What Order to Read George R.R. Martin Books

I’ll be honest, when I first picked up A Game of Thrones, I had no idea just how deep the George R.R. Martin rabbit hole went. Most of us know him for A Song of Ice and Fire (thanks to Game of Thrones dominating TV for years), but the man has been writing since the 1970s. He’s got sprawling fantasy epics, sci-fi gems, short story collections, and novellas tucked in everywhere. If you’re like me, you’ll probably want to read things in a way that makes sense, without getting lost in side stories or wondering if you’re missing some critical lore.

So, let’s break down the best reading order for George R.R. Martin’s books.

Order to Read George R.R. Martin Books

The most popular and sensible way to approach his works is to start with A Song of Ice and Fire, then expand into companion books and his other works. Here’s the breakdown:

A Song of Ice and Fire (Main Series)

1. A Game of Thrones (1996)
2. A Clash of Kings (1998)
3. A Storm of Swords (2000)
4. A Feast for Crows (2005)
5. A Dance with Dragons (2011)
6. The Winds of Winter (forthcoming)
7. A Dream of Spring (planned)

Companion Books in the World of Westeros

• The Hedge Knight (1998) – A Dunk and Egg novella
• The Sworn Sword (2003) – A Dunk and Egg novella
• The Mystery Knight (2010) – A Dunk and Egg novella
  (all three collected in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, 2015)
• The Princess and the Queen (2013) – novella, part of Dangerous Women anthology
• The Rogue Prince (2014) – novella, part of Rogues anthology
• Fire & Blood (2018) – Targaryen history, the source for House of the Dragon series
• The Rise of the Dragon (2022) – an illustrated history of House Targaryen (visual companion)

Other Major Works (Outside Westeros)

George R.R. Martin has plenty of sci-fi and standalone works too:

• Dying of the Light (1977) – his first novel, a standalone sci-fi story
• Windhaven (1981) – with Lisa Tuttle, a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid
• Fevre Dream (1982) – a vampire novel set along the Mississippi River (often considered one of his best non-Westeros works)
• The Armageddon Rag (1983) – a supernatural rock-and-roll murder mystery
• Tuf Voyaging (1986) – a fix-up novel of interconnected sci-fi stories about a quirky space trader

Wild Cards Universe (Edited by GRRM)

Martin is also the editor of the long-running Wild Cards series (a shared universe superhero anthology). While he didn’t write all the stories, he contributed to and shaped the world. You can read them in order starting with:

1. Wild Cards I (1987)
2. Wild Cards II: Aces High (1987)
3. Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild (1987)
   …and so on (there are now 30+ books in this series).

George R.R. Martin Beyond Westeros

While most readers know him as the guy who still hasn’t finished The Winds of Winter, George R.R. Martin’s career is actually quite fascinating. Before his fantasy days, he was a sci-fi writer with award-winning short stories that earned him early recognition. Sandkings (1979) is a great place to start if you want to dip into his short fiction, it’s creepy, imaginative, and shows how versatile he really is.

He also worked in Hollywood for a while, writing for TV shows like The Twilight Zone (1985 reboot) and Beauty and the Beast in the late ’80s. It’s kind of wild to think about how different his career could have been if he had stayed in TV instead of returning to novels.

Why A Song of Ice and Fire Became a Phenomenon

The reason Martin’s books hit so hard is because they feel both fantastical and brutally real. Forget clear-cut heroes and villains, his characters are messy, morally gray, and constantly surprising. Politics is just as important as dragons, and anyone can die (which makes the stakes feel painfully high).

HBO’s Game of Thrones took this to a global audience, but reading the books still offers layers that the show either skipped or rushed. The world-building, the minor characters, the prophecies that still hang unresolved, all of that makes the reading experience different, even for those who already watched the series.

My Takeaway

If you’re new to George R.R. Martin, I’d recommend starting with A Song of Ice and Fire. It’s the heart of his legacy. Once you’ve fallen into Westeros, you can branch out to Dunk and Egg novellas or Fire & Blood to get the Targaryen backstory that House of the Dragon explores. From there, if you’re curious about his range, pick up Fevre Dream or Tuf Voyaging, they show a completely different side of his storytelling.

At the end of the day, there’s no wrong way to explore his works. But if you follow this order, you’ll experience Martin’s world in a way that feels cohesive, satisfying, and, let’s be real, a little bit addictive.

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