Query: Daenerys Targaryen is a real person.

Relevant passages:
A Game of Thrones <=SEP=> A Game of Thrones is the first novel in A Song of Ice and Fire , a series of fantasy novels by 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 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 '' .

Viserys Targaryen <=SEP=> Viserys Targaryen 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 .   Introduced in 1996 's A Game of Thrones , Viserys ( along with his younger sister , Daenerys ) is one of the last confirmed members of House Targaryen who , until fifteen years before the events of the first novel , ruled on the Iron Throne for nearly three hundred years .   Viserys is portrayed by Harry Lloyd in the HBO television adaptation .

Daenerys Targaryen <=SEP=> Daenerys Targaryen is a fictional character in George R. R. Martin 's A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels , as well as the television adaptation , Game of Thrones , where she is portrayed by Emilia Clarke . In the novels , she is a prominent point of view character . She is one of the series ' most popular characters .   Introduced in 1996 's A Game of Thrones , Daenerys ( along with her older brother , Viserys ) is one of the last confirmed members of House Targaryen who , until fifteen years before the events of the first novel , had ruled from the Iron Throne for nearly three hundred years . She subsequently appeared in Martin 's A Clash of Kings ( 1998 ) and A Storm of Swords ( 2000 ) . Daenerys was one of a few prominent characters not included in 2005 's A Feast for Crows , but returned in the next novel A Dance with Dragons ( 2011 ) .   In the story , Daenerys is a young woman in her early teens living in Essos across the narrow sea . Knowing no other life than one of exile , she remains dependent on her abusive older brother , Viserys . The timid and meek girl finds herself betrothed to Dothraki horse lord Khal Drogo , to ensure Viserys an army for his return to Westeros and recapture of the Iron Throne . Despite this , her brother loses the ability to control her as Daenerys finds herself adapting to life with the khalasar and emerges as a strong , confident and courageous woman . She becomes the heir of the Targaryen dynasty after her brother 's death and plans to reclaim the Iron Throne herself , seeing it as her birthright . A pregnant Daenerys loses her husband and child , but soon helps hatch three dragons from their eggs , which regard her as their mother , providing her with a tactical advantage and prestige . Over time , she struggles to maintain control of her dragons , which grow dangerous . She also acquires an army with which she conquers the cities of Yunkai , Astapor and Meereen , determined to end slavery and injustice there . Despite her strong moral compass , she is capable of dealing ruthlessly with her enemies , particularly the slave masters .   Well received by critics and fans alike , Clarke received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Daenerys in the HBO series in 2013 , 2015 , and 2016 . She has also earned numerous other nominations and accolades for her portrayal .

A Dance with Dragons <=SEP=> A Dance with Dragons is the fifth of seven planned novels in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin . In some areas the paperback edition was published in two parts titled Dreams and Dust and After the Feast . It was the first novel in the series to be published following the commencement of the HBO series adaptation , Game of Thrones , and runs to 1,040 pages .   On March 3 , 2011 , publishing imprint Bantam Spectra announced that the novel would be released on July 12 , 2011 . Martin delivered the manuscript to his editor on April 27 , 2011 ; however , as early as 2006 , Martin made sample chapters available on his website and at Amazon.co.uk . Additionally , the German branch of Amazon.com ( Amazon.de ) released a reported 180 copies two weeks early by mistake . The US hardcover was officially published on July 12 , 2011 , having gone back to press for six printings ( totaling more than 650,000 copies ) prior to the 1,000 + page novel being available ; 298,000 copies in print , digital , and audio formats were sold that first day alone , becoming publishing giant Random House 's biggest book of 2011 and a runaway bestseller . The book was the second in the series to debut at the # 1 position on the New York Times Best Seller list . A few weeks after publication , A Dance with Dragons went on to be # 1 on both Publishers Weekly and USA Today Bestsellers lists .   The novel , along with A Feast for Crows , has been adapted for television as the fifth season of Game of Thrones , although elements of the book have also appeared in the series ' third , fourth and sixth seasons .

Khal Drogo <=SEP=> Khal Drogo 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 .   Introduced in 1996 's A Game of Thrones , Drogo is a khal , a leader of the Dothraki , a tribe of warriors who roam the continent of Essos .   Drogo is portrayed by Jason Momoa in the HBO television adaptation .

Iron Throne (A Song of Ice and Fire) <=SEP=> The Iron Throne is a metonym for the fictional monarchy of Westeros as well as the physical throne of its monarch in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin . The success of the HBO television adaptation Game of Thrones has made the show 's version of the royal seat an icon of the entire media franchise . Martin said himself in 2013 , `` Say Game of Thrones , and people think of the HBO Iron Throne . ''   Martin called the depiction of the throne in his 2014 A Song of Ice and Fire companion book The World of Ice & Fire `` absolutely right '' . He has noted repeatedly that none of the previous media representations of the throne -- including books , games and the TV series -- closely resemble what he had in mind when writing his novels .

A Clash of Kings <=SEP=> A Clash of Kings is the second novel in A Song of Ice and Fire , an epic fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin expected to consist of seven volumes . It was first published on 16 November 1998 in the United Kingdom , although the first United States edition did not follow until March 1999 . Like its predecessor , A Game of Thrones , it won the Locus Award ( in 1999 ) for Best Novel and was nominated for the Nebula Award ( also in 1999 ) for best novel . In May 2005 Meisha Merlin released a limited edition of the novel , fully illustrated by John Howe .   The novel has been adapted for television by HBO as the second season of the TV series Game of Thrones .   A Clash of Kings is also the name of the first expansion to the Game of Thrones board game .

World of A Song of Ice and Fire <=SEP=> The fictional world in which the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R. R. Martin take place is divided into several continents . Most of the story takes place on the continent Westeros , in a large political entity known as the Seven Kingdoms . It actually consists of nine regions ( the North , the Iron Islands , the Riverlands , the Vale , the Westerlands , the Stormlands , the Reach , the Crownlands , and Dorne ) and a largely unmapped area to the north , separated by a massive wall of ice and old magic . The vast continent of Essos lies to the east of Westeros , across the Narrow Sea . The closest foreign nations to Westeros are the Free Cities , a collection of independent city-states along the western edge of this eastern continent . The lands along the southern coastline of the eastern continent , collectively called the Lands of the Summer Sea , include Slavers Bay and the ruins of Valyria , the former home of Westeros ' Targaryen kings . To the south of Essos lie the continents of Sothoryos and Ulthos , which in the narrative are largely unexplored .   George R. R. Martin set the Ice and Fire story in an alternative world of Earth , a `` secondary world '' , such as J. R. R. Tolkien pioneered with Middle-earth . Martin has also suggested that world may be larger than the real world planet Earth . The Ice and Fire narrative can be considered to be set in a post-magic world where people no longer believe in supernatural things such as the Others , and while the characters understand the natural aspects of their world , they can not comprehend its magical elements . Religion , though , has a significant role in the life of people with the characters practising many different religions .