A Song of Ice and Fire Books in Order (Game of Thrones)
The Game of Thrones books are George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. Five novels are published, from A Game of Thrones (1996) to A Dance with Dragons (2011). The sixth, The Winds of Winter, has no release date.
The HBO series took its title from the first book. The books and the show differ in many events.
| Book | Published | Length |
|---|---|---|
| A Game of Thrones | 1996 | 73 chapters |
| A Clash of Kings | 1998 (UK), 1999 (US) | 70 chapters |
| A Storm of Swords | 2000 | 82 chapters |
| A Feast for Crows | 2005 | 46 chapters |
| A Dance with Dragons | 2011 | 73 chapters |
| The Winds of Winter | Not published | |
| A Dream of Spring | Not published |
What are the books, in order?
In publication order: A Game of Thrones (1996), A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000), A Feast for Crows (2005) and A Dance with Dragons (2011). Read them in this order. A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons cover overlapping stretches of time, following different characters, and A Dance with Dragons is best read after A Feast for Crows.
↑ Back to the topWhen is The Winds of Winter coming out?
Martin has planned seven novels in all. The sixth, The Winds of Winter, and the seventh, A Dream of Spring, are not yet published. His US publisher, Bantam, said that as of November 1, 2026 The Winds of Winter still had no release date, and it has denied rumours that the book is finished.
↑ Back to the topWhat are the Dunk and Egg stories?
The Tales of Dunk and Egg are three novellas set about 90 years before the main books: The Hedge Knight (1998), The Sworn Sword (2003) and The Mystery Knight (2010). They were collected as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in 2015. They do not belong to the main plot, so you can read them in between the novels or after.
↑ Back to the topWhat about Fire & Blood and the other companions?
Fire & Blood (2018) is a history of House Targaryen, set centuries before the main story. The World of Ice & Fire (2014) is an illustrated guide to the setting. Neither is needed before you start, and a first-time reader can skip them until after A Storm of Swords.
↑ Back to the topMore about A Game of Thrones
This guide covers the book only. Film and TV versions differ in places.