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| The Sons of the Dragon | |
|---|---|
| Author | George R. R. Martin |
| Audio read by | Ralph Lister |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | A Song of Ice and Fire |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Published in | The Book of Swords |
| Publisher | Bantam Spectra |
| Publication date | October 10, 2017 |
| Preceded by | "The Rogue Prince" |
The Sons of the Dragon is anovella byGeorge R. R. Martin, set in the fictional land ofWesteros, the setting of Martin'sA Song of Ice and Fire series. The story commences about 270 years before the start ofA Game of Thrones (1996). It centers on the death of Aegon I, known as "Aegon the Conqueror" for his bloody unification of the warring nations ofWesteros, and his two sons: Aenys I, who succeeded him, and Maegor I, reviled as "Maegor the Cruel", in their respective successions to the throne thereafter, and the conflicts faced between them. The story concludes with the death of Maegor, and introduces the groundwork for its sequel, being about the life of his successor and nephew Jaehaerys I "the Conciliator", whose 55-year reign brought about an unprecedented age of peace to the Seven Kingdoms.
As with his previous Westerosi "histories", includingThe World of Ice and Fire,The Rogue Prince andThe Princess and the Queen, Martin wroteThe Sons of the Dragon from the perspective of a fictional Westerosi scholar-physician, referred to in-universe as a "maester". Unlike the previous works, attributed to Maester Yandel and Archmaester Gyldayn, the maester ofThe Sons of the Dragon remains anonymous throughout the story. At the conclusion of the novella, the unnamed maester notes that the following history of the Targaryen family, concerning the life of Jaehaerys I, would be a "task for another maester".
Following an early 2017 leak that revealed plans for the novella to be included in the anthologyThe Book of Swords (edited by Martin's longtime friendGardner Dozois), Martin himself confirmed that the anthology was scheduled to be released on October 10, 2017, and confirmed thatThe Sons of the Dragon would be included.[1]
The story was derived from previously written lengthier material that Martin had prepared for the companion bookThe World of Ice & Fire, but was removed because the book was becoming too long for the original concept of a fully illustrated book. It and several other stories appeared in abridged versions in other anthologies.[2][3][4]
The story is included in full inFire & Blood.[5]
The novella was released byBantam Spectra in October 2017 in hardcover, paperback and audiobook formats, all as the final story inThe Book of Swords anthology. The audiobook edition was narrated by Ralph Lister, who previously collaborated with Martin and Dozois as narrator for their 2012 anthologyDown These Strange Streets.
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