Are there 5 or 7 Game of Thrones books?

Thinking of starting to read A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, the books on which HBO’s Game of Thrones is based? You’re in for a wild ride, but know that you’re could be in for a long climb.

In part, that’s because these books are really long. The first book in the series, 1996’s A Game of Thrones, runs 298,000 words. It’s the shortest of the bunch. By the third book, 2000’s A Storm of Swords, the count had ballooned to 424,000 words. The fifth book, 2011’s A Dance with Dragons, is almost as long at 422,000 words. Altogether, we’re looking at a 1,770,000 word series here.

How many Game of Thrones books are there?

And there’s more on the way. Although there are 5 Game of Thrones books published, author George R.R. Martin intends for there to be 7 by the time the series is finished. He’s been working on the sixth book, The Winds of Winter, for literally a decade, and wondering when he finally might finish is a popular topic of speculation among fans. (He’s been giving some positive signs lately, at least.) The seventh and presumably final book in the series is title A Dream of Spring, and we have no idea at all when it might come out.

The Song of Ice and Fire novels are vibrant fantasy tones full of rich characters and dense plots. If that sound appealing, by all means take the plunge, so long as you know the risks.

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