Ahead of HBO’s upcoming prequel/spin-off TV series House of the Dragon, A Song of Ice and Fire creator George R. R. Martin has announced an all-new book that kind of ties into the show with The Rise of The Dragon, described as “An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty.” The upcoming series and book will focus on the controversial political family, offering over 180 all-new illustrations and is “steeped in the lore of Westeros.” The Rise of The Dragon is scheduled to be published in October of this year. HBO previously confirmed that House of the Dragon will also debut this year but when is unclear.
For fans wondering what the difference in The Rise of The Dragon and the previously released Fire & Blood, luckily there’s an answer “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,” the post on Martin’s blog reads. “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.”
Martin previously used his blog to confirm that production on House of the Dragon has already wrapped and that he’s actually seen rough cuts of some of the episodes already despite “a lot of work” needing to be completed. The author also answered what fans would no doubt ask, when will the show premiere, with a question of his own, “Who knows?” HBO is already bullish about more seasons of the show however which is also a good sign for fans.
“Typically speaking, I like to take an approach where we will talk about what a second season might look like and talk about scripts,” HBO programming head Casey Bloys told The Hollywood Reporter. “But we tend to like to see how a show performs. That said, if I were betting, I’d say there’s a pretty good shot that House of the Dragon will get a season two. But we tend to like things to air and give it some time. That said, on most shows, we’ll do preparation and put ourselves in a good position to move forward.”
House of the Dragon is set to premiere this year with even more Game of Thrones spin-offs potentially in the works.
