#1 New York Times Bestseller The thrilling history of the Targaryens comes to life in this masterly work, the inspiration for Hbo's Game of Thrones prequel series House of the DragonThe thrill of Fire & Blood is the thrill of all Martin's fantasy work: familiar myths debunked, the whole trope table flipped.Entertainment WeeklyCenturies before the events of A Game of Thrones, House Targaryen the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria took up residence on Dragonstone. Fire & Blood begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart.What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why was it so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What were Maegor the Cruel's worst crimes? What was it like in Westeros when dragons ruled the skies? These are but a few of the questions answered in this essential chronicle, as related by a learned maester of the Citadel and featuring more than eighty-five black-and-white illustrations by artist Doug Wheatley including five illustrations exclusive to the trade paperback edition.