Reminiscing On The Seven Kingdoms: Top Game of Thrones Books

This year, winter will arrive in August with the publication of the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon with an August 21 HBO premiere, so now is a great opportunity to reflect on the renowned fantasy novels by George R.R. Martin that served as the inspiration for the immensely popular TV series.

All eight of the show’s seasons have come and gone like the last traces of summer, while fans have been in an agonizing sort of purgatory waiting for the sixth book, Winds of Winter it’s been 11 years since the last one released.

The showrunners had to wrap up the plot without any existing source material to draw upon. It was nearly sufficient to make the wait for the release of the remaining books seem less pressing.

Here are the first five volumes in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, graded, so you can reignite your love of the majestic Seven Kingdoms while we endure the long night waiting for Winds of Winter to be released and try to have an open mind regarding the upcoming HBO prequel.
Beginning with the last.

Number 5.(A Feast for Crows Book 4)Despite the fact that Brienne of Tarth actually get her nose bit off by a man named Biter, this issue features eight chapters of Brienne of Tarth roaming around Westeros aimlessly. This is true from the reader’s point of view, at least. Actually, A Feast for Crows is probably also her least favorite entry. The book, which feels very much like a transitional point in the series, only sets the stage for the characters we care about to return to the narrative, is utterly devoid of fan favorites Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, and Tyrion Lannister. Although entertaining, the main plot, which sped through the first three volumes, falters and stalls in this one.

Number 4. (A Dance with Dragons Book 5)The heights of A Dance with Dragons are pallid and shallow in comparison to the addictive crescendo of what came before, even though the fifth book is a return to form for GRRM. Book three, which was initially planned to be the final installment, left him with a climax hangover. Plotlines like Tyrion and Penny’s fake romance or Quentyn Martell being introduced, hyped up, and then instantly transformed into Dornish barbecue by one of Dany’s dragons are boring or unnecessary. It leaves some characters in suspenseful situations…that we have been waiting to see resolved for more than ten years.

Number 3.(A Clash of Kings Book 2)ASOIAF was originally intended to be a trilogy, with book two serving as the middle installment. It keeps the pace steady, advances the story, and fulfills what the previous volume had promised. Arya strong-arming a foppish, trained assassin to retake Castle Harrenhall and Tyrion having his Rudy moment and adopting the moniker “Halfman” while heading the defense of King’s Landing and burning Stannis’s fleet with his handmade version of Greek Fire spring to mind as high points. Although GRRM crams a mountain’s worth of thrills into this one, it comes up just short of the top two on the list.

Number 2. (A Game of Thrones Book 1)The presence of elves, orcs, and other mythological creatures may put off some readers, but they will instead find themselves immersed in a suspenseful, hard-boiled thriller. Every paragraph is jam-packed with mind-blowing acts of violence and bravery.

Number 1. (A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire Book 3)This book would be the pinnacle of ASOIAF’s spiritual development if GRRM never wrote another. Over the course of the first two parts, everyone of the characters you’ve grown to know and love (or despise) experiences a turning point. It is impossible to forget reading The Red Wedding, one of the most infamous literary gut-punches in fantasy literature history. The tragic, terrible tale of love and sorrow between Jon and Ygritte could stand alone as a book. In the third ASOIAF volume, GRRM weaves together his cinematic prowess to bring to life an epic in scope and intricacy. Ironically, given that A Storm of Swords is the series’ high point and that there are seven planned books in total.