This year is shaping up to be huge for fantasy TV. Most notably, Amazon will premiere The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on September 2, while HBO will return fans to Westeros with their hotly anticipated Game of Thrones spinoff series House of the Dragon. The latter is slated to premiere later this year, but we’re still in the dark about a specific date. However, if A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin’s word is anything to go by, we won’t have to wait much longer.
Based on Martin’s book Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon is set around 200 years before the original show and chronicles a brutal civil war fought between rival factions of the Targaryen dynasty. With filming complete, it seems like only a matter of time before we get an official premiere date. Martin previewed everything he’s working on in a recent blog post, and House of the Dragon was no expection:
"Many of you reading this are fantasy fans, I know. Waiting for WINDS OF WINTER, I know, I know… but looking forward to the new TV shows as well. RINGS OF POWER on September 2, and HOUSE OF THE DRAGON on… well, you will know soon."
“Soon” is one of those annoyingly cryptic words. It could mean a release date announcement is months away, or just a few days. I think we can be sure it’ll be along sooner than The Winds of Winter, at least.
Fire & Blood is getting a new edition that ties in with House of the Dragon
In other news, Martin confirmed that Fire & Blood is getting a reprint. This comes as no surprise; rereleasing books to tie in with new screen adaptations is standard practice in the industry. The rerelease will likely feature new cover art using imagery from the TV show. It’ll be out on July 12.
"There will be a second book coming out this year, to tie in with the debut of HOUSE OF THE DRAGON. But it won’t be a new book, just an old one with a new cover. That’s FIRE & BLOOD, of course, the original (unabridged) version by Archmaester Gyldayn, with new cover art from the HBO series. When I have seen the new cover, I will be sure to post it here."
Then there’s The Rise of the Dragon, an abridged version of Fire & Blood with plentiful illustrations. “Think of The Rise of the Dragon as a deluxe reference book, in which Westeros’ most infamous family – and their dragons – come to life in partnership with some truly incredible artists,” he wrote. That one comes out in October. And there’s a “Who’s Who of Westeros” book in the works, but that one’s a long way off.
House of the Dragon premieres sometime later this year on HBO and HBO Max. In the meantime, Martin recommends The Last Kingdom, which is currently airing its fifth season on Netflix. We’re pretty into it, too:
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