Game of Thrones Books in Order: 3 Ways to Read

You’ve watched the HBO series and now you want to go deeper into the world on the page, but the obvious question is: where do you start? That’s exactly what this guide to the Game of Thrones books in order is for, so you can jump in without guessing or accidentally starting in the wrong place.

One quick thing the show doesn’t make super clear is that the novels are actually a series called A Song of Ice and Fire. And like most adaptations, the TV version is not a scene-for-scene copy of what’s in the books. The big moments are there, but the novels have more POV depth, more politics, and plenty of details the show either changed or simply did not have time to include.

Below, I’ll lay out the main books in the best reading order, then point out the optional prequels and companion titles so you can decide how deep you want to go.

Jump to:

• Game of Thrones Series Order
• Game of Thrones Publication Order
• Game of Thrones Chronological Order
• Screen Adaptations
• What is Game of Thrones?
• Game of Thrones FAQ

Games of Thrones Books in Order by Series

This section groups the Game of Thrones books by series, so you can stay in the same part of the saga instead of bouncing all over Westeros history. Each group is still listed in publication order, but separating them makes it easier to follow one storyline at a time and save the extra lore for when you’re ready.

A Song of Ice and Fire Novels

For the novels, reading the Game of Thrones books in order is quite simple. There are five published books and two more to come. The books in the main series of these books are:

1. A Game of Thrones (1996)
2. A Clash of Kings (1999)
3. A Storm of Swords (2000)
4. A Feast for Crows (2005)
5. A Dance with Dragons (2011)
6. The Winds of Winter (TBA)
7. A Dream of Spring (TBA)

Game of Thrones Novellas

Tales of Dunk and Egg

Want more time in Westeros without signing up for another doorstopper? Tales of Dunk and Egg is a quick, satisfying detour, following Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg about a century before Game of Thrones, with a smaller cast and a more adventurous, on-the-road vibe.

1. The Hedge Knight (1998)
2. The Sworn Sword (2003)
3. The Mystery Knight (2010)

• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — Collects The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight

Targaryen History Novellas

The Targaryen history novellas zoom in on some of the most dramatic chapters of the dynasty, covering civil wars, succession crises, and the politics that shaped Westeros long before Game of Thrones. They’re quick reads that flesh out the same era Fire & Blood explores, so they work best as optional supplements rather than required stops.

1. The Princess and the Queen (2013) — Found in Dangerous Women
2. The Rogue Prince (2014) — Found in Rogues
3. The Sons of the Dragon (2017) — Found in The Books of Swords

Game of Thrones Companion Books

The Game of Thrones companion books are for readers who want the lore, not just the plot. They expand the history, families, and worldbuilding around the main novels, making them great add-ons once you’re invested, but totally optional for reading the core story in order.

1. The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones (2014)
2. Fire & Blood (2018)
3. The Rise of the Dragon: An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Volume One (2022)
4. House of the Dragon: The Official Coloring Book (2024)

What is Fire & Blood?

Fire & Blood is George R.R. Martin’s in-world history of House Targaryen, written as a chronicle by Archmaester Gyldayn rather than a traditional novel.

This first volume covers the dynasty from Aegon’s Conquest through the regency of Aegon III, and it’s the main source behind House of the Dragon.

Parts of this history were published earlier in abridged form as “The Rogue Prince,” “The Princess and the Queen,” and “The Sons of the Dragon,” but Fire & Blood is the first place the full, unabridged versions of those Gyldayn chapters appear, along with a lot of material that never appeared anywhere else.

Game of Thrones Graphic Novels

1. A Game of Thrones, Volume One (2012)
2. A Game of Thrones, Volume Two (2013)
3. The Hedge Knight with Ben Avery (2013)
4. The Sworn Sword with Ben Avery (2014)
5. A Game of Thrones, Volume Three (2014)
6. A Game of Thrones, Volume Four (2015)
7. The Mystery Knight with Ben Avery (2017)
8. A Clash of Kings, Volume One (2018)
9. A Clash of Kings, Volume Two (2019)
10. A Clash of Kings, Volume Three (2021)
11. A Clash of Kings, Volume Four (2022)

Game of Thrones Books in Publication Order

This next list puts every Game of Thrones book in publication order, no matter which series it belongs to. Reading this way lets you experience the world the same way George R.R. Martin’s audience did as each new release expanded the lore, shifted focus to a different era, or filled in gaps between the main novels.

Main A Song of Ice and Fire novels are bolded.

1. A Game of Thrones (1996)
2. The Hedge Knight (1998)
3. A Clash of Kings (1999)
4. A Storm of Swords (2000)
5. The Sworn Sword (2003)
6. A Feast for Crows (2005)
7. The Mystery Knight (2010)
8. A Dance with Dragons (2011)
9. The Princess and the Queen (2013) — Found in Dangerous Women
10. The Rogue Prince (2014) — Found in Rogues
11. The World of Ice & Fire (2014)
12. A Knight of Seven Kingdoms (2015) — Collects The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight
13. The Sons of the Dragon (2017) — Found in The Books of Swords
14. Fire & Blood (2018) — Collects The Princess and the Queen, The Rogue Prince, and The Sons of the Dragon, plus more lore & history.
15. The Rise of the Dragon, Vol. 1 (2022)
16. The Winds of Winter (TBA)
17. A Dream of Spring (TBA)

Game of Thrones Books in Chronological Order

This section lists the Game of Thrones books in chronological order, based on when the events happen in-universe rather than when George R.R. Martin published each title.

Reading this way lets you start at the earliest history and move forward to the main story, but it also means jumping between different series and formats as the timeline shifts. This order works best as a reread, since it can spoil reveals that hit harder when you follow publication order first.

1. The World of Ice & Fire (Companion)
2. Fire & Blood (Companion)
3. The Rise of the Dragon, Vol. 1 (2022)
4. The Hedge Knight (Novella)
5. The Sworn Sword (Novella)
6. The Mystery Knight (Novella)
7. A Game of Thrones (Book 1)
8. A Clash of Kings (Book 2)
9. A Storm of Swords (Book 3)
10. A Feast for Crows (Book 4)
11. A Dance with Dragons (Book 5)
12. The Winds of Winter (Book 6 – TBA)
13. A Dream of Spring (Book 7 – TBA)

Note: The Sons of the Dragon, The Rogue Prince, and The Princess and the Queen were removed because their story material was later folded into Fire & Blood in expanded form. Keeping them here just creates duplicate reading (same events, same era) without adding meaningful new story.

Should I Read The World of Ice & Fire First?

The World of Ice & Fire is a companion book, not a narrative novel, so it usually is not the best place to start. It reads like an illustrated history and reference guide to Westeros, packed with timelines, houses, regions, and lore rather than a character-driven story you can fall into.

Reading it after the main A Song of Ice and Fire books tends to be way more rewarding, because you already care about the families and places being discussed. At that point it becomes the fun kind of deep dive, filling in context and history around the world you just spent thousands of pages in.

It lands first in the chronological list because it reaches the earliest eras of the setting, but it does not stay there.

The book stretches across Westeros history for thousands of years, moving from ancient legends and early kingdoms through later dynasties and conflicts that set up the “present-day” story. So think of it as a timeline-spanning companion that starts earliest, not a single story that takes place in one neat period.

Game of Thrones Screen Adaptations

Game of Thrones TV Show

The HBO adaptation Game of Thrones premiered on April 17, 2011 and ran for eight seasons through 2019, translating A Song of Ice and Fire into a big, serialized TV event.

For reading-order purposes, the important detail is that the show eventually overtook the published novels. By the time Season 6 arrived, George R.R. Martin hadn’t released The Winds of Winter, so the series moved into material that wasn’t on the page yet.

That’s why the end of the show should not be treated as “the book ending.” The TV series had to conclude before the final books existed in published form, and Martin has said his eventual ending may differ from what aired.

House of the Dragon TV Show

Though the ending of Games of Thrones left many fans dissatisfied, by the end of its run it was still the most popular TV show in the world. It’s no wonder that HBO decided it needed to create more Thrones content.

Enter House of the Dragon, a prequel set 200 years before Game of Thrones that centers on House Targaryen. The show debuted on Sunday, August 21, 2022, and brings back everything you fell in love with A Song of Ice and Fire to begin with.

The heart of the series is a succession crisis that turns into a slow-motion catastrophe: competing claims, political maneuvering, and alliances that keep shifting as the stakes rise. It’s still classic Westeros, just viewed through a Targaryen lens, where legacy and bloodline politics are the entire game.

House of the Dragon draws its main storyline from Fire & Blood, Martin’s companion history of the Targaryen kings, and the show is essentially dramatizing the era that book chronicles.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms TV Show

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is HBO’s next Westeros screen adaptation, which premiered on January 18, 2026 as a six-episode season. It’s set about a century before Game of Thrones and follows Ser Duncan the Tall (Dunk) and his young squire, Egg, during a comparatively quieter era, with smaller stakes that still ripple into the larger history.

For reading order purposes, this one is clean: Season 1 adapts The Hedge Knight, the first of the Dunk and Egg novellas. Those stories are collected in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (which also includes The Sworn Sword and The Mystery Knight), so readers who finish the show and want “what comes next” can simply continue with the next novella in publication order, without jumping into the main A Song of Ice and Fire novels.

Jon Snow Sequel TV Show

The Jon Snow follow-up series is most often referred to by its working title, “Snow,” and it would continue Jon’s story after the end of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Back in 2022, George R.R. Martin confirmed the project was real and credited Kit Harington with bringing the idea forward and helping pull together an early creative team.

The most important update came in April 2024, when Harington told the Associated Press the show was off the table for the foreseeable future, explaining that nothing they developed felt strong enough to justify making it.

Then in January 2026, Entertainment Weekly reported HBO was again exploring it in very early development, stressing that this is still the “kicking ideas around” phase and not a green light.

For book readers, the key detail is that this would be TV-original material. There is no published “Jon Snow sequel” novel in the A Song of Ice and Fire book line.

What is Game of Thrones?

A Song of Ice and Fire is the epic fantasy series that Game of Thrones was adapted from, set primarily on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, where seasons can last for years and end without warning. The main story follows a shifting power struggle among the great houses of Westeros, Daenerys Targaryen’s rise across the sea, and the growing threat of the Others beyond the Wall.

George R.R. Martin began writing A Game of Thrones in 1991 and published it in 1996, kicking off the saga that eventually became a cultural juggernaut.

The core series is planned as seven books, and five main novels have been published so far, with The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring still forthcoming. The TV series ended before Martin finished the books, and he’s been clear that the remaining novels will diverge from the show in meaningful ways. That’s also why the wider world includes prequels and companion books, which expand the history and lore without replacing the main reading path.

Game of Thrones Books FAQ

What order should I read the Game of Thrones books in?

Start with the five main novels in publication order: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, then A Dance with Dragons. That path is the cleanest first read because the series was written to build reveals and twists in that order.

How many Game of Thrones books are there?

Five main A Song of Ice and Fire novels have been published so far, with two more planned: The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring. Companion books and prequels exist, but they are optional add-ons rather than part of the core seven-book saga.

Are the Game of Thrones books finished?

No. The TV series ended in 2019, but the main book series is still unfinished, with The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring not yet released.

Is House of the Dragon based on a book?

Yes. House of the Dragon draws its story from Fire & Blood, Martin’s in-world Targaryen history, not from the main novels. That also explains why Fire & Blood reads more like a chronicle than a typical character-driven fantasy novel.

Where do the Dunk and Egg stories fit in, and do they connect to the main series?

The Dunk and Egg novellas take place about a century before A Game of Thrones, following Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Egg during an earlier era of Westeros. Connections and references to the main saga exist, but the stories work as their own small adventures, making them an easy add-on once you want more Westeros without diving into dense companion history.

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more fantasy authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Fantasy Books in Order index.

• Books in Order (Full Index)
• 2 Ways to Read Lord of the Rings Books in Order
• All 50+ Brandon Sanderson Books in Order
• 2 Ways to Read Wheel of Time Books in Order