Is House of the Dragon based on a book?
Want to get ahead of a series? The source material is a good place to start. Is House of the Dragon based on a book like its predecessor?
We all know Game of Thrones was based on a book series. Well, that was up to the fifth season. After Season 6, the series got ahead of the books, and it showed. It was also frustrating as a fan of the books since we didn’t have the source material to work with to see where storylines were going.
Reading the books also helps to understand how the Houses are connected. We get to see the names written out, making it less likely we’ll mix up some of the characters due to similar sounding names.
What about the prequel series, House of the Dragon? While some of the storylines were definitely mentioned in Game of Thrones, not everything is. You’ll recognize some names like Aegon I and his dragon Balerion, but not about others.
Is there a book series to read for this show? There is some good news.
House of the Dragon is based on Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin
There is a book, and that book is a prequel to Game of Thrones. However, it isn’t written in the same way as the books that make up A Song of Ice and Fire.
Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin covers the 300 years of the Targaryen dynasty from Aegon joining the kingdoms to the Mad King being usurped. The stories are relatively short, written as if the Maesters have told the tales.
House of the Dragon picks up partway through the story. It starts with “Heirs of the Dragon—A Question of Succession.” This bit starts with Jaehaerys having to choose an heir. Instead of picking, he gets the lords to do it, and they don’t want to follow a woman.
However, his son, Viserys, realizes he has a problem. His brother, Daemon, doesn’t have what it takes to rule well. Instead, Viserys names his daughter as his heir. This leads us into a civil war that doesn’t really stop until the chapters that start with “The Dying of the Dragons.”
What did you think of the House of the Dragon premiere? Have you read all of Fire & Blood yet? Share in the comments below.
House of the Dragon airs Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.