The Iron Throne is currently held by Tommen Baratheon, allegedly Robert's son, but illegitimate too. In the wake of the war, four of the five self-proclaimed kings have been killed, leaving Stannis as the sole survivor. This so-called War of the Five Kings is the principal storyline of the first four novels indeed, the fourth novel primarily concerns Westeros's recovery from it in the face of the coming winter and the political machinations of those seeking to gain in its aftermath. Likewise, Balon Greyjoy also (re-)claims the ancient throne of his own region, the Iron Islands, with an eye toward independence. While the claimants battle for the Iron Throne, Robb Stark, Lord Eddard Stark's heir, is proclaimed King in the North as the northmen and their allies in the Riverlands seek to return to self-rule.
The charismatic and popular youngest brother, Renly, also places a claim, openly disregarding the order of precedence, with the support of the powerful House Tyrell. However, Lord Eddard Stark, King Robert's Hand, finds out Robert's children are illegitimate, and that the throne should therefore fall to the second of the three Baratheon brothers, Stannis. The throne is claimed by his son Joffrey, supported by his mother's powerful family, House Lannister. The first storyline, set in the Seven Kingdoms themselves, chronicles a many-sided struggle for the Iron Throne that develops after King Robert's death. The novels, which begin fifteen years later, follow the fall-out from this event across three major storylines, set not only in Westeros but on the eastern continent as well. Some 283 years after Aegon's Conquest, the Targaryens are overthrown in a civil war and King Robert I Baratheon, backed primarily by his friend Lord Eddard Stark and foster father Lord Jon Arryn, takes the Iron Throne.
A detailed history reveals how seven kingdoms came to dominate this continent, and then how these seven nations were united as one by Aegon the Conqueror, of House Targaryen.
A song of ice and fire pdf series#
The series is told in the third-person through the eyes of a number of point of view characters.
As the series progresses, the three story lines become increasingly interwoven and dependent upon each other. There are three principal story lines in the series: the chronicling of a dynastic civil war for control of Westeros among several competing families the rising threat of the Others, who dwell beyond an immense wall of ice that forms Westeros' northern border and the ambition of Daenerys Targaryen, the exiled daughter of a king who was murdered in another civil war fifteen years before, to return to Westeros and claim her rightful throne. Most of the characters are human but as the series progresses others are introduced, such as the cold and menacing supernatural Others from the far North and fire-breathing dragons from the East, both thought to be extinct by the humans of the story. The story of A Song of Ice and Fire takes place in a fictional world, primarily on a continent called Westeros but also on a large landmass to the east, known as Essos. In addition there are three prequel novellas currently available, with several more being planned, and a series of novella-length excerpts from the main Ice and Fire novels. Originally planned as a trilogy, the series now consists of five published volumes a further two are planned. Martin began writing the series in 1991 and the first volume was published in 1996. High fantasy, Dark fantasy, Medieval fantasyĪ Song of Ice and Fire (commonly abbreviated as ASoIaF) is an ongoing series of epic fantasy novels by American novelist and screenwriter George R.