Blood & Fire
Martin’s first fictional historical anthology of the Targaryen dynasty, Fire & Blood, is only half the story. This 2018 book begins with Aegon I Targaryen’s conquest of the Seven Kingdoms and continues up until the end of the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, which we’re currently seeing played out on House of the Dragon. But there are still about 150 years of history to cover before arriving at Robert’s Rebellion, the war that ended the Targaryen dynasty as people knew it not long before the events of Game of Thrones. And Martin plans to explore them all.
Hence, he’s planning a second book of Targaryen lore. Blood & Fire would cover the reigns of Kings Daeron, Baelor, Viserys, Aegon IV, Aerys, Maekar, Aegon V, Jaehaerys II, and Aerys II, the Mad King. Expect a long book that provides detail on eras of Westerosi history that have only been briefly mentioned. We will get up close and personal with figures like Baelor the Blessed, the Mad King and others.
The Tales of Dunk and Egg
If you’re looking for a Game of Thrones fix while you’re waiting for The Winds of Winter, look no further than Tales of Dunk and Egg. These short novellas tell the tories of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire Aegon Targaryen V, known as Egg. They take place about 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones and are generally a little more light-hearted than what Martin’s readers are used to.
Martin has written three Dunk and Egg novellas so far. Martin has said he hopes to write “seven or eight or ten more.” He may want to get on that, because Warner Bros. Discovery has officially ordered a Dunk and Egg show to be aired on Max. Like everything else, production is currently stalled on account of the actors and writers’ strikes, but it can be assumed that Martin will consult on the series much as he consults on House of the Dragon when it finally gets going.
Other Game of Thrones spinoffs
At this point, anything that George R.R. Martin has written about Westeros has the potential to be made into a big budget TV series. And indeed, HBO has worked on several ideas in the background. It’s hard to know how many of these are still in development and which have been shelved, but here are the ones we’ve heard about:
- Seven Voyages or Sea Snake is a series about the adventures of a young Corlys Velaryon, who we’ve met as an aging man on House of the Dragon.
- 10,000 Ships tells the story of Princess Nymeria’s harrowing journey from Essos to Dorne after a bloody defeat at the hands of Valyrians.
- At one point, Godzilla scribe Max Borenstein was working on a show about the Valyrian Empire, where dragons ruled the skies and sorcerers practiced mysterious rituals. What exactly led to the Doom that laid this civilization low?
- One of the most intriguing shows is Snow, a series that would continue the adventures of Jon Snow. Actor Kit Harington reportedly came to HBO himself with the idea.
- It’s been reported that HBO has “actively discussed” a show about Aegon the Conqueror, the man who took over the Seven Kingdoms with his sisters and their dragons before becoming the first Targaryen king of Westeros.
To be clear, the only Game of Thrones spinoff shows that actually exist are House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and that last one hasn’t actually gone into production yet, so it may yet fall apart. We don’t which (if any) of these other spinoffs will make it to air; very likely, several have been shelved already.
Still, Martin has said that he’s consulted with the writers behind all of them. Basically, the more Game of Thrones spinoffs there are on TV, the thinner his attention is spread.