num_pages: 86
description: The HBO series Game of Thrones, based on the George R.R. Martin books, is one of the most popular television shows of recent years. Set on the island of Westeros, it tells of the struggle by various families to win the Iron Throne and so rule ‘the Realm’.  Although fantasy, Game of Thrones borrows heavily from real history, including elements from the Crusades, Spartans and Byzantines. Most of all, however, this saga tells the story of the realm of England and how it came to be, from the first men and the Angles to the Conquest and War of the Roses.  It takes in the myths and migrations of ancient Britain and the culture of the medieval monarchy and tells that story better than most historical fiction, capturing not just the pageantry and violence of the time, but the psychology too, with characters who are neither good nor bad but simply of their time.  It is a gripping and fantastic tale; so, too, is the real game of thrones for the crown of England, as recalled in Ed West’s The Realm, a story that should be read by every fan of the television series.  Ed West is a blogger for the Spectator and deputy editor of the Catholic Herald. His previous Kindle Single was The Silence of Our Friends, on the persecution of Middle Eastern Christians. He lives in north London with his wife and three children.
language: English
title: The Realm: The True history behind Game of Thrones