Part of what makes George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, the basis for the hit HBO show Game of Thrones, so special is its utilization of point-of-view characters. While Martin is far from the first author to divide his story up among multiple narrators, his characters feel so developed, and his world comes across as so rich, that it sometimes feels like reading multiple fully fleshed out books at the same time.
Martin's first novel in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Game of Thrones, introduces audiences to eight point-of-view characters, not counting Will, the one-off narrator who dies at the end of the book's prologue: Bran Stark, Catelyn Stark, Daenerys Targaryen, Eddard "Ned" Stark, Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Sansa Stark, and Arya Stark. With each subsequent book in the series, Martin introduces new POV characters, while removing others. Each of Martin's prologues and epilogues is narrated by a character who never returns due to their death at the end of their respective chapter.
By the time of his two most recently published books in the series, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, Martin works with so many perspectives that he split his planned story into two different novels, each focusing on a different set of narrators. To date, Arya is the only POV character with a chapter in each book in the series.
What makes Daenerys so different?
Another reason Martin's point-of-view characters help make A Song of Ice and Fire something special is their occasional overlap. For example, shortly after parting ways in Winterfell in the first book, Tyrion Lannister crosses paths with Catelyn Stark once again. She kidnaps him for his alleged attempted murder of her son Bran, and takes him to the Eyrie to await the judgement of her sister, Lysa Arryn. Along the way, readers hear from both Tyrion and Catelyn about their travels, and each other, adding depth to the journey.
Ultimately, this occurs fairly rarely in the series. Usually, a supporting character is elevated to POV status when they break away from a previous narrator. For example, after Sam Tarly's path diverges from Jon Snow's, he begins to narrate his own chapters, and when Brienne of Tarth parts ways with Jaime Lannister, her sections take over a large part of A Feast for Crows. Many of these newer narrators share their perspectives on previous POVs, as well as some events that took place earlier in the series before they stepped into the spotlight.
At this point in the series, every point-of-view character in A Song of Ice and Fire has appeared in another narrator's chapter, with one exception. Since her first appearance in A Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen has felt isolated from the rest of the story, with her plot taking place across the Narrow Sea in Essos as opposed to every other narrator, who lives in Westeros.
Even Davos Seaworth, the second most distant point-of-view character, makes a brief appearance in Maester Cressen's prologue in the second book in the series, A Clash of Kings. In contrast, Daenerys stands completely alone, never physically appearing in anyone else's chapters.
Barristan the Bold to the Rescue
In A Dance with Dragons, it seems like Martin makes deliberate efforts to keep Daenerys in her own point-of-view chapters. Here, her path begins to cross with other narrators, such as Quentyn Martell, and, in a blink and you'll miss it moment, Tyrion Lannister. However, both of these events take place in Daenerys' chapters. Her meeting with Quentyn sheds light on her feelings towards the Dornish prince, confirming that she thinks of him as a naive boy, certainly not husband material, and she doesn't even recognize Tyrion when she sees him performing with Penny from afar.
As such, readers have little insight into how others perceive Daenerys. Since no other point-of-view character ever fully tells her story, Daenerys has an agency as to how readers understand her that few other narrators in the series have.
However, towards the end of A Dance with Dragons, Martin introduces one final narrator: Ser Barristan Selmy. Daenerys' sworn sword takes over telling the story of Meereen after his queen leaves the city during the chaotic reopening of Daznak's Pit. Despite his late introduction, Barristan serves as a fairly prominent POV character, with four chapters to his name, as many as Quentyn and Davos have in Dance.
Although Daenerys never appears directly in Barristan's chapters, she still plays a large role in his story. At this point in the series, Barristan knows Daenerys well, having travelled with her since the end of the second book. In contrast, Quentyn Martell only knew Daenerys for a short time before her disappearance. Barristan's thoughts on Daenerys offer a stronger insight into her character than any other perspective so far. He thinks highly of her, respecting her nobility as a queen and protecting her even in her absence, allowing another point-of-view character to illustrate Daenerys' good heart.
Daenerys will likely appear in other point-of-view characters' chapters in the forthcoming sixth book in the series, The Winds of Winter, and beyond. In the TV adaptation, she finally arrives in Westeros and meets other prominent narrators, such as Jon Snow, around the beginning of Season 7. However, her isolation has lasted five books into the series, and even with Barristan eventually conveying his thoughts about her to the readers, she's still had far more control over her own story than most of Martin's other leading characters.
For more from the world of Westeros, make sure to catch A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms when it airs on HBO Max on January 18, 2026.