Aegon, Aegon, and Aegon: A Song of Ice and Fire Stories in Chronological Order

In Westeros, the House Targaryen once ruled the Seven Kingdoms for centuries, wielding an iron fist over the lands through the might of their dragons. By the time Game of Thrones kicks off, the incestuous family's power has been depleted to almost nothing, and it's up to the last daughter Daenerys to rise up the ranks and reclaim the Iron Throne.

Fire & Blood, the first of a planned two-volume collection, delves into the dense and complicated history of the Targaryen family. Martin explores this story not through a traditional novel, but with an academic-style fictional history book full of scholarly sources and analysis, as through this family were real. He plans to write the second volume, titled Blood & Fire, after completing The Winds of Winter, the long-awaited sixth novel in the ASOIAF series.

Ser Duncan the Tall (otherwise known as Dunk) is a hedge knight who has recently inherited his master's worldly goods. Prince Aegon V Targaryen (a.k.a. Egg) is a young squire in need of guidance. Their adventures are compiled in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which takes place 90 years before the event of ASOIAF. The Tales of Dunk and Egg are a trilogy of novellas, although Martin has said that he would like to write many more installments of their story.

This is the one that kickstarted a phenomenon. Published in 1996, A Game of Thrones was Martin's fourth novel and his return to writing prose fiction after a long period working in TV (he worked on the Beauty and the Beast series starring Ron Perlman!).

This grand historical fantasy was partly inspired by the Wars of the Roses and is as layered and dramatic as any true-life tale. The first book weaves together eight narrators across the various houses in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. House Stark fights to keep the north safe from White Walkers. The Lannisters fight for control among their neighbors and themselves. And across the sea, the last surviving members of the Targaryen clan unite with the Dothraki people in hopes of reclaiming their power. And, of course, there are dragons.

Published in 1999, A Clash of Kings won the Locus Award for Best Novel. Six factions struggle for control of the Iron Throne, and threats of a mighty army gathering on the other side of the wall grow louder. King Robert Baratheon is dead and his twisted son Joffrey has inherited the crown, although the Baratheon brothers claim they are the true heirs. Robb Stark is declared "King in the North" while Balon Greyjoy declares himself king of the Iron Islands. Daenerys Targaryen and her newly hatched trio of dragons are on the move, as an unexpected player in the battle of kings threatens to burn them all.

At its publication, A Storm of Swords was the longest novel in the series, clocking in at a mighty 973 pages. In some countries, the paperback edition was split into two more manageable parts. It was also the first novel in the series to be nominated for the Hugo Award. 

Picking up slightly before the end of A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords sees Westeros in the grip of the War of the Five Kings, as Joffrey Baratheon does battle with his uncle Stannis for the Iron Throne. Jame Lannister, Joffrey's uncle and father, is freed from the Stark's hold and escorted south by the unlikely knight Brienne of Tarth. Arya Stark is on the run and ends up kidnapped by Sandor "The Hound" Clegane, Joffrey's former bodyguard. Daenerys frees the slave armies of Astapor to shore up her own powers and must deal with traitors in her midst.

Martin originally planned for the fourth book to be called A Dance with Dragons, but his writing process led him to go well beyond his outline, and he ended up with a 1527-page manuscript for what would become A Feast for Crows, and at that point it was still unfinished! So, he decided to split the material, get it down to a more manageable 753 pages, and have the story of A Dance with Dragons be concurrent with this one. A Feast for Crows was the first novel in the series to debut at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list, a rare feat for a fantasy writer at the time.

Following the death of Tywin Lannister and Joffrey Baratheon, Queen Cersei is in charge, with her reign defined by corruption and incompetence. Catelyn Stark has been resurrected from the dead and has taken the name Lady Stoneheart in vengeance for the murder of her loved ones. The Greyjoys battle for the right to claim the Iron Throne, with the unhinged Euron hoping to take control of Daenerys's dragons to help him achieve his plans. Prophecies are being fulfilled, but the outcomes may prove more deadly than anticipated.

The most recent ASOIAF book published, released in 2011 (making it the only novel in the series to be published during the run of the TV series), A Dance with Dragons is a mighty 1056 pages long. 

Stannis Baratheon, still fighting for control over the Iron Throne, occupies the Wall with the sorceress Melisandre offering him guidance. Jon Snow, the newly elected Lord Commander of the Night's Watch that defends the Wall, prepares his soldiers for battle against the terrifying White Walkers. Tyrion Lannister flees Westeros after killing his father and hopes to align himself with Daenerys Targaryen, who has conquered Meereen with her dragons but is struggling to contain their growing powers. Cersei Lannister is forced to undergo humiliation rituals to atone for her sins. The stakes are higher than ever, and so is the body count.

While you wait for Martin to finish The Winds of Winter (it could happen!), check out check out this companion book, published in 2014, that acts as a historical compendium to the world of Westeros. It's a slim 326 pages and fully illustrated too! The book details the fictional history of the Seven Kingdoms, from the pre-historic Dawn Age leading up to the events that kick off the first book in the main series.