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‘Game of Thrones: The Rise of the Dragon’ Confirmed


Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has confirmed he is revisiting the much-loved series, announcing a new book based on the contentious House Targaryen. Taking to his own blog, the award-winning author behind the iconic book and television phenomenon revealed that Game of Thrones: The Rise of the Dragon will focus entirely on the history of the Targaryen Dynasty. Most importantly, the new release will also tie into the long-awaited HBO series House of the Dragonwhich is slated to premiere later this year.

“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,” the blog post read. “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.”

According to Martin, The World of Ice and Fire authors Elio M. García, Jr. and Linda Antonsson are returning to help with the new tome, which will take a similarly encyclopedic style to its predecessor. GoT fans will remember Fire & Blood as a “grandmaesters’ account” of events such as Aegon Targaryen’s conquest of Westeros all the way through to the infamous Dance of the Dragons. That iteration of the story dived deep into the bloody civil war that nearly ended the Targaryen rule, and by all accounts, The Rise of the Dragon will unpack a similar story.

“There will be a second book coming out this year, to tie in with the debut of House of the Dragon. But it won’t be a new book, just an old one with a new cover,” Martin wrote. “That’s Fire & Blood, of course, the original (unabridged) version by Archmaester Gyldayn, with new cover art from the HBO series. When I have seen the new cover, I will be sure to post it here.”

Game of thrones the rise of the dragon

Image: George R. R. Martin

The new Game of Thrones book announcement comes after Martin previously confirmed that the new HBO series had already wrapped filming. The author even went so far as to reveal that he has seen rough cuts of the opening few episodes, however, did acknowledge that “a lot of work” was still needing to be completed. As for when the new Game of Thrones: The House of the Dragon will be released, that’s still anyone’s guess. Martin and HBO have yet to put an official timeline on the series’ premiere, however, speculation does suggest it will hit the small screen later this year.

“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.”

 
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