If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you’ll probably want to put October 26th on your calendars. That’s when George R.R. Martin will unveil his newest book at New York’s Kaufman Concert Hall before its official release on the 28th. No, this isn’t for The Winds of Winter, the long awaited sixth installment of the popular book series, but instead for The World Of Ice And Fire: The Untold History of Westeros And The Game Of Thrones. From 92Y:
This lavishly illustrated volume is a comprehensive history of the Seven Kingdoms, providing vividly constructed accounts of the epic battles, bitter rivalries and daring rebellions that lead to the events of A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” In a collaboration that’s been years in the making, Martin has teamed with Elio M. García, Jr., and Linda Antonsson, the founders of the renowned fan site Westeros.org—perhaps the only people who know this world almost as well as its visionary creator.
Collected here is all the accumulated knowledge, scholarly speculation and inherited folk tales of maesters and septons, maegi and singers. It is a chronicle which stretches from the Dawn Age to the Age of Heroes; from the Coming of the First Men to the arrival of Aegon the Conqueror; from Aegon’s establishment of the Iron Throne to Robert’s Rebellion and the fall of the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen, which has set into motion the “present-day” struggles of the Starks, Lannisters, Baratheons and Targaryens. The definitive companion piece to George R. R. Martin’s dazzlingly conceived universe, The World of Ice and Fire is indeed proof that the pen is mightier than a storm of swords.
There’s no set date for the release of The Winds of Winter yet, but this book release and coinciding event does represent the final stop before Martin goes into his book writing exile to finish the next book in the series.
For $125, you can attend the promotional event with Martin and co-authors Elio M. García, Jr., and Linda Antonsson from Westeros.org. Plus you’ll get a signed copy of the book, which is a pretty sweet deal if you’re into that sort of thing. If you’re not, you can pick up an unsigned copy a few days later or look at a wiki online for free.
I’m personally a sucker for these sort of books or information, having wasted tons of money on those illustrated Star Wars guides that filled shelves before the Internet grew in power. A book like this is pretty alluring to fans, but that latter point about the Internet probably kills it for other people. The chance to meet or hassle Martin though, well that’s priceless.
