The Reading Order
Two true roads into the song — the traveler's road for first readers, the maester's order for the incurably thorough — with every novella and history shelved where it belongs.
New to the books? Begin with A Game of Thrones and read by publication. The histories will still be there when you return — and they will mean more.
The traveler’s road
The road every reader before you walked. Begin with A Game of Thrones and take the books as they came; meet the histories only after the novels have taught you why they matter.
A Game of ThronesASOIAF · I
Winter is coming. A Hand dies, a wolf goes south, and dragons hatch at the world’s far edge.
A Clash of KingsASOIAF · II
A red comet, five kings, and wildfire on the Blackwater.
A Storm of SwordsASOIAF · III
Weddings red and purple. The war’s terrible harvest, and the Wall’s first battle in an age.
A Feast for CrowsASOIAF · IV
The south after the war: crows, queens, sparrows, and Dorne’s quiet fury.
A Dance with DragonsASOIAF · V
The Wall, Meereen, and knives in the dark. Runs beside A Feast for Crows, then past it.
A Knight of the Seven KingdomsDunk & Egg · collected
The first three tales bound as one, with the promise of more roads ahead.
Fire & BloodHistory · volume I
The first half of the Targaryen chronicle, Aegon’s Conquest to the regency, in Archmaester Gyldayn’s voice.
The World of Ice & FireWorld book · with García & Antonsson
Maester Yandel’s illustrated history of the known world — the spine of this chronicle’s early chapters.
The maester’s order
For re-readers and the incurably thorough. Warning from the archmaesters: the histories are written as histories — begin here only if you enjoy the taste of parchment. The novels reward those who come to them fresh.
The World of Ice & Fire — the deep past
Fire & Blood — 1 to 136 AC
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — 209 to 212 AC
The five novels — 298 to 300 AC
The Winds of Winter — when the raven comes
Beyond Westeros
Before Westeros there were dying suns, haunted starships, and vampires on the river. The dreamsongs are one long argument: the heart in conflict with itself, wherever the story is set.
A Song for Lya
NovellaAlien faith and human loneliness. His first Hugo.
Dying of the Light
NovelA rogue world drifting out of its sun’s reach; a festival city going dark. The first novel.
Sandkings
NoveletteSmall gods in a terrarium and the owner they outgrow. Hugo and Nebula both.
The Way of Cross and Dragon
Short storyAn inquisitor, a heresy, and the Order of Liars. Hugo winner the same year.
Windhaven
Novel · with Lisa TuttleSilver-winged flyers on a storm-wracked colony world, and who deserves the wings.
Fevre Dream
NovelVampires on the antebellum Mississippi; a steamboat captain’s strange partnership.
The Armageddon Rag
NovelA dead rock band, a resurrection tour, and a sacrifice. Its failure sent him to Hollywood — and, in time, back to novels twice as long.
Nightflyers
Novella collectionHorror aboard a haunted starship. Telepaths, and something older than the crew.
Tuf Voyaging
Fix-up novelHaviland Tuf, his cats, and a thirty-kilometer seedship: ecological godhood, applied politely.
Wild Cards
Shared world · editor, 1987–presentAn alien virus deals aces and jokers; thirty-odd volumes and counting, edited and refereed by GRRM.
In what order should I read the books?
By publication: A Game of Thrones (1996), A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000), A Feast for Crows (2005), A Dance with Dragons (2011) — then A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Fire & Blood, and The World of Ice & Fire.
Do A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons overlap?
Yes — they run in parallel, covering the same years in different places, and rejoin near the end of A Dance with Dragons. Read Feast first, as published.
Where does Fire & Blood fit?
It is a Targaryen history set 130–300 years before the novels. Read it after the main series — it is written as a history and rewards a reader who already knows the world.
How many books are there in total?
Five of seven planned novels are published, plus the Dunk & Egg novellas (collected as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), Fire & Blood, and The World of Ice & Fire.