George R.R. Martin has confirmed that he will be returning to Westoros, announcing a new book, The Rise of the Dragon based on the infamous House Targaryen.
Billed as a visual history book that explores Westorosi lore surrounding the House Targaryen, George R.R. Martin — titled The Rise of the Dragon — will feature over 180 illustrations and serve as a tie-in for the upcoming HBO prequel, House of the Dragon. It’s set for release in October this year.
While it will focus solely on the history of the Targaryen family, The Rise of the Dragon isn’t George R.R. Martin’s first venture into reference book territory. In 2018, he released Fire & Blood, a reference book that mapped the history of House Targaryen from the perspective of Aegon, the Conqueror.
In his blog post announcement, Martin addresses the difference between the two titles.
“For those of you who are wondering: What’s the difference between The Rise of the Dragon and Fire & Blood? Think of The Rise of the Dragon as a deluxe reference book, in which Westeros’ most infamous family – and their dragons – come to life in partnership with some truly incredible artists,” he writes.
#TargaryenThursday We’re so excited to announce The Rise of The Dragon, a lavish visual history of House Targaryen – the iconic family at the heart of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon – featuring over 180 all-new illustrations! https://t.co/TxUWpjqQV8 pic.twitter.com/BjrngZ0NJ5
— George RR Martin (@GRRMspeaking) March 17, 2022
“Fire & Blood was scribed as a grandmaesters’ account of events from Aegon Targaryen’s conquest of Westeros through to the infamous Dance of the Dragons, the civil war that nearly undid the Targaryen rule. The Rise of the Dragon will cover the same time period, but is written in a more encyclopedic style similar to The World of Ice and Fire. In fact, The World of Ice and Fire authors Elio M. García, Jr. and Linda Antonsson have returned to help with this tome.”
I had the honor and pleasure to work on this new project from G.R.R Martin’s Game of Thrones universe, dedicated this time to the history of the Targaryens. ❤️ – The Rise of the Dragon – by Elio M. Garcia and Linda Antonsson. 🔥🔥#Agot #GOT #GameofThrones #TWOIAF pic.twitter.com/2DdWupjCjH
— Magali Villeneuve (@Cathaoir1) March 17, 2022
While there’s still no update on when George R.R. Martin will finish the original Song of Ice and Fire series — the most recent book, Dance of Dragons, was published in 2011 — The Rise of the Dragon is set to accompany the HBO adaptation and be released in October 2022.
Read the full blog post here.
