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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
To be clear, this is closer to a textbook than a novel. That being said, I loved it!! I'm a huge GoT book fan, and I have always wanted to know more about the history of Westeros.
If you're looking for a high fantasy novel similar to the central books, you will not find it here. This will not sate your hunger for the Winds of Winter. Don't fret though, there's still plenty of stories of treachery, villainy, and heroism in these pages, but in a much more scholarly tone than you may be used to.
This book feels like the wet dream of a DnD dungeon master with way too much time on his hands. Nothing is so satisfying as a fully fleshed-out world, complete with lineages, military and political restructuring, and even complex succession arguments. As an indication of how buck-wild this gets, a copy of the Targaryen family tree is essentially always needed on hand while reading.
My only complaint is that GRRM often sacrifices readability for realism. Many characters have similar or identical names, and by the fifth Rhaegonaerysysrs you have to stop and search the family tree for a while to figure out who the hell it is we're talking about.
I'm very excited for the second volume of the Targaryen History! I would recommend this book to diehard GoT fans exclusively. It's not for the faint of heart or easily bored, but I'd argue that it's well worth the time commitment.
If you're looking for a high fantasy novel similar to the central books, you will not find it here. This will not sate your hunger for the Winds of Winter. Don't fret though, there's still plenty of stories of treachery, villainy, and heroism in these pages, but in a much more scholarly tone than you may be used to.
This book feels like the wet dream of a DnD dungeon master with way too much time on his hands. Nothing is so satisfying as a fully fleshed-out world, complete with lineages, military and political restructuring, and even complex succession arguments. As an indication of how buck-wild this gets, a copy of the Targaryen family tree is essentially always needed on hand while reading.
My only complaint is that GRRM often sacrifices readability for realism. Many characters have similar or identical names, and by the fifth Rhaegonaerysysrs you have to stop and search the family tree for a while to figure out who the hell it is we're talking about.
I'm very excited for the second volume of the Targaryen History! I would recommend this book to diehard GoT fans exclusively. It's not for the faint of heart or easily bored, but I'd argue that it's well worth the time commitment.
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Somehow Martin made a history textbook engaging and thought-provoking. The Targaryen dynasty is tragic to the point of unbelievability at times, but I guess that fits with the themes that Martin presents and works well within the world of Ice and Fire. The only reason this didn't get 5 stars was because of the inconsistent pacing at times. The Dance of the Dragons was by far the most interesting part of the book, but it left the aftermath feeling a little lackluster.
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
I read this book for the second time after re-reading ASOIAF and Dunk & Egg. I’m sad that it’s over, but I’m glad I refreshed my memory. This style of writing isn’t for everyone, but apparently it is for me.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
informative
fast-paced
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
5/5⭐️
I LOVED this. An in depth history of the dragon riding bad asses that are the Targaryens from Aegon the Conqueror to Aegon III. This basically read like a giant history book (I’m a big history reader so I really enjoyed this) and had excellent detail on battles, court intrigue and of course, dragons. I watched HBO’s House of the dragon before reading this and if you enjoy the show I highly recommend reading this book! The details are great and way gorier than the show! Martin is supposed to be coming out with a second book that will detail the reigns of everything from Aegon III to the events of Game of Thrones but who knows when that will come out! I will definitely read it when it does!