‘House of the Dragon’: Read the book ahead of the ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel series

The new Westeros-based TV show will be released 21 August

The prequel stars Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen and Emma D’Arcy as his rival Rhaenyra Targaryen (iStock/The Independent)

Set hundreds of years before the events of Game of Thrones, the Westeros-verse will soon be back on our screens with the much-anticipated prequel series, House of the Dragon. Set to launch next month, the official full-length trailer for the new spin-off has landed.

Telling the story of Rhaenyra and Aegon Targaryan, and chronicling the war of the Seven Kingdoms, the series will introduce an entirely new cast of characters and centres on House Targaryen, whose family has been in power for nearly a century.

The 10-episode prequel stars Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen and Emma D’Arcy as his rival to the throne, Rhaenyra Targaryen.

The exact details have been mostly kept under wraps but we do know that the series is based on The Dying of the Dragons, a novella in George RR Martin’s 2018 novel Fire & Blood. This literature offers a preview of what we can expect in the House of the Dragon series.

Much like Game of Thrones, there will be a fight for succession, dragons, drama and civil war. If you can’t wait for the series to drop in the UK on 22 August, here’s where to pick up the book, plus everything you need to know about the TV show prequel.

‘Fire and Blood’ by George RR Martin, published by HarperVoyager: £7.46, Amazon.co.uk

(Amazon )

The jumping board for the House of the Dragon series, George RR Martin’s Fire and Blood is set centuries before Game of Thrones and depicts the Targaryens’ bloody rule with, you guessed it, fire and blood. Chronicled by a maester of the Citadel, the novel explains how the battle for the Iron Throne began and the bloody history of Westeros.

The weighty book begins with the story of the legendary Aegon the Conqueror who created the Iron Throne, before going on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought for the succession of the seat. It ends with the civil war that almost tore their dynasty apart, on which the new series is based on.

The history of House Targaryen is set to be further detailed in a second volume that is reportedly on the way.

Buy now

‘House of the Dragon’ FAQs

Who is in the ‘House of the Dragon’ cast?

Alongside Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy in the leads, other cast members include Paddy Considine as Viserys Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Eve Best as Rhaenys Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower and Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon.

When will ‘House of the Dragon’ be released?

The TV show will premier on HBO Max 21 August in the US and Sky Atlantic/NOW in the UK 22 August.

How many ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel books are there?

There are two prequel books set before the events of Game of Thrones, which sit next to the Song of Ice and Fire series. The first, Fire and Blood, is set 200 years before, while A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (£4.49, Amazon.co.uk) – a compilation of three novellas – is set in Westeros around 90 years before Game of Thrones.

The latter is set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, with the novellas following a knight called Dunk and a squire named Egg around the vast scope of Westeros. But little does Dunk know that Egg is in reality Aegon Targaryen – and one day will become king.

Voucher codes

For the latest discounts on audiobooks, try the link below:

• Audible discount codes

Unsure what to read next? Take inspiration from the best fiction books of 2021