A Song of Ice and Fire fans, rejoice: a never-before-published story by creator George R.R. Martin is available today. No, it’s not The Winds of Winter, but rather a short story titled Sons of the Dragon. The story appears in an anthology books called The Book of Swords, edited by Martin collaborator Gardner Dozois. The anthology features stories from several other fantasy authors as well, but you’re here for Game of Thrones stuff, right?
Sons of the Dragon, which Martin cobbled together from extra material he wrote for his World of Ice & Fire fake history book, is about the reigns of the second and third Targaryen kings: Aenys I and Maegor the Cruel. Sons of Aegon Targaryen, the man who united the Seven Kingdoms, Aenys and Maegor had wildly different personalities, although both of their reigns were marked by Martin standbys like death, destruction and betrayal.
SANTA FE, NM – FEBRUARY 23: Writer George R. R. Martin participates in a Q & A session following SundanceTV’s “Hap & Leonard” Screening at the Jean Cocteau Theater on February 23, 2016 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Photo by Steve Snowden/Getty Images for AMC Networks)
According to Martin, Sons of the Dragon is “[a] history rather than a traditional narrative. A lot of telling, only a little showing. (The opposite of what I do in my novels).” The Princess and the Queen and The Rogue Prince, both of which also pertained to bloody periods in Targaryen history, are also like this — they appeared in the anthologies Dangerous Women and Rogues respectively.
And there’s more fake history coming: Martin is readying a massive tome all about the Targaryen family, tentatively titled Fire and Blood. He estimates it will be published sometime in 2018. Along with The Winds of Winter. Allegedly.
For now, here’s the full story lineup for The Book of Swords.
- Introduction by Gardner Dozois
- The Best Man Wins, by K.J. Parker
- His Father’s Sword, by Robin Hobb
- The Hidden Girl, by Ken Liu
- The Sword of Destiny, by Matthew Hughes
- “I Am a Handsome Man,” Said Apollo Crow”, by Kate Elliott
- The Triumph of Virtue, by Walter Jon Williams
- The Mocking Tower, by Daniel Abraham
- Hrunting, by C.J. Cherryh
- A Long, Cold Trail, by Garth Nix
- When I Was a Highwayman, by Ellen Kushner
- The Smoke of Gold is Glory, by Scott Lynch
- The Colgrid Conundrum, by Rich Larson
- The King’s Evil, by Elizabeth Bear
- Waterfalling, by Lavie Tidhar
- The Sword Tyraste, by Cecelia Holland
- The Sons of the Dragon, by George R.R. Martin
You can buy The Book of Swords here, in hardcover or on Kindle.
To stay up to date on everything Game of Thrones, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channel
