. Yara decides to retake the Iron Islands while Euron is preoccupied in King's Landing, but gives Theon her blessing to travel to Winterfell with his men to stand with the Starks against the White Walkers. He reunites with Sansa and pledges fealty to House Stark for the impending battle. At the war council before battle, Bran (who has since developed his greenseeing abilities to become the Three-Eyed Raven) declares that he will wait in the Godswood to lure out the Night King, commander of the White Walkers. Theon volunteers to defend him with the Ironborn. While preparing for battle, Theon attempts to apologize to Bran for his misdeeds, but Bran reassures him that his actions ultimately brought him back "home" to Winterfell. Theon defends Bran against the undead until he is the last survivor, but the Night King arrives. Bran thanks Theon, and Theon charges at the Night King, but is killed after the Night King impales him with his own spear. In the aftermath of the Long Night, Theon is cremated along with those slain in battle.

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== Reception == Originally auditioning for the role of Jon Snow, English actor Alfie Allen has received positive reviews for his role as Theon Greyjoy in the TV series, and was nominated for the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards.

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'''''A Game of Thrones''''' is the first novel in ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by the American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on August 1, 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award and was nominated for both the 1997 Nebula Award and the 1997 World Fantasy Award. The novella ''Blood of the Dragon'', comprising the Daenerys Targaryen chapters from the novel, won the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novella. In January 2011, the novel became a ''New York Times'' Bestseller and reached #1 on the list in July 2011. In the novel, recounting events from various points of view, Martin introduces the plot-lines of the noble houses of Westeros, the Wall, and the Targaryens. The novel has inspired several spin-off works, including several games. It is also the namesake and basis for the first season of ''Game of Thrones'', an HBO television series that premiered in April 2011. A March 2013 paperback TV tie-in re-edition was also titled ''Game of Thrones'', excluding the indefinite article "A".

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==Plot== ''A Game of Thrones'' follows three principal storylines simultaneously.

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===In the Seven Kingdoms=== At the beginning of the story, Eddard "Ned" Stark, the Warden of the North in the Seven Kingdoms, executes a deserter from the Night's Watch, the military order that guards the Wall on the Seven Kingdoms' northern border. On the way home to his castle Winterfell, he discovers six orphaned direwolf pups, which are adopted by his six children. Upon the death of Lord Jon Arryn, the principal advisor to King Robert Baratheon, Robert recruits Ned to replace Arryn as "Hand of the King", and betroth Ned's daughter Sansa to Robert's son Joffrey. Ned accepts the position when he learns that Arryn's widow Lysa believes Queen Cersei Lannister and her family poisoned Arryn. Shortly thereafter, Ned's son Bran discovers Cersei having sex with her twin brother Jaime Lannister, who throws Bran from the tower to conceal their affair, paralyzing his legs. Ned and his daughters Sansa and Arya depart for the capital city, King's Landing. During the journey south, an altercation between Arya and Joffrey leads to Arya's direwolf being driven away and Sansa's direwolf being executed to appease the Lannisters. Upon arriving in King's Landing to take his post as Hand, Ned finds that Robert is an ineffective king whose only interests are hunting, drinking and womanizing, leaving his Small Council to govern the realm. At Winterfell, an assassin attempts to kill Bran, and Ned's wife Catelyn travels to King's Landing to bring word to Ned. Catelyn's childhood friend, Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, implicates Tyrion Lannister, the dwarf brother of Cersei and Jaime, in the assassination attempt. En route back to Winterfell, Catelyn encounters Tyrion by chance, arrests him, and takes him to stand trial for the attempt on Bran's life. In retaliation for Tyrion's abduction, his father Lord Tywin Lannister sends soldiers to raid the Riverlands, Catelyn's home region. Tyrion regains his freedom by recruiting a mercenary named Bronn to defend him in trial by combat. Ned investigates Jon Arryn's death and eventually discovers that Robert's legal heirs, including Joffrey, are in fact Cersei's children by Jaime, and that Jon Arryn was killed to conceal his discovery of their incest. Ned offers Cersei a chance to flee before he informs Robert, but she uses this chance to arrange Robert's death in a hunting accident and install Joffrey on the throne. Ned enlists Littlefinger's help to challenge Joffrey's claim; but Littlefinger betrays him, resulting in Ned's arrest. Arya escapes the castle, but Sansa is taken hostage by the Lannisters. Ned's eldest son Robb marches his army south in response to his father's arrest, and in order to relieve the threat on the Riverlands. To secure a strategically necessary bridge crossing, Catelyn negotiates a marital alliance between Robb and the notoriously unreliable House Frey. Robb defeats a Lannister army in the Riverlands, capturing Jaime. Tywin sends Tyrion back to King's Landing to act as Hand of the King to Joffrey. When Ned is executed, Robb's followers declare the North's independence from the Seven Kingdoms, proclaiming Robb "King in the North".

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===On the Wall === The prologue of the novel introduces the Wall: an ancient barrier of stone, ice, and magic, hundreds of feet high and hundreds of miles long, shielding the Seven Kingdoms from the northern wilderness. The Wall is manned by the Night's Watch: an order of warriors sworn to serve there for life, defending the realm from the fabled Others, an ancient and hostile inhuman race, as well as from the human "wildlings" who live north of the Wall. Jon Snow, Ned’s bastard son, is inspired by his uncle, Benjen Stark, to join the Night's Watch, but becomes disillusioned when he discovers that its primary function is as a penal colony. Jon unites his fellow recruits against their harsh instructor and protects the cowardly but good-natured and intelligent Samwell Tarly. Jon is appointed steward to the leader of the Watch, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, making him a potential successor to Mormont. Benjen fails to return from an expedition north of the Wall. Six months later, the dead bodies of two men from his party are recovered; these re-animate as undead wights before being dispatched by Jon. When word of his father's execution reaches Jon, he attempts to join Robb against the Lannisters, but is persuaded to remain loyal to the Watch. Mormont then declares his intention to march north to find Benjen, dead or alive, and to investigate rumors of a "King-Beyond-the-Wall" uniting the wildlings.

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===Across the narrow sea=== Across the sea to the east of Westeros, the exiled prince Viserys Targaryen, son of the late "mad king" and rightful heir to House Targaryen, the royal house of Westeros before it was overthrown by Robert Baratheon, betroths his 13-year-old sister Daenerys to Khal Drogo, a warlord of the nomadic Dothraki, in exchange for the use of Drogo's army to reclaim the throne of Westeros. Illyrio, a wealthy merchant who has been supporting the penniless Targaryens, gives Daenerys three petrified dragon eggs as a wedding gift. Jorah Mormont, a knight exiled from Westeros, joins Viserys as an adviser. Initially terrified of her new husband and his people, Daenerys eventually embraces her role as Drogo's queen. Drogo, however, shows little interest in conquering Westeros before the birth of his child with Daenerys, and an impatient Viserys tries to browbeat his sister into coercing Drogo. When Viserys publicly threatens Daenerys, Drogo executes him by pouring molten gold on his head. An assassin seeking King Robert's favor attempts to poison Daenerys and her unborn child, finally convincing Drogo to conquer Westeros. While sacking villages to fund the invasion of Westeros, Drogo is badly wounded, and Daenerys commands a captive folk healer to save him. The healer, angered by the Dothraki raids against her people, sacrifices Daenerys' unborn child to power the spell to save Drogo's life, which restores Drogo's physical health but leaves him in a persistent vegetative state. With Drogo completely incapacitated and unable to lead, much of the Dothraki army departs to follow a new Khal. Daenerys smothers Drogo with a pillow, and the healer responsible for his condition is tied to Drogo's funeral pyre on her orders. She places her three dragon eggs on the pyre and enters it herself; she soon emerges, unburned, with three newly hatched dragons. Awe-struck, Jorah and the remaining Dothraki swear allegiance to her.

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== Themes == Throughout the novel, characters are often faced with decisions that match one redeemable trait against another. ''The Guardian'' outlines characters who are frequently "forced to choose between their love for those close to them and the greater interests of honour, duty and the realm." In Westeros, Ned ultimately decides to venture south with Robert, leaving much of his family in Winterfell. At the Wall, Jon wrestles with the predicament of joining his half-brother Robb in rebellion or staying with his sworn brothers in the Night's Watch. Daenerys has issue with the Dothraki treatment of those they conquered in Essos. These conflicts characters encounter oftentimes reflect inconsistent decision making. Catelyn initially is overwhelmed by grief and does not leave Bran's bedside while he is comatose, ignoring her political responsibilities, choosing family over duty. But soon after, Catelyn leaves Bran and her family for Kings Landing to inform Ned of potential Lannister treason, effectively displaying a more duty fulfilling role. Family, duty, and honor play major roles in conflicts that arise in the story arc, and qualities traditionally categorized as noble oppose each other in resolution. Character decision conflicts and consequence analysis are particular to how Martin wants to portray fantasy. Martin characteristically deviates from the traditional fantasy model and clear-cut lines of good versus evil. Martin reflects: "I think the battle between good and evil is fought largely within the individual human heart, by the decisions that we make. It's not like evil dresses up in black clothing and you know, they're really ugly". This viewpoint characterizes the book and is evident in the actions of several different families which frequently have conflicts with each other. The Starks' and Lannisters' conflict is a central component of the novel, and the reader receives points of view from both sides. Likewise, Daenerys' storyline develops around the Targaryen's upheaval in Westeros, in which the Starks played a significant role. Martin argues: Having multiple viewpoints is crucial to the grayness of the characters. You have to be able to see the struggle from both sides, because real human beings in a war have all these processes of self-justification, telling ourselves why what we're doing is the right thing.

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==Viewpoint characters== Each chapter concentrates on the third person limited point of view of a single character; the book presents the perspective of eight main characters. Additionally, a minor character provides the prologue. Chapter headings indicate the perspective. * Prologue: Will, a man of the Night's Watch. * Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark, Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell, Hand of the King. * Lady Catelyn Stark, of House Tully, wife of Eddard Stark. * Sansa Stark, elder daughter of Eddard and Catelyn Stark. * Arya Stark, younger daughter of Eddard and Catelyn Stark. * Bran Stark, middle son of Eddard and Catelyn Stark. * Jon Snow, illegitimate son of Eddard Stark. * Tyrion Lannister, a dwarf, brother of the twins Queen Cersei and Jaime, son of Lord Tywin Lannister. * Princess Daenerys Targaryen, Stormborn, the Princess of Dragonstone and heiress to the Targaryen throne after her older brother Viserys Targaryen. In the later books, certain viewpoint characters are added while others are removed.

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==Writing== Martin acknowledges several authors who lent their time and expertise during the writing of the novel: Sage Walker, Martin Wright, Melinda Snodgrass, Carl Keim, Bruce Baugh, Tim O'Brien, Roger Zelazny, Jane Lindskold, and Laura Mixon.

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==Editions== According to author George R.R. Martin, the Bantam 1996 edition was the true first. The HarperCollins/ Voyager 1996 edition was the British first edition. Its official publication date was earlier than that of the US Bantam edition, but Bantam went to print several months earlier to hand out copies at the American Boksellers Association (ABA). The novel has been translated into many languages and published in multiple editions in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audio book form. In different languages, the number of books may not be the same. In June 2000, Meisha Merlin published a limited edition of the book, fully illustrated by Jeffrey Jones.

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==Adaptations== ''A Game of Thrones'' and the subsequent novels in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series have been adapted in a HBO television series, a comics series, several card, board and video games, and other media.

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==Reception== ''A Game of Thrones'' has received critical acclaim. Lauren K. Nathan of the Associated Press wrote that the book "grips the reader from Page One" and is set in a "magnificent" fantasy world that is "mystical, but still believable." Steve Perry told readers of ''The Oregonian'' that the plot is "complex and fascinating" and the book is "rich and colorful" with "all the elements of a great fantasy novel". Writing in ''The Washington Post'', John H. Riskind commented that "many fans of sword-and-sorcery will enjoy the epic scope of this book" but felt that the book "suffers from one-dimensional characters and less than memorable imagery." Phyllis Eisenstein of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' wrote that, although the book uses many generic fantasy tropes, Martin's approach is "so refreshingly human and intimate that it transcends them." She described it as "an absorbing combination of the mythic, the sweepingly historical, and the intensely personal." John Prior, writing in the ''San Diego Union-Tribune'', called Martin's writing "strong and imaginative, with plenty of Byzantine intrigue and dynastic struggle", and compared it to Robert Jordan's ''Wheel of Time'' books, "though much darker, with no comedy or romance to relieve the nastiness." On November 5, 2019, the ''BBC News'' listed ''A Game of Thrones'' on its list of the 100 most influential novels.

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==Awards and nominations== * Locus Award – Best Novel (Fantasy) (Won) – (1997) * World Fantasy Award – Best Novel (Nominated) – (1997) * Hugo Award – Best Novella for ''Blood of the Dragon'' (Won) – (1997) * Nebula Award – Best Novel (Nominated) – (1997) * Ignotus Award – Best Novel (Foreign) (Won) – (2003)

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'''''Catch the Throne''''' is a two-volume mixtape. The first volume was released digitally on June 10, 2014, and on CD on July 1, 2014 as a free mix tape that features various rap artists to help promote the HBO series ''Game of Thrones''. The albums feature hip hop artists including Snoop Dogg, Ty Dolla $ign, Common, Wale, Daddy Yankee, as well as music by Ramin Djawadi from the show and some voices from the show.

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==Reception== The album received mostly mixed reviews from critics and fans alike.

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=== ''Volume I'' === To help promote the series to a broader audience including multicultural urban youth, HBO commissioned an album of rap songs dedicated to ''Game of Thrones''. Entitled ''Catch the Throne'', it was published for free on SoundCloud on March 7, 2014.

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=== ''Volume II'' === A second volume of songs was released in March 2015, prior to the beginning of the fifth season of ''Game of Thrones''. This volume again consisted of songs from hip-hop artists, but this time also included contributions from several heavy metal bands. It was released as a free download on iTunes and SoundCloud.

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'''''A Song of Ice and Fire''''' is a series of epic fantasy novels by the American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. He began the first volume of the series, ''A Game of Thrones,'' in 1991, and it was published in 1996. Martin, who initially envisioned the series as a trilogy, has published five out of a planned seven volumes. The fifth and most recent volume of the series, ''A Dance with Dragons'', was published in 2011 and took Martin six years to write. He is currently writing the sixth novel, ''The Winds of Winter''. ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' takes place on the fictional continents Westeros and Essos. The point of view of each chapter in the story is a limited perspective of a range of characters growing from nine in the first novel, to 31 characters by the fifth novel. Three main stories interweave: a dynastic war among several families for control of Westeros, the rising threat of the supernatural Others in northernmost Westeros, and the ambition of Daenerys Targaryen, the deposed king's exiled daughter, to assume the Iron Throne. Martin's inspirations included the Wars of the Roses and the French historical novels ''The Accursed Kings'' by Maurice Druon. ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' received praise for its diverse portrayal of women and religion, as well as its realism. An assortment of disparate and subjective points of view confronts the reader, and the success or survival of point-of-view characters is never assured. Within the often morally ambiguous world of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', questions concerning loyalty, pride, human sexuality, piety, and the morality of violence frequently arise. The books have sold 90 million copies worldwide , after having been translated into 47 languages . The fourth and fifth volumes reached the top of the ''New York Times'' Best Seller lists upon their releases. Among the many derived works are several prequel novellas, a TV series, a comic book adaptation, and several card, board, and video games.

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==Plot synopsis== ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' takes place in a fictional world in which seasons last for years and end unpredictably. Nearly three centuries before the events of the first novel, the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros were united under the Targaryen dynasty by Aegon I and his sister-wives Visenya and Rhaenys, establishing military supremacy through their control of dragons. The Targaryen dynasty ruled for three hundred years, although civil war and infighting among the Targaryens was frequent. Due to being held and bred in captivity, their dragons became ever smaller until they finally went extinct. At the beginning of ''A Game of Thrones'', 15 peaceful years have passed since the rebellion led by Lord Robert Baratheon that deposed and killed the last Targaryen king, Aerys II "the Mad King", and proclaimed Robert king of the Seven Kingdoms, with a nine-year-long summer coming to an end. The principal story chronicles the power struggle for the Iron Throne among the great Houses of Westeros following the death of King Robert in ''A Game of Thrones''. Robert's heir apparent, the 13-year-old Joffrey, is immediately proclaimed king through the machinations of his mother, Queen Cersei Lannister. When Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark, Robert's closest friend and chief advisor, discovers that Joffrey and his siblings are the product of incest between Cersei and her twin brother Ser Jaime "The Kingslayer" Lannister, Eddard attempts to unseat Joffrey, but is betrayed and executed for treason. In response, Robert's brothers Stannis and Renly both lay separate claims to the throne. During this period of instability, two of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros attempt to become independent from the Iron Throne: Eddard's eldest son Robb is proclaimed King in the North, while Lord Balon Greyjoy desires to recover the sovereignty of his region, the Iron Islands. The so-called "War of the Five Kings" is in full progress by the middle of the second book, ''A Clash of Kings''. The second part of the story takes place in the far north of Westeros, where an 8,000-year-old wall of ice, simply called "the Wall", defends the Seven Kingdoms from supernatural creatures known as the Others. The Wall's sentinels, the Sworn Brotherhood of the Night's Watch, also protect the realm from the incursions of the "wildlings" or "Free Folk", who are several human tribes living on the north side of the Wall. The Night's Watch story is told primarily through the point of view of Jon Snow, Lord Eddard Stark's bastard son. Jon follows the footsteps of his uncle Benjen Stark and joins the Watch at a young age, rising quickly through the ranks. He eventually becomes Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. In the third volume, ''A Storm of Swords'', the Night's Watch storyline becomes increasingly entangled with the War of the Five Kings. The third storyline follows Daenerys Targaryen, daughter of Aerys II, the last Targaryen king. On the continent of Essos, east of Westeros across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys is married off by her elder brother Viserys Targaryen to a powerful warlord, but slowly becomes an independent and intelligent ruler in her own right. Her rise to power is aided by the historic birth of three dragons, hatched from eggs given to her as wedding gifts. The three dragons soon become not only a symbol of her bloodline and her claim to the throne, but also devastating weapons of war, which help her in the conquest of Slaver's Bay.

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===Overview=== Books in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series are first published in hardcover and are later re-released as paperback editions. In the UK, Harper Voyager publishes special slipcased editions. The series has also been translated into more than 30 languages. All page totals given below are for the US first editions.

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===First three novels (1991–2000) === George R. R. Martin at Archipelacon in Mariehamn, 2015. George R. R. Martin was already a successful fantasy and sci-fi author and TV writer before writing his ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' book series. Martin had published his first short story in 1971 and his first novel in 1977. By the mid-1990s, he had won three Hugo Awards, two Nebula Awards, and other awards for his short fiction. Although his early books were well-received within the fantasy fiction community, his readership remained relatively small and Martin took on jobs as a writer in Hollywood in the mid-1980s. He worked principally on the revival of ''The Twilight Zone'' throughout 1986 and on ''Beauty and the Beast'' until 1990, but he also developed his own TV pilots and wrote feature film scripts. He grew frustrated that his pilots and screenplays were not getting made and that TV-related production limitations like budgets and episode lengths were forcing him to cut characters and trim battle scenes. This pushed Martin back towards writing books, where he did not have to worry about compromising the size of his imagination. Admiring the works of J. R. R. Tolkien in his childhood, he wanted to write an epic fantasy, though he did not have any specific ideas. When Martin was between Hollywood projects in the summer of 1991, he started writing a new science fiction novel called ''Avalon''. After three chapters, he had a vivid idea of a boy seeing a man's beheading and finding direwolves in the snow, which would eventually become the first non-prologue chapter of ''A Game of Thrones''. Putting ''Avalon'' aside, Martin finished this chapter in a few days and grew certain that it was part of a longer story. After a few more chapters, Martin perceived his new book as a fantasy story and started making maps and genealogies. However, the writing of this book was interrupted for a few years when Martin returned to Hollywood to produce his TV series ''Doorways'' that ABC had ordered but ultimately never aired. In 1994, Martin gave his agent, Kirby McCauley, the first 200 pages and a two-page story projection as part of a planned trilogy with the novels ''A Dance with Dragons'' and ''The Winds of Winter'' intended to follow. When Martin had still not reached the novel's end at 1400 manuscript pages, he felt that the series needed to be four and eventually six books long, which he imagined as two linked trilogies of one long story. Martin chose ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' as the overall series title: Martin saw the struggle of the cold Others and the fiery dragons as one possible meaning for "Ice and Fire", whereas the word "song" had previously appeared in Martin's book titles ''A Song for Lya'' and ''Songs the Dead Men Sing'', stemming from his obsessions with songs. Martin also named Robert Frost's 1920 poem "Fire and Ice" and cultural associations such as passion versus betrayal as possible influences for the series' title. The revised finished manuscript for ''A Game of Thrones'' was 1088 pages long (without the appendices), with the publication following in August 1996. ''Wheel of Time'' author Robert Jordan had written a short endorsement for the cover that was influential in ensuring the book's and hence series' early success with fantasy readers. ''Blood of the Dragon'', a pre-release sample novella drawn from Daenerys's chapters, went on to win the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novella. The 300 pages removed from the ''A Game of Thrones'' manuscript served as the opening of the second book, entitled ''A Clash of Kings''. It was released in February 1999 in the United States, with a manuscript length (without appendices) of 1184 pages. ''A Clash of Kings'' was the first book of the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series to make the best-seller lists, reaching 13 on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list in 1999. After the success of ''The Lord of the Rings'' films, Martin received his first inquiries to the rights of the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series from various producers and filmmakers. Martin was several months late turning in the third book, ''A Storm of Swords''. The last chapter he had written was about the "Red Wedding", a pivotal scene notable for its violence (see Themes: Violence and death). ''A Storm of Swords'' was 1521 pages in manuscript (without appendices), causing problems for many of Martin's publishers around the world. Bantam Books published ''A Storm of Swords'' in a single volume in the United States in November 2000, whereas some other-language editions were divided into two, three, or even four volumes. ''A Storm of Swords'' debuted at number 12 in the ''New York Times'' bestseller list.

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===Bridging the timeline gap (2000–2011) === After ''A Game of Thrones'', ''A Clash of Kings'', and ''A Storm of Swords'', Martin originally intended to write three more books. The fourth book, tentatively titled ''A Dance with Dragons'', was to focus on Daenerys Targaryen's return to Westeros and the associated conflicts. Martin wanted to set this story five years after ''A Storm of Swords'' so that the younger characters could grow older and the dragons grow larger. Agreeing with his publishers early on that the new book should be shorter than ''A Storm of Swords'', Martin set out to write the novel closer in length to ''A Clash of Kings''. A long prologue was to establish what had happened in the meantime, initially just as one chapter of Aeron Damphair on the Iron Islands at the Kingsmoot. Since the events on the Iron Islands were to have an impact in the book and could not be told with existing POV characters, Martin eventually introduced three new viewpoints. In 2001, Martin was still optimistic that the fourth installment might be released in the last quarter of 2002. However, the five-year gap did not work for all characters during writing. On one hand, Martin was unsatisfied with covering the events during the gap solely through flashbacks and internal retrospection. On the other hand, it was implausible to have nothing happen for five years. After working on the book for about a year, Martin realized he needed an additional interim book, which he called ''A Feast for Crows''. The book would pick up the story immediately after the third book, and Martin scrapped the idea of a five-year gap. The material of the written 250-page prologue was mixed in as new viewpoint characters from Dorne and the Iron Islands. These expanded storylines and the resulting story interactions complicated the plot for Martin. The manuscript length of ''A Feast for Crows'' eventually surpassed ''A Storm of Swords''. Martin was reluctant to make the necessary deep cuts to get the book down to publishable length, as that would have compromised the story he had in mind. Printing the book in "microtype on onion skin paper and giving each reader a magnifying glass" was also not an option for him. On the other hand, Martin rejected the publishers' idea of splitting the narrative chronologically into ''A Feast for Crows'', Parts One and Two. Being already late with the book, Martin had not even started writing all characters' stories and also objected to ending the first book without any resolution for its many viewpoint characters as in previous books. With the characters spread out across the world, a friend suggested that Martin divide the story geographically into two volumes, of which ''A Feast for Crows'' would be the first. This approach would give Martin the room to complete his commenced story arcs as he had originally intended, which he still felt was the best approach years later. Martin moved the unfinished characters' stories set in the east (Essos) and north (Winterfell and the Wall) into the next book, ''A Dance with Dragons'', and left ''A Feast for Crows'' to cover the events in King's Landing, the Riverlands, Dorne, and the Iron Islands. Both books begin immediately after the end of ''A Storm of Swords'', running in parallel instead of sequentially, and involve different casts of characters with only little overlap. Martin split Arya's chapters into both books after having already moved the three other most popular characters (Jon Snow, Tyrion, and Daenerys) into ''A Dance with Dragons''. Upon its release in October 2005 in the UK and November 2005 in the US, ''A Feast for Crows'' went straight to the top of ''The New York Times'' bestseller list. Among the positive reviewers was Lev Grossman of ''Time'', who dubbed Martin "the American Tolkien". However, fans and critics alike were disappointed with the story split that left the fates of several popular characters unresolved after ''A Storm of Swords'' cliffhanger ending. With ''A Dance with Dragons'' said to be half-finished, Martin mentioned in the epilogue of ''A Feast for Crows'' that the next volume would be released by the next year. However, planned release dates were repeatedly pushed back. Meanwhile, HBO acquired the rights to turn ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' into a fantasy drama series in 2007 and aired the first of ten episodes covering ''A Game of Thrones'' in April 2011. With around 1600 pages in manuscript length, ''A Dance with Dragons'' was eventually published in July 2011 after six years of writing, longer in page count and writing time than any of the preceding four novels. The story of ''A Dance with Dragons'' catches up with and goes beyond ''A Feast for Crows'' around two-thirds into the book, but nevertheless covers less story than Martin had intended, omitting at least one planned large battle sequence and leaving several character threads ending in cliff-hangers. Martin attributed the delay mainly to his untangling "the Meereenese knot", which the interviewer understood as "making the chronology and characters mesh up as various threads converged on Daenerys". Martin also acknowledged spending too much time on rewriting and perfecting the story, but soundly rejected the theories of some of his critics that he had lost interest in the series or would bide his time to make more money.

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===Planned novels and future=== Martin believes the last two volumes of the series will be big books of 1500 manuscript pages each. The sixth book will be called ''The Winds of Winter'', taking the title of the last book of the originally planned trilogy. Displeased with the provisional title ''A Time for Wolves'' for the final volume, Martin ultimately announced ''A Dream of Spring'' as the title for the seventh book in 2006. Martin said in March 2012 that the final two novels will take readers farther north than any of the previous books, and that the Others will appear in the book.

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====''The Winds of Winter'' ==== ''The Winds of Winter'' will resolve the cliffhangers from ''A Dance with Dragons'' early on and "will open with the two big battles that the fifth book was building up to, the battle in the ice and the battle ... of Slaver's Bay. And then take it from there." By the middle of 2010, Martin had already finished five chapters of ''The Winds of Winter'' from the viewpoints of Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Arianne Martell, and Aeron Greyjoy, coming to around 100 completed pages. After the publication of ''A Dance with Dragons'' in 2011, Martin announced he would return to writing in January 2012. He spent the meantime on book tours, conventions, and continued working on his ''The World of Ice & Fire'' companion guide and a new ''Tales of Dunk and Egg'' novella. In December 2011, Martin posted a chapter from ''The Winds of Winter'' from the viewpoint of Theon Greyjoy; several other chapters have been made public since. Four hundred pages of the sixth novel had been written , although Martin considered only 200 as "really finished"; the rest needed revising. During the Guadalajara International Book Fair in Mexico in early December 2016, Martin offered the following hint as to the tone of this book: "There are a lot of dark chapters right now ... I've been telling you for 20 years that winter was coming. Winter is the time when things die, and cold and ice and darkness fill the world, so this is not going to be the happy feel-good that people may be hoping for. Some of the characters are in very dark places." Martin did not intend to separate the characters geographically again. In 2011, Martin gave three years as a realistic estimate for finishing the sixth book at a good pace, but said ultimately the book "will be done when it's done", acknowledging that his publication estimates had been too optimistic in the past. In 2015 there were indications that the book would be published before the sixth season of the HBO show but in early January 2016 Martin confirmed that he had not met an end-of-year deadline that he had established with his publisher for release of the book before the sixth season. He also revealed there had been a previous deadline of October 2015 that he had considered achievable in May 2015, and that in September 2015 he had still considered the end-of-year deadline achievable. He further confirmed that some of the plot of the book might be revealed in the upcoming season of ''Game of Thrones''. In February 2016, Martin stated that he dropped all his editing projects except for ''Wild Cards'', and that he would not be writing any teleplays, screenplays, short stories, introductions or forewords before delivering ''The Winds of Winter''. In April 2018, Martin announced in a blog post that ''The Winds of Winter'' would not be published in 2018.

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====''A Dream of Spring''==== Martin is only firm about ending the series with the seventh novel "until I decide not to be firm". With his stated goal of telling the story from beginning to end, he will not truncate the story to fit into an arbitrary number of volumes. He knows the ending in broad strokes as well as the future of the main characters, and will finish the series with bittersweet elements where not everyone will live happily ever after. Martin hopes to write an ending similar to ''The Lord of the Rings'' that he felt gave the story a satisfying depth and resonance. On the other hand, Martin noted the challenge to avoid a situation like the finale of the TV series ''Lost'', which left some fans disappointed by deviating too far from their own theories and desires. In 2012, Martin had acknowledged his concerns about ''A Dream of Spring'' not being completed by the time the TV series ''Game of Thrones'' catches up in its storyline to the novels. In 2015, Martin said that he was not writing ''A Dream of Spring'' together with ''The Winds of Winter'', and in early 2016, he said he did not believe ''A Dream of Spring'' would be published before the last season of the HBO show. In April 2018, Martin commented he had not started working on the book, and in November he said that after ''The Winds of Winter'' he would decide what to do next: ''A Dream of Spring'' or the second volume of ''Fire & Blood'' or one or two stories for the ''Tales of Dunk and Egg''. In May 2019 he reiterated he had not started writing ''A Dream of Spring'' and would not do so before finishing ''The Winds of Winter''. Martin offered the following hint as to how the series would conclude during a Q&A at the Guadalajara International Book Fair. "I'm not going to tell you how I'm going to end my book, but I suspect the overall flavor is going to be as much bittersweet as it is happy."

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====TV series and other writings==== Early during the development of the TV series, Martin told major plot points to producers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Martin was confident he would have published at least ''The Winds of Winter'' before the TV series overtook him. Nevertheless, there were general concerns about whether Martin would be able to stay ahead of the show. As a result, head writers Benioff and Weiss learned more future plot points from Martin in 2013 to help them set up the show's new possible seasons. This included the end stories for all the core characters. Deviations from the books' storylines were considered, but a two-year hiatus to wait for new books was not an option for them (as the child actors continue to grow and the show's popularity would wane). Martin indicated he would not permit another writer to finish the book series. On January 2, 2016, Martin confirmed that the sixth volume would not be published before the start of the sixth season of the HBO series. Regarding ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' as his masterpiece, Martin is certain never to write anything on this scale again and would only return to this fictional universe in the context of stand-alone novels. He prefers to write stories about characters from other ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' periods of history such as his ''Tales of Dunk and Egg'' project, instead of continuing the series directly. Martin said he would love to return to writing short stories, novellas, novelettes, and stand-alone novels from diverse genres such as science fiction, horror, fantasy, or even a murder mystery.

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===Genre=== George R. R. Martin believes the most profound influences to be the ones experienced in childhood. Having read H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Robert A. Heinlein, Eric Frank Russell, Andre Norton, Isaac Asimov, Fritz Leiber, and Mervyn Peake in his youth, Martin never categorized these authors' literature into science fiction, fantasy, or horror and will write from any genre as a result. Martin classified ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' as "epic fantasy", and specifically named Tad Williams' high fantasy epic ''Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn'' as very influential for the writing of the series. One of his favorite authors is Jack Vance, although Martin considered the series not particularly Vancean. Martin experienced some harsh winters when living in Dubuque a few years in the 1970s, and suspects these winters had an influence on his writing; "I think a lot of the stuff in ''A Game of Thrones'', the snow and ice and freezing, comes from my memories of Dubuque". The medieval setting has been the traditional background for epic fantasy. However, where historical fiction leaves versed readers knowing the historical outcome, original characters may increase suspense and empathy for the readers. Yet Martin felt historical fiction, particularly when set during the Middle Ages, had an excitement, grittiness, and a realness to it that was absent in fantasy with a similar backdrop. Thus, he wanted to combine the realism of historical fiction with the magic appeal of the best fantasies, subduing magic in favor of battles and political intrigue. He also decided to avoid the conventional good versus evil setting typical for the genre, using the fight between Achilles and Hector in Homer's ''Iliad'', where no one stands out as either a hero or a villain, as an example of what he wants to achieve with his books. Martin is widely credited with broadening the fantasy fiction genre for adult content, including incest, paedophilia, and adultery. Writing for ''The Atlantic'', Amber Taylor assessed the novels as hard fantasy with vulnerable characters to which readers become emotionally attached. CNN found in 2000 that Martin's mature descriptions were "far more frank than those found in the works of other fantasy authors", although Martin assessed the fantasy genre to have become rougher-edged a decade later and that some writers' work was going beyond the mature themes of his novels. Adam Roberts called Martin's series the most successful and popular example of the emerging subgenre of grimdark fantasy.

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===Writing process=== ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series was partly inspired by the Wars of the Roses, a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England. This painting by Richard Burchett portrays Edward IV demanding that his defeated enemies be taken from Tewkesbury Abbey. Setting out to write something on an epic scale, Martin projected to write three books of 800 manuscript pages in the very early stages of the series. His original 1990s contract specified one-year deadlines for his previous literary works, but Martin only realized later that his new books were longer and hence required more writing time. In 2000, Martin planned to take 18 months to two years for each volume and projected the last of the planned six books to be released five or six years later. However, with ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series evolving into the biggest and most ambitious story he has ever attempted writing, he still has two more books to write . Martin said he needed to be in his own office in Santa Fe, New Mexico to immerse himself in the fictional world and write. , Martin was still typing his fiction on a DOS computer with WordStar 4.0 software. He begins each day at 10 am with rewriting and polishing the previous day's work, and may write all day or struggle to write anything. Excised material and previous old versions are saved to be possibly re-inserted at a later time. Martin does not consider ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' a "series" but a single story published in several volumes. Martin set the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' story in a secondary world inspired by Tolkien's writing. Unlike Tolkien, who created entire languages, mythologies, and histories for Middle-earth long before writing ''The Lord of the Rings'', Martin usually starts with a rough sketch of an imaginary world that he improvises into a workable fictional setting along the way. He described his writing as coming from a subconscious level in "almost a daydreaming process", and his stories, which have a mythic rather than a scientific core, draw from emotion instead of rationality. Martin employs maps and a cast list topping 60 pages in the fourth volume, but keeps most information in his mind. His imagined backstory remains subject to change until published, and only the novels count as canon. Martin does not intend to publish his private notes after the series is finished. Martin drew much inspiration from actual history for the series, having several bookcases filled with medieval history for research and visiting historic European landmarks. For an American who speaks only English, the history of England proved the easiest source of medieval history for him, giving the series a British rather than a German or Spanish historic flavor. For example, Ned and Robb Stark resemble Richard, 3rd Duke of York, and his son Edward IV, and Queen Cersei resembles both Margaret of Anjou and Elizabeth Woodville. Martin immersed himself in many diverse medieval topics such as clothing, food, feasting, and tournaments to have the facts at hand if needed during writing. The series was in particular influenced by the Hundred Years' War, the Crusades, the Albigensian Crusade, and the Wars of the Roses, although Martin refrained from making any direct adaptations. Martin was also inspired by the French historical novels ''The Accursed Kings'' by Maurice Druon, which are about the French monarchy in the 13th and 14th centuries. The story is written to follow principal landmarks with an ultimate destination, but leaves Martin room for improvisation. On occasion, improvised details significantly affected the planned story. By the fourth book, Martin kept more private notes than ever before to keep track of the many subplots, which became so detailed and sprawling by the fifth book as to be unwieldy. Martin's editors, copy editors, and readers monitor for accidental mistakes, although some errors have slipped into publication. For instance, Martin has inconsistently referred to certain characters' eye colors, and has described a horse as being of one sex and then another.

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===Narrative structure=== +Number of chapters per point-of-view character The books are divided into chapters, each one narrated in the third person limited through the eyes of a point of view character, an approach Martin learned himself as a young journalism student. Beginning with nine POV characters in ''A Game of Thrones'', the number of POV characters grows to a total of 31 in ''A Dance with Dragons'' (see table). The short-lived one-time POV characters are mostly restricted to the prologues and epilogues. David Orr of ''The New York Times'' noted the story importance of "the Starks (good guys), the Targaryens (at least one good guy, or girl), the Lannisters (conniving), the Greyjoys (mostly conniving), the Baratheons (mixed bag), the Tyrells (unclear), and the Martells (ditto), most of whom are feverishly endeavoring to advance their ambitions and ruin their enemies, preferably unto death". However, as ''Time'' Lev Grossman noted, readers "experience the struggle for Westeros from all sides at once", such that "every fight is both triumph and tragedy ... and everybody is both hero and villain at the same time". Modeled on ''The Lord of the Rings'', the story of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' begins with a tight focus on a small group (with everyone in Winterfell, except Daenerys) and then splits into separate stories. The storylines are to converge again, but finding the turning point in this complex series has been difficult for Martin and has slowed down his writing. Depending on the interview, Martin is said to have reached the turning point in ''A Dance with Dragons'', or to not quite have reached it yet in the books. The series' structure of multiple POVs and interwoven storylines was inspired by ''Wild Cards'', a multi-authored shared universe book series edited by Martin since 1985. As the sole author, Martin begins each new book with an outline of the chapter order and may write a few successive chapters from a single character's viewpoint instead of working chronologically. The chapters are later rearranged to optimize character intercutting, chronology, and suspense. Influenced by his television and film scripting background, Martin tries to keep readers engrossed by ending each ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' chapter with a tense or revelational moment, a twist or a cliffhanger, similar to a TV act break. Scriptwriting has also taught him the technique of "cutting out the fat and leaving the muscle", which is the final stage of completing a book, a technique that brought the page count in ''A Dance with Dragons'' down almost eighty pages. Dividing the continuous ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' story into books is much harder for Martin. Each book shall represent a phase of the journey that ends in closure for most characters. A smaller portion of characters is left with clear-cut cliffhangers to make sure readers come back for the next installment, although ''A Dance with Dragons'' had more cliffhangers than Martin originally intended. Both one-time and regular POV characters are designed to have full character arcs ending in tragedy or triumph, and are written to hold the readers' interest and not be skipped in reading. Main characters are killed off so that the reader will not rely on the hero to come through unscathed and will instead feel the character's fear with each page turn. The unresolved larger narrative arc encourages speculation about future story events. According to Martin, much of the key to ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' future lies over a dozen years in the fictional past, of which each volume reveals more. Events planned from the beginning are foreshadowed, although Martin is careful not to make the story predictable. The viewpoint characters, who serve as unreliable narrators, may clarify or provide different perspectives on past events. Therefore, what the readers believe to be true may not necessarily be true.

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===Character development=== Regarding the characters as the heart of the story, Martin planned the epic ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' to have a large cast of characters and many different settings from the beginning. ''A Feast for Crows'' has a 63-page list of characters, with many of the thousands of characters mentioned only in passing or disappearing from view for long stretches. When Martin adds a new family to the ever-growing number of genealogies in the appendices, he devises a secret about the personality or fate of the family members. However, their backstory remains subject to change until written down in the story. Martin drew most character inspiration from history (without directly translating historical figures) and his own experiences, but also from the manners of his friends, acquaintances, and people of public interest. Martin aims to "make my characters real and to make them human, characters who have good and bad, noble and selfish well-mixed in their natures". Jeff VanderMeer of the ''Los Angeles Times'' remarked that "Martin's devotion to fully inhabiting his characters, for better or worse, creates the unstoppable momentum in his novels and contains an implied criticism of Tolkien's moral simplicity" (see Themes: Moral ambiguity). Martin deliberately ignored the writing rule of never giving two characters names starting with the same letter. Instead, character names reflect the naming systems in various European family histories, where particular names were associated with specific royal houses and where even the secondary families assigned the same names repeatedly. The story of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' therefore has children called "Robert" in honor of King Robert of House Baratheon, a "Brandon" in every other generation of the Starks in commemoration of Brandon the Builder (of the Wall), and the syllable "Ty" commonly occurring in given names of House Lannister. Confident that readers would pay attention, Martin distinguished people sharing a given name by adding numbers or locations to their given names (e.g. Henry V of England). The family names were designed in association with ethnic groups (see backstory): the First Men in the North of Westeros had very simply descriptive names like Stark and Strong, whereas the descendants of the Andal invaders in the South have more elaborate, undescriptive house names like Lannister or Arryn, and the Targaryens and Valyrians from the Eastern continent have the most exotic names with the letter Y. All characters are designed to speak with their own internal voices to capture their views of the world. ''The Atlantic'' pondered whether Martin ultimately intended the readers to sympathize with characters on both sides of the Lannister–Stark feud long before plot developments force them to make their emotional choices. Contrary to most conventional epic fantasies, the characters of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' are vulnerable so that, according to ''The Atlantic'', the reader "cannot be sure that good shall triumph, which makes those instances where it does all the more exulting." Martin gets emotionally involved in the characters' lives during writing, which makes the chapters with dreadful events sometimes very difficult to write. Seeing the world through the characters' eyes requires a certain amount of empathy with them, including the villains, all of whom he has said he loves as if they were his own children. Martin found that some characters had minds of their own and took his writing in different directions. He returns to the intended story if it does not work out, but these detours sometimes prove more rewarding for him. Arya Stark, Tyrion Lannister, Jon Snow, and Daenerys Targaryen generate the most feedback from readers. Martin has stated that Tyrion is his personal favorite, as the grayest of the gray characters, with his cunning and wit making him the most fun to write. Martin has also said that Bran Stark is the hardest character to write. As the character most deeply involved in magic, Bran's story needs to be handled carefully within the supernatural aspects of the books. Bran is also the youngest viewpoint character, and has to deal with the series' adult themes like grief, loneliness, and anger. Martin set out to have the young characters grow up faster between chapters, but, as it was implausible for a character to take two months to respond, a finished book represents very little time passed. Martin hoped the planned five-year break would ease the situation and age the children to almost adults in terms of the Seven Kingdoms, but he later dropped the five-year gap (see section Bridging the timeline gap).

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==Themes== Although involving dragons and sorcery, ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series de-emphasizes magic as compared to many other epic fantasy works (emblem of J. Allen St. John's 1905 fantasy work ''The Face in the Pool''). Although modern fantasy may often embrace strangeness, ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series is generally praised for what is perceived as a sort of medieval realism. Believing that magic should be used moderately in the epic fantasy genre, Martin set out to make the story feel more like historical fiction than contemporary fantasy, with less emphasis on magic and sorcery and more on battles, political intrigue, and the characters. Though the amount of magic has gradually increased throughout the story, the series is still to end with less overt magic than most contemporary fantasies. In Martin's eyes, literary effective magic needs to represent strange and dangerous forces beyond human comprehension, not advanced alien technologies or formulaic spells. As such, the characters understand only the natural aspects of their world, but not the magical elements like the Others. Since Martin drew on historical sources to build the world of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' , Damien G. Walter of ''The Guardian'' saw a strong resemblance between Westeros and England in the period of the Wars of the Roses. ''The Atlantic'' Adam Serwer regarded ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' as "more a story of politics than one of heroism, a story about humanity wrestling with its baser obsessions than fulfilling its glorious potential", where the emergent power struggle stems from the feudal system's repression and not from the fight between good and evil. Martin not only wanted to reflect the frictions of the medieval class structures in the novels, but also explore the consequences of the leaders' decisions, as general goodness does not automatically make competent leaders and vice versa. A common theme in the fantasy genre is the battle between good and evil, which Martin rejects for not mirroring the real world. Attracted to gray characters, Martin instead endorses William Faulkner's view that only the human heart in conflict with itself was worth writing about. Martin explores the questions of redemption and character change in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series. The multiple viewpoint structure allows characters to be explored from many sides, such that the supposed villains can provide their viewpoint. Although fantasy comes from an imaginative realm, Martin sees an honest necessity to reflect the real world where people die sometimes ugly deaths, even beloved people. Main characters are killed off so that the reader will not expect the supposed hero to survive, and instead will feel the same tension and fear that the characters might. The novels also reflect the substantial death rates in war. The deaths of supernumerary extras or orcs have no major effect on readers, whereas a friend's death has much more emotional impact. Martin prefers a hero's sacrifice to say something profound about human nature. According to Martin, the fantasy genre rarely focuses on sex and sexuality, instead often treating sexuality in a juvenile way or neglecting it completely. Martin, however, considers sexuality an important driving force in human life that should not be excluded from the narrative. Providing sensory detail for an immersive experience is more important than plot advancement for Martin, who aims to let the readers experience the novels' sex scenes, "whether it's a great transcendent, exciting, mind blowing sex, or whether it's disturbing, twisted, dark sex, or disappointing perfunctory sex." Martin was fascinated by medieval contrasts where knights venerated their ladies with poems and wore their favors in tournaments while their armies mindlessly raped women in wartime. The non-existent concept of adolescence in the Middle Ages served as a model for Daenerys' sexual activity at the age of 13 in the books. The novels also allude to the incestuous practices in the Ptolemaic dynasty of Ancient Egypt to keep their bloodlines pure. Martin provides a variety of female characters to explore the place of women in a patriarchal society. Writing all characters as human beings with the same basic needs, dreams, and influences, his female characters are to cover the same wide spectrum of human traits as the males.

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===Critical response=== ''Science Fiction Weekly'' stated in 2000 that "few would dispute that Martin's most monumental achievement to date has been the groundbreaking ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' historical fantasy series", for which reviews have been "orders of magnitude better" than for his previous works, as Martin described to ''The New Yorker''. In 2007, ''Weird Tales'' magazine described the series as a "superb fantasy saga" that "raised Martin to a whole new level of success". Shortly before the release of ''A Dance with Dragons'' in 2011, Bill Sheehan of ''The Washington Post'' was sure that "no work of fantasy has generated such anticipation since Harry Potter's final duel with Voldemort", and Ethan Sacks of ''Daily News'' saw the series turning Martin into a darling of literary critics as well as mainstream readers, which was "rare for a fantasy genre that's often dismissed as garbage not fit to line the bottom of a dragon's cage". Salon.com's Andrew Leonard stated: ''Publishers Weekly'' noted in 2000 that "Martin may not rival Tolkien or Robert Jordan, but he ranks with such accomplished medievalists of fantasy as Poul Anderson and Gordon Dickson." After the fourth volume came out in 2005, ''Time'' Lev Grossman considered Martin a "major force for evolution in fantasy" and proclaimed him "the American Tolkien", explaining that, although Martin was "not the best known of America's straight-up fantasy writers" at the time and would "never win a Pulitzer or a National Book Award ... his skill as a crafter of narrative exceeds that of almost any literary novelist writing today". As Grossman said in 2011, the phrase ''American Tolkien'' "has stuck to Martin, as it was meant to", being picked up by the media including ''The New York Times'' ("He's much better than that"), the ''New Yorker'', ''Entertainment Weekly'' ("an acclaim that borders on fantasy blasphemy"), ''The Globe and Mail'', and ''USA Today''. ''Time'' magazine named Martin one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2011, and ''USA Today'' named George R.R. Martin their Author of the Year 2011. According to ''The Globe and Mail'' John Barber, Martin manages simultaneously to master and transcend the genre so that "Critics applaud the depth of his characterizations and lack of cliché in books that are nonetheless replete with dwarves and dragons". ''Publishers Weekly'' gave favorable reviews to the first three ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' novels at their points of release, saying that ''A Game of Thrones'' had "superbly developed characters, accomplished prose and sheer bloody-mindedness", that ''A Clash of Kings'' was "notable particularly for the lived-in quality of their fictional world and for the comparatively modest role of magic", and that ''A Storm of Swords'' was one "of the more rewarding examples of gigantism in contemporary fantasy". However, they found that ''A Feast For Crows'' as the fourth installment "sorely misses its other half. The slim pickings here are tasty, but in no way satisfying." Their review for ''A Dance with Dragons'' repeated points of criticism for the fourth volume, and said that, although "The new volume has a similar feel to ''Feast''", "Martin keeps it fresh by focusing on popular characters who were notably absent from the previous book." According to the ''Los Angeles Times'', "Martin's brilliance in evoking atmosphere through description is an enduring hallmark of his fiction, the settings much more than just props on a painted stage", and the novels captivate readers with "complex storylines, fascinating characters, great dialogue, perfect pacing, and the willingness to kill off even his major characters". CNN remarked that "the story weaves through differing points of view in a skillful mix of observation, narration and well-crafted dialogue that illuminates both character and plot with fascinating style", and David Orr of ''The New York Times'' found that "All of his hundreds of characters have grace notes of history and personality that advance a plot line. Every town has an elaborately recalled series of triumphs and troubles." Salon.com's Andrew Leonard "couldn't stop reading Martin because my desire to know what was going to happen combined with my absolute inability to guess what would happen and left me helpless before his sorcery. At the end, I felt shaken and exhausted." ''The Christian Science Monitor'' advised reading the novels with an ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' encyclopedia at hand to "catch all the layered, subtle hints and details that Martin leaves throughout his books. If you pay attention, you will be rewarded and questions will be answered." Among the most critical voices were Sam Jordison and Michael Hann, both of ''The Guardian''. Jordison detailed his misgivings about ''A Game of Thrones'' in a 2009 review and summarized "It's daft. It's unsophisticated. It's cartoonish. And yet, I couldn't stop reading .... Archaic absurdity aside, Martin's writing is excellent. His dialogue is snappy and frequently funny. His descriptive prose is immediate and atmospheric, especially when it comes to building a sense of deliciously dark foreboding of the long impending winter." Hann did not consider the novels to stand out from the general fantasy genre, despite Martin's alterations to fantasy convention, although he rediscovered his childhood's views: Academic literary criticism has been slow to engage with the series; there will likely be much more criticism if and when the series is completed. The first scholarly monograph on the series is ''George R. R. Martin and the Fantasy Form'', by New Zealand scholar Joseph Rex Young.

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===Sales=== Sales performance of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series in the ''New York Times'' combined print and e-book fiction bestseller list in 2011 between the airing of the ''Game of Thrones'' pilot episode and the publication of ''A Dance with Dragons''. The reported overall sales figures of the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series vary. ''The New Yorker'' said in April 2011 (before the publication of ''A Dance with Dragons'') that more than 15 million ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' books had been sold worldwide, a figure repeated by ''The Globe and Mail'' in July 2011. Reuters reported in September 2013 that the books including print, digital and audio versions have sold more than 24 million copies in North America. ''The Wall Street Journal'' reported more than six million sold copies in North America by May 2011. ''USA Today'' reported 8.5 million copies in print and digital overall in July 2011, and over 12 million sold copies in print in December 2011. The series has been translated into more than 20 languages; ''USA Today'' reported the fifth book to be translated into over 40 languages. ''Forbes'' estimated that Martin was the 12th highest-earning author worldwide in 2011 at $15 million. Martin's publishers initially expected ''A Game of Thrones'' to be a best-seller, but the first installment did not even reach any lower positions in bestseller list. This left Martin unsurprised, as it is "a fool's game to think anything is going to be successful or to count on it". However, the book slowly won the passionate advocacy of independent booksellers and the book's popularity grew by word of mouth. The series' popularity skyrocketed in subsequent volumes, with the second and third volume making ''The New York Times'' Best Seller lists in 1999 and 2000, respectively. The series gained Martin's old writings new attention, and Martin's American publisher Bantam Spectra was to reprint his out-of-print solo novels. The fourth installment, ''A Feast for Crows'', was an immediate best-seller at its 2005 release, hitting number one on "The New York Times" hardcover fiction bestseller list November 27, 2005, which for a fantasy novel suggested that Martin's books were attracting mainstream readers. The paperback edition of ''A Game of Thrones'' reached its 34th printing in 2010, surpassing the one million mark. Before it even premiered, the TV series had boosted sales of the book series, with ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' approaching triple-digit growth in year-on-year sales. Bantam was looking forward to seeing the tie-ins boost sales further, and Martin's British publisher Harper Voyager expected readers to rediscover their other epic fantasy literature. With a reported 4.5 million copies of the first four volumes in print in early 2011, the four volumes re-appeared on the paperback fiction bestseller lists in the second quarter of 2011. At its point of publication in July 2011, ''A Dance with Dragons'' was in its sixth print with more than 650,000 hardbacks in print. It also had the highest single and first-day sales of any new fiction title published in 2011 at that point, with 170,000 hardcovers, 110,000 e-books, and 18,000 audio books reportedly sold on the first day. ''A Dance with Dragons'' reached the top of ''The New York Times'' bestseller list on July 31, 2011. Unlike most other big titles, the fifth volume sold more physical than digital copies early on, but nevertheless, Martin became the tenth author to sell 1 million Amazon Kindle e-books. All five volumes and the four-volume boxed set were among the top 100 best-selling books in the United States in 2011 and 2012. The TV series has contributed significantly boosting sales of both the books and collectibles like box-sets, merchandise, and other items. The TV series also contributed in increasing the geographic coverage of the books, introducing new customers in emerging countries like India and Brazil to the book series. All this has significantly increased the overall book sales. As of April 2019, the book series has sold 90million copies worldwide.

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===Fandom=== During the 1980s and early 1990s, Martin's novels had slowly earned him a reputation in science fiction circles, although he said to only have received a few fans' letters a year in the pre-internet days. The publication of ''A Game of Thrones'' caused Martin's following to grow, with fan sites springing up and a Trekkie-like society of followers evolving that meet regularly. Westeros.org, one of the main ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' fansites with about seventeen thousand registered members , was co-founded in 1999 by a Swedish-based fan of Cuban descent, Elio M. García, Jr., as well as Linda Antonsson, who introduced him to the series; their involvement with Martin's work has now become semi-professional. The Brotherhood Without Banners, an unofficial fan club operating globally, was formed in 2001. Their founders and other longtime members are among Martin's good friends. Martin runs an official website and administers a lively blog with the assistance of Ty Franck. He also interacts with fandom by answering emails and letters, although he stated in 2005 that their sheer numbers might leave them unanswered for years. Since there are different types of conventions nowadays, he tends to go to three or four science-fiction conventions a year simply to go back to his roots and meet friends. He does not read message boards anymore, so that his writing will not be influenced by fans foreseeing twists and interpreting characters differently from what he intended. While Martin calls the majority of his fans "great", and enjoys interacting with them, some of them turned against him because of the six years it took to release ''A Dance with Dragons''. A movement of disaffected fans called GRRuMblers formed in 2009, creating sites such as ''Finish the Book, George'' and ''Is Winter Coming?'' When fans' vocal impatience for ''A Dance with Dragons'' peaked shortly after, Martin issued a statement called "To My Detractors" on his blog that received media attention. ''The New York Times'' noted that it was not uncommon for Martin to be mobbed at book signings either. ''The New Yorker'' called this "an astonishing amount of effort to devote to denouncing the author of books one professes to love. Few contemporary authors can claim to have inspired such passion."

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===Awards and nominations=== * ''A Game of Thrones'' (1996) – Locus Award winner, World Fantasy Award and Nebula Award nominee, 1997 * ''A Clash of Kings'' (1998) – Locus Award winner, Nebula Award nominee, 1999 * ''A Storm of Swords'' (2000) – Locus Award winner, Hugo Award and Nebula Awards nominee, 2001 * ''A Feast for Crows'' (2005) – Hugo, Locus, and British Fantasy Awards nominee, 2006 * ''A Dance with Dragons'' (2011) – Locus Award winner, Hugo Award and World Fantasy Award nominee, 2012

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===Novellas=== Martin has written several prequel novellas. The ''Tales of Dunk and Egg'' series, three novellas set 90 years before the events of the novel series, feature the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire "Egg", who later became King Aegon V Targaryen. The stories have no direct connection to the plot of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', although both characters are mentioned in ''A Storm of Swords'' and ''A Feast For Crows'', respectively. The first installment, ''The Hedge Knight'', was published in the 1998 anthology ''Legends''. ''The Sworn Sword'' followed in 2003, published in ''Legends II''. Both were later adapted into graphic novels. The third novella, ''The Mystery Knight'', was first published in the 2010 anthology ''Warriors'' and in 2017 it was adapted as a graphic novel, as well. In 2015, the first three novellas were published as one illustrated collection, ''A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms''. The novella ''The Princess and the Queen or, the Blacks and the Greens'' appeared in Tor Books's 2013 anthology ''Dangerous Women'' and explains some of the Targaryen backstory two centuries before the events of the novels. ''The Rogue Prince, or, the King's Brother'', published in the 2014 anthology ''Rogues'', is itself a prequel to the events of ''The Princess and the Queen''. The novella ''The Sons of the Dragon'', published in the 2017 anthology ''The Book of Swords'', is the story of Aegon the Conqueror's two sons Aenys I and Maegor I "The Cruel". All three of these stories were incorporated as parts of ''Fire and Blood,'' a book chronicling the history of the Targaryen line. Chapter sets from the novels were also compiled into three novellas that were released between 1996 and 2003 by ''Asimov's Science Fiction'' and ''Dragon'': * ''Blood of the Dragon'' (July 1996), taken from the Daenerys chapters in ''A Game of Thrones'' * ''Path of the Dragon'' (December 2000), taken from the Daenerys chapters in ''A Storm of Swords'' * ''Arms of the Kraken'' (March 2003), based on the Iron Islands chapters from ''A Feast for Crows''

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===''Fire & Blood''=== ''Fire & Blood'' is Martin's complete history of House Targaryen, to be released in two volumes. The first volume was released on November 20, 2018.

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===TV series=== With the popularity of the series growing, HBO optioned ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' for a television adaptation in 2007. A pilot episode was produced in late 2009, and a series commitment for nine further episodes was made in March 2010. The series, titled ''Game of Thrones'', premiered in April 2011 to great acclaim and ratings (see ''Game of Thrones'': Reception). The network picked up the show for a second season covering ''A Clash of Kings'' two days later. Shortly after the conclusion of the first season, the show received 13 Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, winning Outstanding Main Title Design and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Peter Dinklage's portrayal of Tyrion Lannister. HBO announced a renewal for a third season in April 2012, ten days after the season 2 premiere. Due to the length of the corresponding book, the third season only covered roughly the first half of ''A Storm of Swords''. Shortly after the season 3 premiere in March 2013, the network announced that ''Game of Thrones'' would be returning for a fourth season, which would cover the second half of ''A Storm of Swords ''along with the beginnings of ''A Feast for Crows ''and ''A Dance With Dragons''. ''Game of Thrones'' was nominated for 15 Emmy Awards for season 3. Two days after the fourth season premiered in April 2014, HBO renewed ''Game of Thrones'' for a fifth and sixth season. Season 5 premiered on April 12, 2015 and set a Guinness World Records for winning the highest number of Emmy Awards for a series in a single season and year, winning 12 out of 24 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series. These episodes were watched by 8 million viewers, setting a record number for the series. The sixth season premiered on April 24, 2016. These episodes received the most nominations for the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards with 23, winning 12, including the award for Outstanding Drama Series. The seventh season premiered on July 16, 2017. The eighth and final season premiered on April 14, 2019.

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===Other works=== ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' has spawned an industry of spin-off products. Fantasy Flight Games released a collectible card game, a board game, and two collections of artwork inspired by ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series. Various roleplaying game products were released by Guardians of Order and Green Ronin. Dynamite Entertainment adapted ''A Game of Thrones'' into a same-titled monthly comic in 2011. Several video games are available or in production, including ''A Game of Thrones: Genesis'' (2011) and ''Game of Thrones'' (2012) by Cyanide; both received mediocre ratings from critics. A social network game titled ''Game of Thrones Ascent'' (2013) by Disruptor Beam allows players to live the life of a noble during the series' period setting. Random House released an official map book called ''The Lands of Ice and Fire'', which includes old and new maps of the ''Ice and Fire'' world. The companion book ''The World of Ice & Fire'' by Martin and the Westeros.org owners Elio M. García Jr. and Linda Antonsson was published in October 2014. Other licensed products include full-sized weapon reproductions, a range of collectable figures, Westeros coinage reproductions, and a large number of gift and collectible items based on the HBO television series. The popularity of the HBO series has made its version of the Iron Throne an icon of the entire media franchise.

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== See also == * Outline of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' franchise

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==External links== * George R. R. Martin's Official Website * So Spake Martin, Collection of statements, correspondences and interviews by George R. R. Martin.

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'''The High Sparrow''' is a fictional character in the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' series of high fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones''. The High Sparrow first appears in ''A Feast for Crows'' (2005) and subsequently appeared in Martin's ''A Dance with Dragons'' (2011). He is the de facto leader of the protest 'sparrow' movement that arises from the Faith of the Seven as a result of the carnage inflicted by the War of Five Kings. Although he appears to be humble and compassionate, his demeanor belies his shrewd and unrelenting fanaticism, which often borders on dangerous zealotry. He becomes of central importance to the shadow conflicts at court between Houses Lannister and Tyrell, and is open about his disgust with the corruption and impiety in the capital. His true name is unknown; his title was given mockingly by political opponents as a comparison to the formal leader of the Faith, the High Septon. The character is portrayed by Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce in the HBO television adaptation.

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==Character profile== The High Sparrow is a prominent member of the "sparrows", a religious movement formed during the War of the Five Kings, and a septon (priest) in the Faith of the Seven. He is a small, thin, hard-eyed, grey-haired old man with a heavily lined face. He does not wear rich robes or any gold; instead, he wears a simple white wool tunic. The High Sparrow is not a point of view character in the novels, so his actions are witnessed and interpreted through the eyes of other people, such as Cersei Lannister. The High Sparrow is mostly a background character in the novels.

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==== ''A Feast for Crows'' ==== In the aftermath of the War of Five Kings, "Sparrows", religious folk seeking the protection of King Tommen Baratheon following a spate of atrocities committed against members of the Faith of the Seven, converge on King's Landing. When the Most Devout convene to elect the new High Septon, the sparrows hijack the selection process and force the selection of their leader, who is dubbed the "High Sparrow" by the royal fool Moon Boy. Cersei Lannister permits the High Sparrow to re-establish the Faith Militant, the military arm of the Faith, in return for the Faith forgiving the Crown's debt to it and blessing Tommen. The Faith Militant subsequently arrest Margaery Tyrell and several of her cousins when Cersei's confidante Osney Kettleblack claims to having slept with the women. The High Sparrow is suspicious of Osney's testimony (not unfairly, as Osney had been persuaded to perjure Margaery by Cersei to shore up her own power) and has him tortured until he confesses not only that Cersei arranged for his false testimony, but also that she ordered him to kill the previous High Septon. When Cersei visits the Great Sept of Baelor, the High Sparrow has her arrested and imprisoned.

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==== ''A Dance with Dragons'' ==== The High Sparrow releases Margaery and her cousins into Randyll Tarly's custody due to the weakness of the evidence against them, but continues to hold Cersei prisoner. In order to obtain visitors, Cersei confesses to bedding the Kettleblack brothers as well as her cousin Lancel. The High Sparrow agrees to release her on condition of performing a walk of penance, naked, through the streets of King's Landing.

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==TV adaptation== Jonathan Pryce plays the role of The High Sparrow in the television series. The High Sparrow is played by the Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce in the television adaption of the series of books. Pryce admitted that one of the main reasons he took the role was because of how influential the character is plot-wise. While at first being quite sceptical about "sword and sorcery" shows, he later had a change of heart after his positive experiences on the ''Game of Thrones'' sets. I quite like the fact that people are going, "Oh, he's a horrible character!" And I'm going, "No! He's one of the good people in Game of Thrones! He's clearing out all the bad people!

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====Season 5==== The High Sparrow arrives in King's Landing after Tywin Lannister's death to serve the poor, downtrodden, and infirm. He quickly amasses a large following, including Cersei Lannister's cousin and former lover Lancel, who are dubbed the "sparrows". He comes to the attention of Cersei after Lancel and the other sparrows force the High Septon to walk naked through the streets as punishment for soliciting prostitutes. The High Septon demands the High Sparrow's execution, but Cersei instead has the High Septon imprisoned and the High Sparrow appointed as his successor. To further gain his support, Cersei also reinstates the Faith Militant. Hoping to destabilise House Tyrell, Cersei arranges for the Faith Militant to arrest Loras Tyrell for being homosexual, with Margaery also arrested when she lies in an attempt to exonerate him. However, Lancel confesses to his affair with Cersei, as well as their role in Robert Baratheon's death. Cersei is subsequently arrested when she visits the Great Sept of Baelor. She eventually confesses to her adultery with Lancel to secure her release, and is ordered to walk naked through the streets of King's Landing as punishment.

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====Season 6==== The High Sparrow is confronted by Jaime Lannister, who is furious at Cersei's treatment at his hands, though Jaime is forced to stand down when the Faith Militant surround him. When Tommen begins visiting the High Sparrow to negotiate visits with Margaery, he begins to fall under the High Sparrow's influence. Jaime marches on the Great Sept with the Tyrell army to secure Margaery and Loras' release, but is thwarted when Tommen reveals that he has formed an alliance between the Crown and the Faith. The High Sparrow's thrall over Tommen leads him to abolish trial by combat, thwarting Cersei's hopes of being absolved by that means. Tommen announces that Loras and Cersei's trials will be held on the same day, but on the day of the trial both Cersei and Tommen fail to appear. Margaery realises that Cersei has set a trap and tries to persuade the High Sparrow to evacuate the Great Sept, but he refuses and orders the Faith Militant to restrain the crowd. Moments later, wildfire primed by Cersei's subordinate Qyburn detonates beneath the Sept, with the High Sparrow instantly vaporised in the resulting explosion.

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The music for the fantasy TV series ''Game of Thrones'' is composed by Ramin Djawadi. The music is primarily non-diegetic and instrumental with the occasional vocal performances, and is created to support musically the characters and plots of the show. It features various themes, the most prominent being the "main title theme" that accompanies the series' title sequence. In every season, a soundtrack album was released. The music for the show has won a number of awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series in 2018. A series of concerts which featured ''Game of Thrones'' music, ''Game of Thrones'' Live Concert Experience with composer Ramin Djawadi, took place in 2017–2018. First to be performed in Saint Paul, Minnesota, it then went on to tour across the United States, Canada and Europe. This is followed by a world tour starting May 2018 in Madrid. The music of ''Game of Thrones'' has inspired many cover versions; the main title theme is particularly popular. There are also decidedly non-medieval renditions of songs from the series's source novels by indie bands. These adaptations, according to ''Wired'', create attention for the series in media that wouldn't normally cover it, but are also notable for their musical merits independent of the series.

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==Background== Initially a different composer, Stephen Warbeck, was hired for the pilot episode of ''Game of Thrones'' but he left the project. The music consultant for HBO and music supervisor of ''Game of Thrones'' Evyen Klean then suggested Ramin Djawadi to David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Djawadi, although initially interested, declined the offer three days later as the schedule conflicted with a film project he was working on. However, after a few meetings, Djawadi was persuaded to take on the project. The showrunners Benioff and Weiss sent Djawadi the first two episodes of the series, which impressed Djawadi. He arranged a meeting with Benioff and Weiss to discuss the concept of the series, after which he began to compose the music for the series. According to Djawadi, Benioff and Weiss were interested in using music to support the different characters and plots. They wanted the music to express the emotion and mood of each scene in the series, and that distinct themes should be created for the main characters. Benioff and Weiss also wanted a soundscape that is distinct from other productions in the fantasy genre, therefore flutes and solo vocals were initially avoided. Cello became a prominent feature of the music of ''Game of Thrones'', notably in its title theme.

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===Composition and recording=== The process of composition is essentially the same throughout the series. Once the filming is nearly completed, episodes are sent to Djawadi either singly or in batches of multiple episodes as they were being edited together but often before any special effects added to the footage. Benioff and Weiss would also inform Djawadi in advance of the need to expand a theme or create new themes for characters. Djawadi wrote all the music in Santa Monica, California. Asked in interview about the overall process of composing the music and how it is used in the series, Djawadi said: "I sit with David and Dan and we do what's called a spotting session where we watch the entire episode and then discuss when music should start and stop. Everybody's very involved with that. And it constantly gets played with. What I love about ''Game of Thrones'' is that the positioning of the music is so well done, because it's not overdone. When the music cuts in, it really has something to say." The recordings of most of the soundtracks were conducted in Prague with The Czech Film Orchestra and Choir. Djawadi interacted with the orchestra over the internet and was present during the entire recording session, giving comments on the recordings via the internet.

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===Main Title=== According to Djawadi, the series creators wanted the main title theme that accompany the ''Game of Thrones'' title sequence to be about a journey as there are many locations, characters in the series and involves much traveling. After Djawadi had seen the preliminary animated title sequence the visual effect artists were still working on, he was inspired to write the piece. Djawadi said he intended to capture the overall impression of the series with the theme tune. The title theme is unusually long for a television series at nearly two minutes long, and cello was chosen as the main instrument for the music as he thought it has a "darker sound" that suited the series. The main title theme may also be incorporated into other music segments within the show, particularly at climactic moments.

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===Houses and characters=== Djawadi composed an individual leitmotif or theme for each of the major houses, as well as for some locations and some characters. These themes are often played in scenes involving them and they can be used to tell a story. Not all characters would have their own themes due to the large number of characters in the series. The theme for House Stark is the first theme to be composed and is played on a cello. Most of the Stark characters only have variations on the same theme on cello. Arya Stark is the first of the house to have her own theme, first heard when she started her lesson on swordplay in episode three of season one, with the music featuring a hammered dulcimer. A new theme for Jon Snow, previously using only the House Stark theme, was created in the sixth season and prominently featured in the episode "Battle of the Bastards". It was first heard at the end of episode three when he said "My watch is ended", signifying a shift in the character after he had been resurrected. Due to the large number of themes, the introductions of different themes are also deliberately spaced over a longer period so as not to confuse the audience, for example, the theme for Theon Greyjoy or House Greyjoy was not introduced until the second season even though he first appeared in the first season. House Lannister has an associated song, "The Rains of Castamere", which became their theme. The song was played at the Red Wedding, but first heard when Tyrion Lannister whistled a small part in the first episode of the second season. When a theme has become established, different versions that are darker or lighter are then introduced, and concepts such as honor and conspiracy are also represented in themes. Djawadi chose distinctive sounds and instruments for different leitmotifs and themes, for example, didgeridoos are used for the wildlings, while the Armenian duduk flute is used for the Dothrakis. The duduk flute has a different sound from other flutes, which were deliberately avoided as they are frequently used in other fantasy films. The themes for the White Walkers and the Night King are more of sound designs rather than regular themes; the White Walker theme initially employed a glass harmonica for a "really high, eerie, icy sound", but became fully orchestral when the army of the dead was revealed in the season two finale. The theme music for the White Walker extended over time into the music of the Army of the Dead, representing the gathering strength of Army of the Dead, which was only introduced in full in the finale of the seventh season when the Wall fell. The themes may evolve over time in the series. The theme for Daenerys Targaryen started small, but became grander as she became more powerful. Her theme was initially played with a single instrument such as a processed cello, but later began incorporating more instruments, including Japanese taiko-inspired drums, Indonesian bedug drums, and an Armenian duduk flute. Syllables and words in Valyrian, a fictional language of ''Game of Thrones'', are also used in her theme music, although not as whole sentences. The instrumentation for her theme are also used for dragon attacks. For the dragons, the theme was first heard when they hatched at the end of season one as a quiet high-pitched melody, but developed into something more powerful by the time they became fully grown, for example it was played with French horns in the loot train attack scene in the seventh season. Different themes may also be combined in some themes and scenes. For example, in Season 5, the music for House of Black and White is an extension from the themes for Arya and Jaqen H'ghar. During the first scene of the fourth season, as Ice, the Stark sword, is reforged by Tywin Lannister, the Starks' and Lannisters' themes are clearly played simultaneously, to finally end with the Lannister theme only. In the finale of Season 6 with the shot of the armada at the end, at least five themes were combined – themes for Daenerys, Theon, the Unsullied, the dragons, and the main title.

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===List of themes=== *House Baratheon ("The King's Arrival") *House Bolton ("Reek", "Let's Play a Game") *House Greyjoy ("What Is Dead May Never Die", "Ironborn") *House Lannister ("A Lannister Always Pays His Debts", "The Rains of Castamere") *House Martell ("Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken", "Jaws of the Viper") *House Stark ("Goodbye Brother", "Home", "The Last of the Starks") *House Targaryen ("Fire and Blood") *House Tyrell ("Service of the Gods") *Army of the Dead ("The Army of the Dead") *Children of the Forest ("He Is Lost") *Dragons ("Breaker of Chains", "Blood of the Dragon") *Night's Watch ("The Night's Watch") *Red Priests ("Warrior of Light", "The Red Woman") *Sons of the Harpy ("Sons of the Harpy") *Thenns ("Thenns", "Let's Kill Some Crows") *Unsullied ("Dracarys", "Casterly Rock") *White Walkers ("White Walkers") *Wildlings ("We Are the Watchers on the Wall") ;Characters (with themes different than their House theme) *Arya Stark ("The Pointy End", "Needle", "The Children") *Brienne of Tarth ("The Old Gods and the New", "Feed the Hounds", used as a theme for Catelyn Stark in season 1) *Cersei Lannister ("Light of the Seven") *Daenerys Targaryen ("Finale", "Mhysa") *Jaime Lannister ("Kingslayer") *Jaqen H'ghar ("Valar Morghulis") *Joffrey Baratheon ("You Win or You Die") *Jon Snow ("My Watch Has Ended", "Bastard") *The Mountain ("I Choose Violence") *Three-Eyed Raven ("Three-Eyed Raven") *Stannis Baratheon ("Warrior of Light", "Don't Die With a Clean Sword") *Petyr Baelish ("Chaos is a Ladder") *The Night King ("The Night King") * House of Black and White ("Valar Morghulis", "House of Black and White") *Daenerys and Khal Drogo ("Love in the Eyes") *Daenerys and Jon Snow ("Truth", "The Iron Throne") *Greyworm and Missandei ("I'm Sorry for Today") *Jon Snow and Ygritte ("You Know Nothing", "The Real North") *Robb Stark and Talisa ("I Am Hers, She Is Mine", also used as a love theme in general) *Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth (“The White Book”) *The Long Night ("The Night King", "Farewell") *Conspiracy ("Chaos Is a Ladder", "The Dagger")

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==Other compositions and songs== Various pieces of music are also composed for particular plot lines in the series. A notable piece is the "Light of the Seven", which is played at the beginning of the final episode of season 6, "The Winds of Winter". This piece, which is over nine minutes long, is unusual in its choice of piano as that instrument had not been used before on the series. Additionally, such long pieces are seldom used, although in season 6 soundtracks cover a 10-minute section in the Hodor scenes in "The Door" episode and a 22-minute sequence in the "Battle of the Bastards" episode. Djawadi composed a number of songs for the show using lyrics from the books ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', the most prominent of which is "The Rains of Castamere". The National recorded the song in the season 2, and Sigur Rós recorded it in season 4 for a cameo appearance. In season 3, Gary Lightbody appeared in a cameo amongst other captors of Brienne of Tarth and Jamie Lannister in season 3 episode 4 to sing "The Bear and the Maiden Fair", and a recording of the song performed by The Hold Steady was played over that episode's closing credits. The same season Kerry Ingram, who played the character Shireen Baratheon, sang "It's Always Summer Under the Sea". The character Bronn, played by Jerome Flynn, sang "The Dornishman's Wife" in season 5, and Ed Sheeran appeared in a cameo to perform "Hands of Gold" composed by Ramin Djawadi in season 7. However, neither of the latter two songs was used in the soundtrack albums. In season 8, Daniel Portman who played the character Podrick Payne sang"Jenny of Oldstones" a song from the book ''A Storm of Swords'' but with additional lyrics by David Benioff and Dan Weiss and composer Ramin Djawadi providing the music. The full version of the song titled "Jenny of Oldstones" was sung by Florence Welch, and played over the closing credits of the second episode "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms". It was released as a single of Florence + the Machine.

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==Releases== In every season, a soundtrack album of the music used in that season was released toward the end of the season. The first two were released by Varèse Sarabande, while all subsequent releases were by WaterTower Music. Mixtapes were also released in 2014 and 2015 before the start of the fourth and fifth season respectively and they were available as free downloads to promote the season.

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===Tie-in album=== A companion album, '''For the Throne: Music Inspired by the HBO Series Game of Thrones'', comprising songs that are inspired by the show but not featured in it. A single, "Power Is Power" by SZA, The Weeknd and Travis Scott, was released as the lead single from the album. The title of the song quotes a line spoken by Cersei. ''For the Throne: Music Inspired by the HBO Series Game of Thrones''

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===Mixtapes=== ''Catch the Throne: Volume I'' ''Catch the Throne: Volume II''

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==Tours== A concert tour featuring the music of ''Game of Thrones'' was produced in 2017. The tour involved an 80-piece orchestra, a choir, and seven custom 360-degree stages. Instruments were specially created for the tour, such as a 12-foot Wildling horn played during the Wildling attack on the Wall section. A world tour was also arranged for cities in Europe and North America in 2018, with new music from season 7 added.

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=== Awards and nominations === International Film Music Critics Association Best Original Score for a Television Series International Film Music Critics Association Best Original Score for a Television Series 66th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) Episode: "The Mountain and the Viper" Hollywood Music in Media Awards Best Original Score – TV Show/Digital Streaming Series Television Composer of the Year International Film Music Critics Association Best Original Score for a Television Series Film Music Composition of the Year Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media 70th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Music Composition for a Series Episode: "The Dragon and the Wolf"

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==See also== * ''For the Throne: Music Inspired by the HBO Series Game of Thrones'' (2019) * For other music based on the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' novels, see Works based on A Song of Ice and Fire.

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'''''A Game of Thrones''''' is a role-playing game produced by Guardians of Order based on the ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' fantasy series by George R. R. Martin.

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==Description== The game is designed to be usable with two RPG systems: the d20 System and the Tri-Stat dX system. Two editions were made: a serial-numbered edition limited to 2500 copies, ; and a standard edition, . The limited edition is faux-leather bound with silver gilt pages and includes rules for both systems, and includes an interview with Martin. The standard edition contains only the d20 system rules. The book was created by Guardians of Order and released by Sword & Sorcery, a subsidiary of White Wolf Games.

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==Reception== The ''A Game of Thrones'' RPG (AGOT RPG) was nominated for several ENnie Awards and won 2006 awards for: Best Production (Silver), Best Game (Silver), and Best d20/OGL Product (Silver).

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==History== On 28 July 2006, Martin announced that he had received word from the head of Guardians of Order that the company was folding and that no further releases for the setting would take place. Martin expressed hope that the game may be salvaged by another company, though he also said that he was experiencing difficulty in trying to recover his intellectual property rights. On 7 March 2007 Martin wrote that he had regained control of his intellectual property rights and was "all square" with Guardians of Order. As part of their settlement, Mr. Martin received all remaining stock of the limited edition version of the RPG. No further information regarding the settlement was revealed, nor the status of other creditors' claims on the property. On 24 April 2007, it was on Martin's website that Green Ronin was producing a new line of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' RPG products, unrelated to the earlier Guardians of Order effort. The Green Ronin game, titled ''A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying'' (''SIFRP''), went on sale on 10 March 2009: it uses a custom game system and does not contain rules from either the d20 or Tri-Stat dX systems. Issue 307 of ''Dragon'' magazine featured D20 content related to ''ASOIAF'', including stats for Tyrion Lannister, Sandor Clegane and other prominent characters; adventure hooks; and a brother of the Night's Watch prestige class.

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==See also== *A Game of Thrones (board game) *A Game of Thrones collectible card game

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"'''A Golden Crown'''" is the sixth episode of the first season of the HBO medieval fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones'', first aired on May 22, 2011. The teleplay was written by Jane Espenson, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss from a story by Benioff and Weiss, and directed by Daniel Minahan, his directorial debut for the series. The episode's plot depicts the deterioration of the political balance of the seven kingdoms, with Eddard Stark having to deal with the Lannister aggressions while King Robert is away on a hunt. At the Eyrie, Tyrion is put on trial, and across the Narrow Sea, Viserys Targaryen is determined to force Khal Drogo to make him king. The episode was well received by critics, who praised aspects of the King's Landing storyline and the culmination of Viserys's storyline. In the United States, the episode achieved a viewership of 2.4 million in its initial broadcast.

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