Game of Thrones Books in Order: How to Read A Song of Ice and Fire

You’ve watched HBO’s Game of Thrones, or you’ve heard everyone argue about the ending for years, and now you want the books. The good news is that the answer is simpler than Westeros makes everything else: the Game of Thrones books in order start with George R.R. Martin’s main fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire.

For a first read, don’t start with the prequels. Read the five published main novels first. Then add A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms if you want the best prequel stories, and read Fire & Blood when you’re ready for Targaryen history and House of the Dragon background.

Jump to:

• Game of Thrones Quick Reading Order
• A Song of Ice and Fire Books in Order
• More Game of Thrones Books and Prequels
• Game of Thrones Publication Order
• Game of Thrones Chronological Order
• Game of Thrones Screen Adaptations
• What is Game of Thrones?
• Game of Thrones Books FAQ

Game of Thrones Books in Order: Quick Reading Order

Here’s the order I’d use for a first read. It keeps the main story first, then moves into the strongest prequel material without forcing companion books into the middle.

1. A Game of Thrones
2. A Clash of Kings
3. A Storm of Swords
4. A Feast for Crows
5. A Dance with Dragons
6. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Optional Prequel Collection)
7. Fire & Blood (Optional Targaryen History)

The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring belong after A Dance with Dragons, but neither book has been released yet.

A Song of Ice and Fire Books in Order

A Song of Ice and Fire is the actual title of the main book series. HBO used the first book’s title, A Game of Thrones, for the TV adaptation, which is why most readers search for the books as Game of Thrones.

Read the main novels in publication order. Book 4 and Book 5 overlap in the timeline, but publication order is still the cleanest first read because that’s how the story was built.

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)

More Game of Thrones Books and Prequels

After the main novels, the wider world of Westeros gets much bigger. The prequels and companion books below are not required before the main story, but they’re the titles worth knowing once you want more history, lore, and context.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and the Dunk and Egg Stories

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is the best next stop after the main novels. It collects the three Dunk and Egg novellas, which follow Ser Duncan the Tall and his young squire, Egg, roughly a century before A Game of Thrones.

The stories are smaller, warmer, and more adventurous than the main saga, but they still matter to the larger history of Westeros.

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

The easiest way to read them now is A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which collects all three novellas in one volume.

Game of Thrones Companion and Targaryen History Books

These are lore books, histories, and illustrated companions rather than main novels. I’d read them after the core series unless you’re mainly here for Targaryen background.

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)

Fire & Blood is the key title here. It’s Martin’s in-world history of House Targaryen, written like a chronicle instead of a traditional novel, and it’s the main book behind House of the Dragon.

The World of Ice & Fire is broader. It covers ancient history, major houses, regions, dynasties, and lore from across Westeros and beyond. I like it more as a reference book than as something to read straight through before the novels.

The Rise of the Dragon is an illustrated Targaryen history. It overlaps heavily with Fire & Blood, so it’s best for readers who want the artwork, presentation, and visual family-history angle.

Earlier Targaryen History Novellas

You may also see three Targaryen history pieces listed separately: The Princess and the Queen, The Rogue Prince, and The Sons of the Dragon. They were first published in anthologies, but their material was later expanded or incorporated into Fire & Blood.

For most readers, Fire & Blood is the better choice. The anthology appearances are mainly worth tracking down if you collect Martin’s original publication history.

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 Book of Swords

Game of Thrones Graphic Novels

The graphic novels are adaptations, not extra prose entries in the reading order. They’re useful if you want a visual version of the main books or the Dunk and Egg stories, but they should not replace the novels and novellas above.

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 publication-order list covers the main novels, Dunk and Egg novellas, companion histories, and major collected editions. Graphic novel adaptations are listed separately under Graphic Novels.

Main A Song of Ice and Fire novels are bolded.

1. A Game of Thrones (1996)
2. The Hedge Knight (Novella, 1998)
3. A Clash of Kings (1999)
4. A Storm of Swords (2000)
5. The Sworn Sword (Novella, 2003)
6. A Feast for Crows (2005)
7. The Mystery Knight (Novella, 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 the Seven Kingdoms (2015), collects The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight
13. The Sons of the Dragon (2017), found in The Book of Swords
14. Fire & Blood (2018)
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

I don’t recommend chronological order for a first read. It front-loads companion history before the characters, conflicts, and emotional payoffs that make the main novels work.

Use this order for a reread or for a timeline-focused deep dive.

1. The World of Ice & Fire (Companion)
2. Fire & Blood (Targaryen History)
3. The Rise of the Dragon, Vol. 1 (Illustrated Targaryen History)
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)

The World of Ice & Fire does not fit neatly into a single timeline slot because it spans thousands of years. I list it first because it reaches the earliest eras of the setting, but it works better as a companion after you already know the world.

Game of Thrones Screen Adaptations

Game of Thrones TV Show

HBO’s Game of Thrones TV series is based on Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books. The show premiered on April 17, 2011, ran for eight seasons, and ended in 2019.

For book readers, the important detail is that the show eventually moved beyond the published novels. By Season 6, The Winds of Winter still had not been released, so the TV series had to continue without the final books on the shelf.

That’s why I would not read the show’s ending as the book ending. Martin has said the final books will have differences from the TV version, including characters and storylines that never made it into the adaptation.

House of the Dragon TV Show

House of the Dragon is HBO’s Targaryen prequel series, set about 200 years before Game of Thrones. The show is based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, which makes that book the obvious next read if you’re watching for the Dance of the Dragons.

The series debuted on August 21, 2022, and Season 3 is scheduled to premiere on June 21, 2026. Reading Fire & Blood will give you the broad history behind the show, though it reads like a historical chronicle rather than a scene-by-scene novelization.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms TV Show

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is HBO’s Dunk and Egg adaptation. Its first season premiered on January 18, 2026, and adapts The Hedge Knight, the first Dunk and Egg novella.

This is the cleanest Westeros adaptation to pair with a single book. Read The Hedge Knight first, or just grab A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which collects The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight in one volume.

Martin has also said the second season is based on The Sworn Sword, so the collected edition gives you the natural next step after Season 1.

What is Game of Thrones?

Game of Thrones is the name most people use for Martin’s Westeros saga because it was the title of HBO’s adaptation and the first book in the series. The book series itself is called A Song of Ice and Fire.

The story is set mainly in Westeros and Essos, where seasons can last for years and political power is as dangerous as magic. The main novels follow the great houses of Westeros, Daenerys Targaryen’s rise across the sea, and the growing threat beyond the Wall.

Martin published A Game of Thrones in 1996, and the core series is planned for seven books. Five main novels have been published so far, with The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring still forthcoming.

Game of Thrones Books FAQ

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

Read the five published main novels in publication order: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. Then read A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for the Dunk and Egg prequels and Fire & Blood for Targaryen history.

How many Game of Thrones books are there?

There are five published main A Song of Ice and Fire novels, with two more planned. The wider Westeros bibliography also includes the Dunk and Egg novellas, Targaryen history books, companion books, and graphic novel adaptations.

Are the Game of Thrones books finished?

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

Should I read Fire & Blood before A Game of Thrones?

I wouldn’t read Fire & Blood first unless you’re mainly interested in House of the Dragon. It takes place earlier, but it’s a companion history, not the best entry point into the main story.

Is House of the Dragon based on a book?

Yes. House of the Dragon is based on Fire & Blood, Martin’s in-world history of House Targaryen. The book covers the Targaryen dynasty in chronicle form, including the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.

Are the Dunk and Egg stories part of Game of Thrones?

Yes, but they are prequel novellas rather than main novels. They take place roughly a century before A Game of Thrones and follow Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg through smaller adventures that still connect to the larger history of Westeros.

Looking for similar 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