Fire & Blood

Fire and blood is a book unlike any I've read in the last few years. Essentially a history text of Westeros, we glide through decades of history, learning of great deceit, horror, love, triumph, and tragedy. Due to the style of writing, one is forced to remove themselves from emotion to a certain degree. Characters die horrifying deaths over the course of short sentences and paragraphs, however if one were to take a step back and consider what the individual was suffering, it would almost be too much.

GRRM is a master at his craft and manages to create compelling stretches of texts that could have easily been cast aside as overly dry and informative, yet they invite us to dive a layer deeper on our own and consider how the book may have been written. Which historians were telling the truth? Which were stretching the truth? Which dodged truth entirely? Much of the story is told from the perspective of 3 different historians, who often provide differing tales, so when they overlap, truth is all but assured. Conversely, when they differ, one is forced to wonder what really happened, and how it shaped those in the world.

Highly recommended for those who enjoyed ASOIAF.

The most telling aspect of this book is that there is no map at the beginning. This means that the book, a history of Westeros with constant references to cities and geography, is intended entirely for nerds. If you enjoy the characters and intrigue and suspense of the Game of Thrones TV show, this book is not for you. If you love the narrative perspectives and storytelling of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series, this book is not for you. If you post derogatory comments on Reddit about how a fan drawing of Daenerys doesn't properly represent the purple eyes and silver hair of the Targaryen lineage, then you'll probably like this book.

The most telling aspect of this book is that there is no map at the beginning. This means that the book, a history of Westeros with constant references to cities and geography, is intended entirely for nerds. If you enjoy the characters and intrigue and suspense of the Game of Thrones TV show, this book is not for you. If you love the narrative perspectives and storytelling of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series, this book is not for you. If you post derogatory comments on Reddit about how a fan drawing of Daenerys doesn't properly represent the purple eyes and silver hair of the Targaryen lineage, then you'll probably like this book.