A review by sonofatreus
The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones by Linda Antonsson, Elio M. García Jr., George R.R. Martin
4.0
All around, a lot of fun to read. Written from the perspective of Yandel, a maester of the Citadel, to Tommen, this book really fleshes out the world from and in which the series is set. It does a great job explaining most regions of Westeros; the worst treatment is the Riverlands, and my only complaint is that it was too short of a section. It also helps to understand the differences in culture, both within Westeros but also in Essos, the Southern Isles and beyond. This makes the constant fighting in GRRM's world more understandable.
What I didn't like mostly stems from how it's written — from Yandel's perspective. This means parts of the story can be explicitly glossed over, because someone else (in the world) has written about it; unfortunately for the reader, we don't live in Yandel's world. Also, it means certain sections (the Dance of Dragons) don't get a well-outlined discussion, but an almost abbreviated one, because the stories are so well known in-world.
My last complaint is that some cities are only ever mentioned in passing that play a major part in ASOIAF, namely the slaver cities. These have been a big part of Dany's story and I was looking forward to reading about their histories and cultures only to find they don't ever receive a full treatment and are only ever name dropped.
Still, all in all, a fun read for fans of ASOIAF. It has all the best parts of the series (the world building, the political intrigue, the dragons) with none of the worst (feasting and sex scenes).
What I didn't like mostly stems from how it's written — from Yandel's perspective. This means parts of the story can be explicitly glossed over, because someone else (in the world) has written about it; unfortunately for the reader, we don't live in Yandel's world. Also, it means certain sections (the Dance of Dragons) don't get a well-outlined discussion, but an almost abbreviated one, because the stories are so well known in-world.
My last complaint is that some cities are only ever mentioned in passing that play a major part in ASOIAF, namely the slaver cities. These have been a big part of Dany's story and I was looking forward to reading about their histories and cultures only to find they don't ever receive a full treatment and are only ever name dropped.
Still, all in all, a fun read for fans of ASOIAF. It has all the best parts of the series (the world building, the political intrigue, the dragons) with none of the worst (feasting and sex scenes).