10 epic sci-fi/fantasy book series to binge

10. A return to Ice and Fire

Okay, okay, I know — you’ve already read George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. But hear me out…

In the painfully large number of years that have passed since A Dance with Dragons came out, there have been a few other related works released in this universe. For as long and dark as the night before The Winds of Winter may be, these related works can make a return journey to Westeros worthwhile…especially when you consider that George R.R. Martin is going to finish Winds this year (hey, I’m an eternal optimist).

So, if you want to revisit Winterfell, King’s Landing or Casterly Rock, check out this reading list:

• First, you can always reread A Song of Ice and Fire, which you can now enjoy knowing the broad strokes of where it’s all headed. Suddenly, all those missteps and frustrating choices Dany makes in Meereen hit a little differently.
• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a fantastic book comprised of three novellas that follow Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, called Egg. Known as the Dunk and Egg books by the fandom, these shorter stories are actually pretty great, filled with the sorts of twists and political plays that made the main series so enjoyable.
• Fire & Blood is the newest release in the Westerosi catalog, only landing on shelves in 2018. It’s a recounting of the first few centuries of Targaryen rule in Westeros, and gets up close and personal with a ton of important figures, like Aegon the Conqueror and Maegor the Cruel. It also forms the basis for HBO’s upcoming House of the Dragon spin-off.
• And lastly, there’s The World of Ice and Fire. This is a big coffee table book with beautiful illustrations detailing the history and landscapes of the world. It takes us to places we never see in the series, like Sothoryos and Asshai, and explores some of the deep lore, like the first Long Night. And it actually reads almost like a novel, since it’s “written” by a maestor of the Seven Kingdoms as a gift for King Tommen.

Even though The Winds of Winter may not be in our desperate hands quite yet, the annals of Westeros have grown quite a bit since the latest mainline book came out in 2011. And since there’s no better storyteller to sweep us away into a seamless, breathtaking world, you might as well take in the sights and spend some time with your old friends Tyrion, Arya, Dany and Jon.

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