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A Song of Ice and Fire
A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin has 11 known books (10 published; 1 with an undated publication record). It is best read in publication order, starting with Blood of the Dragon (1996). The Rise of the Dragon is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.
- Books
- 11 known books (6 novels + 1 novella + 4 companions)
- Published
- 10
- First published
- 1996
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
Start here: Blood of the Dragon (1996)
— then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Blood of the Dragon
Blood of the Dragon (1996) is part of the sprawling body of material around A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin's epic of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros -- a land where summers last years, winters can last a generation, and the death of a king sets great houses tearing at one another for the Iron Throne. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Blood of the Dragon - Book 2:
A Game of Thrones
A Game of Thrones is the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, published in 1996 and running 801 pages. Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Game of Thrones - Book 3:
A Clash of Kings
A Clash of Kings (1998) widens the war for the Iron Throne that A Game of Thrones set in motion, following Martin's scheming queens and rival claimants as the Seven Kingdoms tear themselves apart. It's the second of the five published novels. Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Clash of Kings - Book 4:
A Storm of Swords
A Storm of Swords (2000) pushes further into the war for Westeros, following Martin's dozens of point-of-view characters -- among them an exiled princess raising dragons and the sworn brothers of the Night's Watch -- through a series famous for killing anyone regardless of billing. Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Storm of Swords - Book 5:
A Feast for Crows
A Feast for Crows (2005) follows roughly half of A Song of Ice and Fire's sprawling cast, with the other half picked up in the parallel A Dance with Dragons -- so favorite characters missing here return in the next book. Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Feast for Crows - Book 6:
A Dance with Dragons
Published in 2011, A Dance with Dragons is part of A Song of Ice and Fire, credited to George R. R. Martin. At 1040 pages, it is the longest book in the collection covered here. Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Dance with Dragons - Book 7:
The World of Ice & Fire
The World of Ice & Fire (2014) is a companion volume to A Song of Ice and Fire, part of the wider body of history and reference material George R. R. Martin has built around Westeros alongside the main novels. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The World of Ice & Fire - Book 8:
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2015) collects Martin's Dunk & Egg novellas, warm, spoiler-light prequel adventures set generations before the events of A Game of Thrones. It runs 355 pages. Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - Book 9:
Fire & Blood
Fire & Blood (2018) is Martin's Targaryen history, set generations before A Game of Thrones and tracing the dynasty whose fall sets the main series' war for the Iron Throne in motion. It runs 840 pages. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fire & Blood - Book 10:
The Rise of the Dragon
The Rise of the Dragon (2022) is a companion volume expanding on the Targaryen history Martin laid out in Fire & Blood, part of the wider body of Westeros material published alongside the main novels. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Rise of the Dragon - Book 11:
The Winds of Winter
The Winds of Winter is the next installment of A Song of Ice and Fire, following The Rise of the Dragon, with no confirmed publication date on record. At 196 pages, it is the shortest of the books covered here. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Winds of Winter
Our shelf-tested path for first-time readers.
- Book 1:
A Game of Thrones
A Game of Thrones is the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, published in 1996 and running 801 pages. Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Game of Thrones - Book 2:
A Clash of Kings
A Clash of Kings (1998) widens the war for the Iron Throne that A Game of Thrones set in motion, following Martin's scheming queens and rival claimants as the Seven Kingdoms tear themselves apart. It's the second of the five published novels. Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Clash of Kings - Book 3:
A Storm of Swords
A Storm of Swords (2000) pushes further into the war for Westeros, following Martin's dozens of point-of-view characters -- among them an exiled princess raising dragons and the sworn brothers of the Night's Watch -- through a series famous for killing anyone regardless of billing. Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Storm of Swords - Book 4:
A Feast for Crows
A Feast for Crows (2005) follows roughly half of A Song of Ice and Fire's sprawling cast, with the other half picked up in the parallel A Dance with Dragons -- so favorite characters missing here return in the next book. Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Feast for Crows - Book 5:
A Dance with Dragons
Published in 2011, A Dance with Dragons is part of A Song of Ice and Fire, credited to George R. R. Martin. At 1040 pages, it is the longest book in the collection covered here. Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Dance with Dragons - Book 6:
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2015) collects Martin's Dunk & Egg novellas, warm, spoiler-light prequel adventures set generations before the events of A Game of Thrones. It runs 355 pages. Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - Book 7:
Fire & Blood
Fire & Blood (2018) is Martin's Targaryen history, set generations before A Game of Thrones and tracing the dynasty whose fall sets the main series' war for the Iron Throne in motion. It runs 840 pages. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fire & Blood
Key facts about A Song of Ice and Fire series
A Song of Ice and Fire series has 11 books on our list. 10 are out now. 1 more has no firm date yet. 6 are novels, while the rest are a novella and 4 companion books.
Start with Blood of the Dragon, since it opens the publication order in 1996. A Game of Thrones is book 2, from 1996. A Clash of Kings is book 3, from 1998.
A Storm of Swords is book 4, from 2000. A Feast for Crows is book 5, from 2005. A Dance with Dragons is book 6, from 2011.
The World of Ice & Fire is book 7, from 2014, while A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is book 8, from 2015. Fire & Blood is book 9, from 2018. The Rise of the Dragon is book 10, from 2022, while The Winds of Winter is book 11, with no firm date.
We also give a recommended order, while noting it is our own advice. It is not publisher canon.
The Rise of the Dragon is the latest book with a full release date, out on 25 October 2022. The catalogue marks it as ongoing, yet no next book has a date so far.
The books came out between 1996 and 2022, while their length runs from 196 to 1040 pages. That is a run of 26 years.
George R. R. Martin has 21 books on our list. Additionally, they write Tales of Dunk and Egg. We shelve the books under fantasy.
About A Song of Ice and Fire
A Song of Ice and Fire is George R. R. Martin's sprawling epic of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, a land where summers last years, winters can last a generation, and the death of a king sets great houses tearing at one another for the Iron Throne. It opens with A Game of Thrones (1996), in which the honourable Lord Eddard Stark is summoned south to serve a king he once helped crown — and discovers that in the capital, honour is a fatal handicap.
Martin writes through dozens of point-of-view characters on every side of the war: scheming queens, exiled princesses raising dragons, a dwarf whose wit is his only armour, and the sworn brothers of the Night's Watch, who guard a wall of ice against a threat the squabbling south refuses to believe in. The series is famous for its moral complexity and its willingness to kill anyone — no character is safe because of their billing — and it redefined modern epic fantasy, inspiring HBO's Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.
Five of a planned seven novels have been published, from A Game of Thrones to A Dance with Dragons (2011). The story is unfinished: The Winds of Winter remains in progress. Around the main sequence sit the Dunk & Egg novellas (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms) and the Targaryen history Fire & Blood, set generations earlier.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in A Song of Ice and Fire?
The series is planned as seven novels. Five have been published: A Game of Thrones (1996), A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000), A Feast for Crows (2005) and A Dance with Dragons (2011). The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring remain unpublished.
What order should I read A Song of Ice and Fire in?
Publication order: A Game of Thrones through A Dance with Dragons. Books four and five cover the same time period with different characters, so read them as published. Prequels like A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and Fire & Blood can be read at any point.
Will The Winds of Winter ever come out?
Unknown. George R. R. Martin continues to say he is working on it — reportedly over a thousand manuscript pages exist — but as of 2026 neither he nor his publishers have announced a completion or release date, and periodic online rumours of one have been denied. Treat any date you see as speculation until it appears from Martin or his publisher directly.
Is Fire & Blood part of A Song of Ice and Fire?
It's a companion, not a numbered volume: a fictional history of the Targaryen kings set roughly 300 years before A Game of Thrones, and the basis for HBO's House of the Dragon. You don't need it to follow the main novels.
Do I need to read the books if I watched Game of Thrones?
The show followed the books closely for its first four seasons, then overtook and diverged from them. The novels offer far more point-of-view depth, and their eventual ending is expected to differ from the television conclusion in significant ways.
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