Everything we know about Blood & Fire, the sequel to George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood

Everything we know about Blood & Fire, the sequel to George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood

As a die-hard fan of George R.R. Martin’s work, I can confidently say that every new update about his upcoming books feels like Christmas morning, even if they are years away from release. The latest tidbit about “Blood & Fire,” the sequel to “Fire & Blood,” has me positively giddy!

When people think about George R.R. Martin, they usually associate his name with the book that springs to mind – “The Winds of Winter”, a long-awaited addition to his epic “A Song of Ice and Fire” fantasy series. Martin has been laboring over “Winds” for an impressive 13 years now, making it something of a legend among fans of the genre.

Apart from “The Winds of Winter,” George R.R. Martin is also busy with another book project. Although he continually emphasizes that “Winds” is his main priority when it comes to books, he’s simultaneously working on a follow-up to “Fire & Blood,” the Targaryen history book released in 2018. This new book partially serves as inspiration for the HBO series “House of the Dragon.

Martin discussed his writing journey in his latest blog post, expressing that the process has been challenging despite creating fresh content for both ‘The Winds of Winter’ and ‘Blood & Fire’. He admitted that he wished he could have produced more work during the past year. In simpler terms, Martin shared that he found writing difficult but managed to write some new parts for ‘The Winds of Winter’ and ‘Blood & Fire’, a sequel to ‘Fire & Blood’, which is part two of his Targaryen history, expressing a desire to have written more in the past year.

If you’ve never encountered Blood & Fire before, or if you’d momentarily forgotten that Martin was writing it, rest assured, you’ve landed in the perfect spot! Let’s delve into all the details we have about this intriguing book.

Everything we know about Blood & Fire, the sequel to George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood

What parts of Westeros’ history will Blood & Fire cover?

Back in 2017, we discovered that George R.R. Martin initially intended to divide his Targaryen history book, affectionately nicknamed the “GRRMarillion” after J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Silmarillion,” into two distinct volumes. On his blog, he shared his plans for this duology, explaining that “Fire & Blood” was primarily written and would cover the history of Westeros from Aegon’s Conquest to the regency of Aegon III (the Dragonbane). Simultaneously, he mentioned that the second volume, yet to be completed, would span from Aegon III’s reign up to Robert’s Rebellion and was expected to take a few more years to materialize.

Essentially, “Blood & Fire” will cover approximately 150 years, similar to “Fire & Blood”. This period saw the reign of ten Targaryen kings, including significant figures like Baelor the Blessed, Aegon the Unworthy, Daeron II (who integrated Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms), Aegon the Unlikely, and of course, Aerys Targaryen, the Mad King. George R.R. Martin’s “Dunk & Egg” novellas, which form the basis for the HBO show “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”, take place during this era. Both Blackfyre Rebellions, the Great Spring Sickness, the Burning of Summerhall, the early stages of Robert’s Rebellion, and numerous other crucial events in the realm’s history are also set within this timeframe. To put it simply, there is a wealth of fascinating material to be explored in “Blood & Fire”.

An additional piece of concrete information about “Blood & Fire” was mentioned in one of George R.R. Martin’s blog posts this year. In this post, Martin expressed his disapproval of the number of legs on the Targaryen sigil in HBO’s series “House of the Dragon,” while hinting that readers would discover more about the connection between dragons and their riders in the sequel to “Fire & Blood.” He wrote, “They bond with men… some men… and the reason and method behind this, as well as how it came to be, will be explained further in ‘THE WINDS OF WINTER’ and ‘A DREAM OF SPRING,’ while some details will also appear in ‘Blood & Fire.'” He further noted that “Septon Barth got much of it right.” Septon Barth was a character from “Fire & Blood,” a trusted friend of King Jaehaerys the Conciliator, whose research on dragons and the mystical became well-known throughout the realm. (However, his studies would eventually earn him notoriety when a later king deemed them blasphemous.)

Currently, one primary source to explore much of this history is through “The World of Ice and Fire,” a comprehensive book authored by George R.R. Martin in collaboration with Elio M. García Jr. and Linda Antonsson of Westeros.org, published in 2014. However, “The World of Ice and Fire” offers only an overview. If the scope of “Fire & Blood” serves as a guide, “Blood & Fire” is expected to delve deeply into significant events, providing extensive details that will uncover a wealth of new information about the historical figures who shaped the Seven Kingdoms into what it was by the time of “A Song of Ice and Fire.

What is the release date for Blood & Fire?

After discussing “Blood & Fire”, you might be curious to know when it will become available for reading. However, if you’re familiar with George R.R. Martin’s works, this information won’t come as a shock: currently, there is no set release date for “Blood & Fire”. As mentioned in his August 2024 blog post, Martin is still working on the book.

As a dedicated fan, I’ve learned that George R.R. Martin hasn’t got plans to launch ‘Blood & Fire’ before ‘The Winds of Winter’ is out. He made this clear in a 2022 blog post revealing the HBO tie-in edition of ‘Fire & Blood’. In his own words, “This is the first volume. The second will follow… but only when the WINDS have blown.

At this moment, I wouldn’t expect “Blood & Fire” to be released soon. Once “The Winds of Winter” is published, perhaps we’ll uncover the mysteries from the later years of House Targaryen’s rule. For now, our vigil remains.

2024-09-25 17:41

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