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George R.R. Martin has been writing since the early 1970s and has produced an enormous body of work across novels, novellas, short stories, television, and edited anthologies. Most people know him for A Song of Ice and Fire. That series is the obvious starting point for this guide, but it’s far from the whole story.
Let’s start with the elephant in the room.
The Winds of Winter
The Winds of Winter — Book 6 of A Song of Ice and Fire — has not been published as of 2025. The last entry in the main series, A Dance with Dragons, came out in 2011. Martin has spoken about the book extensively and confirmed it is in progress. It will be published when it’s ready.
This is worth knowing before you commit to the series. Some readers prefer to wait. Most don’t, because the existing five books are too good to leave unread on the basis of an unfinished series.
A Song of Ice and Fire
The main series. Seven planned books, five published. Epic fantasy set in the continent of Westeros, where the great noble houses compete for control of the Iron Throne while an older threat stirs to the north.
1. A Game of Thrones (1996)
The Stark family of Winterfell are drawn south into the politics of King’s Landing when Lord Eddard Stark is asked to serve as the King’s Hand. Everyone knows what happens next. If you somehow don’t — read it without spoilers. It remains one of the great opening volumes in fantasy.
Rated 4.7 Stars. Buy on Amazon.
2. A Clash of Kings (1998)
The realm fractures into war. Multiple claimants to the throne. The scope expands dramatically. Contains some of the finest battle writing in the series.
Rated 4.7 Stars. Buy on Amazon.
3. A Storm of Swords (2000)
The best book in the series by wide consensus. The Red Wedding. The Purple Wedding. The trial. Events cascade in ways that feel simultaneously shocking and inevitable. If you’re going to read one ASOIAF book, it’s this one — though you need the first two to earn it.
Rated 4.8 Stars. Buy on Amazon.
4. A Feast for Crows (2005)
Published four years after Book 3, covering only half the cast while Martin finished the other half separately. More political and slower than its predecessor. Often cited as the series’ weakest volume, though the Cersei and Brienne chapters are exceptional.
Rated 4.5 Stars. Buy on Amazon.
5. A Dance with Dragons (2011)
The other half of the Feast for Crows cast, running concurrently with Book 4 and then extending beyond it. Returns to fan favourites including Tyrion, Jon, and Daenerys. Ends on cliffhangers that remain unresolved fourteen years later.
Rated 4.6 Stars. Buy on Amazon.
The World of Ice and Fire Companion
A gorgeous illustrated encyclopedia of Westerosi history, co-written with Elio Garcia and Linda Antonsson. Best read after the main series as a reference and supplement.
The Targaryen History Books
Fire and Blood (2018)
A chronicle of House Targaryen’s first 150 years of rule, written as in-world history. The Dance of the Dragons section — the Targaryen civil war — is the source material for House of the Dragon. Full review here.
Rated 4.4 Stars. Buy on Amazon.
The Princess and the Queen / The Rogue Prince (Novellas)
Shorter pieces covering specific periods of Targaryen history. Available in the Dangerous Women and Rogues anthologies respectively, or collected in Fire and Blood.
The Dunk and Egg Novellas
Set roughly ninety years before the main series, following Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg (later King Aegon V). Three novellas published, collected in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Lighter in tone than ASOIAF — warmer, more adventurous, with the kind of heroic fantasy Martin deliberately avoided in the main series. Excellent.
Rated 4.7 Stars. Buy A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on Amazon.
Early Career (Pre-ASOIAF)
Martin was primarily a science fiction writer before Game of Thrones. His early work includes:
Fevre Dream (1982) — a vampire novel set on the Mississippi river in the 1850s. Genuinely excellent and criminally underread. If you want to see what Martin was doing before Westeros, start here.
The Armageddon Rag (1983) — a rock music conspiracy thriller. An oddity but an interesting one.
Dreamsongs (2003) — a two-volume collection of Martin’s short fiction spanning his entire career. Covers everything from early SF magazine stories to Westeros-adjacent material.
Recommended Reading Order
For most readers: A Game of Thrones → A Clash of Kings → A Storm of Swords, then continue the main series. Add the Dunk and Egg novellas after Book 3 as a palate cleanser. Fire and Blood after the main series if you want more of the world.
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- Fire and Blood Review
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Check out Sunset In the East — a mind-bending short story collection from Ben Luxon.
