New edition of Fire & Blood has illustration of character (probably) cut from House of the Dragon

Fire & Blood is a "fake history book" by author George R.R. Martin that traces the history of Westeros over the course of a couple hundred years, roughly from the point where Aegon the Conqueror took over the Seven Kingdoms to the end of the Dance of the Dragons, a brutal civil war that pit rival factions of the ruling Targaryen family against each other. That chunk of Fire & Blood forms the basis for HBO's TV series House of the Dragon, which wrapped up its second season earlier this year.

House of the Dragon has gotten people familiar with the likes of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and her husband Daemon Targaryen, played by Emma D'Arcy and Matt Smith on the show. But Fire & Blood is still a unique book very much worth reading, especially since the TV show has changed so much from the book that it's basically becoming a different story. And now is the perfect time to check out the original, because The Folio Society is releasing a brand new, beautifully bound illustrated edition of Fire & Blood.

The new book will feature artwork by Audrey Benjaminsen. Some of her illustrations are already floating around online, to much acclaim from fans. For instance, check out this image of Daemon Targaryen in front of a heart tree:

This actually looks pretty close to the depiction of Daemon in House of the Dragon. But some of Benjaminsen's illustrations diverge from the TV show versions, (beware SPOILER incoming) like this striking rendering of Rhaenyra sitting on the Iron Throne:

Rhaenyra hasn't actually sat the Iron Throne yet on House of the Dragon, but those who have read Fire & Blood know to probably expect it in season 3. I like how severe and haunted Rhaenyra looks in this image. The TV version hasn't quite gotten there, but there are some signs they're going in that direction. Sign me up.

And then there are some illustrations that bring to life scenes we're unlikely to see at all on House of the Dragon, like this rendering of the character Nettles:

In Fire & Blood, Nettles is a young peasant girl living on Dragonstone who responds to Rhaenyra's call for new dragon-riders. She gains the allegiance of a dragon named Sheepstealer by bringing it sheep to eat every day until it trusts her, and then finds herself part of Rhaenyra's dragon air force.

Although it's not 100% confirmed, it's looking like Nettles has been cut from House of the Dragon. The show seems to have given her role to Daemon's daughter Rhaena Targaryen (Phoebe Campbell), who encountered a dragon in the Vale in the season 2 finale. I loved Nettles' story and was really bummed to learn that the show is losing her, but at least we can still read about her in The Folio Society's new edition of Fire & Blood, which is scheduled to come out on January 28, 2025. As for the third season of House of the Dragon, we can expect it to premiere sometime in 2026.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.