A new Game of Thrones history book from George R.R. Martin reveals a shocking amount of secrets from Westeros including more of the Mad King, the rise of Tywin Lannister, and what will happen if the White Walkers are victorious.
Written by George R.R. Martin along with Westeros.org editors Elio Garcia and Linda Antonnson, The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones is an extensive history of the world of Westeros before the events of Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire series. It is written and structured much like a history book and includes gorgeous illustrations by Jordi Gonzalez Escamilla, Ted Nalsmith, and other artists.
Some fans thought the book was a placeholder until The Winds of Winter at best, and at worst, it was a cash-grab until the show’s season five premiere in 2015. Fortunately, The World of Ice & Fire has a lot to recommend and some rather big revelations from Westeros’ past.
We…learn way more about the Doom of Valyria, and exactly what brought down the mightiest empire the world has ever seen (which at one point sent three THOUSAND dragons into battle.) And how it came to be that Aegon the Conqueror survived and came to conquer Westeros instead of suffering the same fate as the rest of Westeros.
There are tons and tons of weird, fascinating details about all the various Targaryen Kings of Westeros, including another account of the Dance of the Dragons, that notorious succession struggle. And a lot of info about Maegor the Cruel, the king who fought with the church of the Seven Gods and more or less put an end to the Faith Militant… until the rise of Queen Cersei, that is.
And there is a load of details about the reign of the Mad King, Aerys Targaryen, and just what made him so mad. (Among other things, he wanted to replace King’s Landing with a brand new capital, made entirely of white marble. And he wanted to build a new Wall, 100 miles north of the current Wall, and claim all the territory in between. He also wanted to make war on Braavos instead of paying back the crown’s debts.) The unlikely relationship between Aerys and his hand, Tywin Lannister, is also fleshed out considerably — and you get some more hints as to how Tywin became the hard-ass we know and love to hate in the books. There’s also a full account of Robert’s Rebellion, including a few precious hints about just what went on between Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Ned Stark’s sister Lyanna.
The book also gives a look into a future that could be if the White Walkers, also known as the Others, take over Westeros.
The answer comes in an early chapter of the book, where Martin talks about the Long Night — there’s a revolting image of the Others riding on Ice Spiders. And we find out just what the world would be like if the Others took over. (Hint: Very dark, and very cold. Forever.)
The Others riding on Ice Spiders? I bet Queen Cersei is sounding pretty good right now. At least with Cersei in charge, there will never be a shortage of wine and withering looks.
Source: io9
