Game of Thrones: A Guide to Westeros and Beyond

The Complete Series

Myles McNutt

• Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781452147321, 9781452147321
• eBook ISBN: 9781452148120
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Television

"The quintessential guide to the world of the HBO TV series . . . documents the entire history of Westeros throughout the eight seasons." — Screen Rant
 
This remarkable volume celebrates and explores the complex stories, relationships, and world building in HBO's Emmy Award–winning Game of Thrones series, from Season One through Season Eight. The book follows the story of Essos and southern Westeros, with fire-breathing dragons and clashing noble houses, and the story of northern Westeros, where the Night King leads his army of the dead across the icy landscape. Mapping bloodlines and battle lines, its hundreds of pages are filled with stunning photographs, original art, timelines, and charts newly created for this book. This definitive visual guide commemorates this momentous series and offers a must-have companion for every Game of Thrones fan.
 
"Dive deep into the lore and history of Westeros with this illustrated and annotated guide to all of the seven kingdoms and beyond. From character analyses to fun infographics, there's a little something for everyone." — TV Guide
 
©2019 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved. Game of Thrones and related trademarks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc.

PART I: THE SOUTH AND ESSOS

The South and Essos: AN INTRODUCTION

“I swear to you, I was never so alive as when I was winning this throne, or so dead as now that I’ve won it.”

—ROBERT BARATHEON

IN GAME OF THRONES, power is not absolute; it is a constant struggle, a competition waged between different forces trying to claim the Iron Throne of Westeros. Robert Baratheon sits on that throne when the story begins, but across the Narrow Sea, the remnants of the Targaryen family are quietly preparing to upend the “Usurper,” and within Robert’s own household, the Lannister family’s quest for power threatens to strip Robert of the crown.

An explosive battle for the Iron Throne engulfs Westeros, and the players make decisions throughout in an effort to move them closer to power. These decisions often come with unintended and grave consequences. Daenerys Targaryen promises to take what is hers “with fire and blood,” yet her journey from Essos to Westeros is impeded at every turn by the human cost of her campaign. While the Lannisters occupy the Iron Throne for much of the conflict, they lose most of their family in the quest for power, inadvertently destroying what that power is meant to protect. Furthermore, the Lannisters push the continent into a war that not only claims the lives of individuals but wipes entire houses off the map. Perhaps the cruelest twist is that everyone is too busy fighting that war to notice that, beyond the Wall, the Night King has been amassing an army unlike any they’ve ever faced before.

The arrival of the Night King and the White Walkers tests the leadership of both Cersei Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen, forcing them to face a threat much larger than their individual quests for the Iron Throne. While Cersei hopes the North will die off in the battle, Daenerys must make an important decision: to ride north and heed the warnings of Jon Snow to protect the realm or ride south to take the Iron Throne from Cersei with fire and blood. Daenerys ultimately rides north, choosing the realm, but when the dust settles on the Battle of Winterfell and the army of the dead have been defeated, Daenerys’s real test remains: What will she do now that this final obstacle has been removed from her path? With the Night King erased from the playing field, only Cersei stands in the way of Daenerys Targaryen claiming the Iron Throne. Daenerys arrives at King’s Landing bearing the weight of everything she has lost to get there, and reaching the Iron Throne, she finds herself unable to chart a different path than her father, Cersei Lannister, or so many others before her. Daenerys wins the throne, but at a fatal cost to her reputation.

The corruptive power of the Iron Throne does not discriminate: By the time it’s melted down into nothing, the damage has been done. Everyone who staked their lives on claiming it has lost their way and their life.

Astrolabe

WHEN SAM FIRST ENTERS the library of the Citadel, he sees a large astrolabe, along with several similar astrolabes, high above the working maesters. Fringed with metal blades, like a sun, and encircled by four rotating bands etched with designs, this bright orb depicts the history of Westeros, detailing the rise and fall of kings and queens. The astrolabe pictured to the left is featured in the show’s opening title sequence, offering a closer look at these symbolic depictions. When the series’ credits changed for its final season, a new astrolabe appeared, this time telling the story of the series thus far.

Robert’s Rebellion

ROBERT’S REBELLION BECOMES A CRUCIAL EVENT in the turbulent history of Westeros, since it ends centuries of Targaryen rule on the Iron Throne, which are undone by escalating crises of leadership, tragic love, and messy politics. While on paper it represents the transfer of power from the Mad King Aerys Targaryen to Robert Baratheon, the events surrounding Robert’s Rebellion are much more complex, creating a foundation for the War of the Five Kings.

RHAEGAR TARGARYEN “ABDUCTS” LYANNA STARK

BEFORE THE REBELLION, Prince Rhaegar is married to Elia Martell, and Lyanna Stark is betrothed to Robert Baratheon. It is scandalous when Rhaegar begins showing Lyanna favor, and that scandal becomes an uproar among those loyal to both the Stark and Baratheon families when it is presumed Lyanna has been abducted against her will and taken to Dorne by Rhaegar. They respond by raising an objection with King Aerys.

However, when Brandon and Rickard Stark—Ned Stark’s brother and father—visit Aerys, they find a king who is increasingly disconnected from reality. Although Aerys has long had a reputation of madness, an affliction common to Targaryens, it has never manifested as violently as it does when he publicly executes Brandon and Rickard after their arrival at King’s Landing. It is a significant turning point in public sentiment that galvanizes support for the rebellion against Targaryen rule.

ROBERT VS. RHAEGAR

WITH THE REBELLION IN FULL SWING, Robert Baratheon squares off against Prince Rhaegar on the Trident in single combat. After shattering the young prince’s bejeweled armor and killing him, Robert emerges victorious, becoming the face of the rebellion and eventually ascending to the throne.

The tide of the war shifts following Rhaegar’s death, but King’s Landing doesn’t fall u...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Part I: The South and Essos
• Part II: The North and Beyond the Wall
• Chronicle Ebooks