Around two winters ago, I began the journey of my Game of Thrones era. I decided to watch the show and was blown away by how complex, fantastical, and emotional it was. Soon after, I decided to delve into the books, knowing it would be an ordeal given the number of pages dedicated to these stories. Since I get swept up again by this enthralling story, I thought it would be interesting to rank the individual books in the A Song of Ice and Fire universe and see what really captured my interest.
1. A Storm of Swords
I remember being blown away by seasons 3 and 4 of Game of Thrones, so it's not a surprise that its source material is easily my favorite. Storms is a perfect culmination of everything fantastic in the series. Both new and old characters shine with depth and complexity as storylines reveal more about their nature. Likewise, plot points are written in a cinematic and enthralling manner: It kept me on my toes to read about who might be getting betrayed, who was plotting, and what lore could be revealed.
2. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
These were by far some of the most compelling works in the series because they capture the best aspects of A Song of Ice and Fire in a more lighthearted tone. It's a nice change of pace to have adventures that still resonate with the politics and legacy of Westeros, but emphasize the purer motivations of Dunk and his trusty mentee Egg. Plus, as a fan of the history novels, it was a lot of fun to get real-time insights into many of the historical characters. I'm very excited for this year's adaptation!
3. A Feast for Crows
From my awareness, A Feast for Crows is not a fan favorite. However, it's one of mine because I adore character-driven novels. This novel focuses on characters who are more subdued in the narrative, such as the Greyjoys, Samwell Tarly, Brienne, Jaime, and Cersei. With the ramifications of the War of 5 Kings, it's a nice balance to see how the characters (new and old) are changing alongside the political and socioeconomic state of Westeros.
4. Fire & Blood
I always loved history, and became curious about the mysterious figures lining the story. Fire & Blood is a fascinating and ingenious way to convey in depth information about the Targaryen rulers. There's a level of engagement to pick out what's true and what's speculation through these competing viewpoints, that's balanced with a level of certainty in the accuracy of characters and events.
5. A Game of Thrones
AGOT was a fascinating first book. It masterfully sets the scene for what we're delving into: A variety of characters, diverging plotlines, politics, and looming fantastical elements. The writing is cinematic and sets the characters and plot up really well for future novels. The thing that worked for and against the book was going into having watched the show first: I was able to visualize everything but also knew most of what would happen which took some of the enjoyment out of the experience.
6. The World of Ice and Fire: The History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones
This is definitely the more dense history novel, sheerly through the amount of information covered. It provides a nice overview of the history, people, and geography of the A Song of Ice and Fire world. The history fan in me really enjoyed learning about the general background of the world, and the ways that trickles into the main series. The main flaw I have with it is the immense amount to understand and process.
7. A Clash of Kings
A Clash of Kings was a tricky one to rank. It successfully follows A Game of Thrones in worldbuilding and plot development, as well as continuing to evolve the characters. The main reason it's ranked lower is that it feels more of a bridge between A Game of Thrones and A Storm of Swords, and focuses on the development of the series. While exciting in its own right, I find the events less memorable than other books.
8. A Dance of Dragons
I appreciate the continuing evolvement of characters and the addition of new characters that A Dance of Dragons provides. It provides compelling points of view throughout the novel. What A Dance of Dragons lacked for me was the consistency and it lacked the balance to feel broken up narratively. Overall, I found the developments interesting, but far too drawn out.