If the past is the preface, then George R.R. Martin's masterpiece - the most groundbreaking and entertaining fantasy epic of our time - is guaranteed to have a dizzying introduction; and with The World of Fire and Ice, this was finally born.

This richly illustrated publication - which features more than one hundred and seventy original paintings - presents the history of the Seven Kingdoms by reliving the heroic battles, bitter feuds and daring uprisings that led to the events of A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO's Game of Thrones. The volume was prepared by Martin in the framework of a multi-year collaboration with the founders of the well-known fan website, Westeros.org, Elio M. García Jr. and Linda Antonsson - because perhaps only they know this world as intimately as its creator blessed with a fantastic imagination.

This book collects all the accumulated knowledge of masters, septons, mages and singers, but also their reflections and legends. It covers the period from the Dawn to the Age of Heroes, from the coming of the First to the arrival of Aegon the Conqueror, from the forging of the Iron Throne to the rise of Robert and the Mad King, II. Until the fall of Aerys Targaryen, which marked the beginning of the "modern" struggle of the Starks, Lannisters, Baratheons and Targaryens. A must-have piece of George R.R. Martin's dazzling universe, A World of Fire and Ice is a testament to the fact that the pen persevered in the midst of a storm of swords.