Do you need to read Fire & Blood to understand House of the Dragon?

If Game of Thrones premiered in 2011, I was thrilled to be a “book reader.” As a recovering English major, I loved having another version of a story rattling around in my brain as I experienced a new movie or TV show, and much of my excitement for the series came from the seeming impossibility of translating George R.R. Martin’s dense high fantasy series into a mainstream HBO drama.

HBO plans on launching spinoff series, ten years after A Song of Ice and Fire, which was televised as one of the greatest shows of all-time, ended. House of the Dragon to recapture the magic; it adapts Martin’s Targaryen family history, Fire & Blood. I also wrote about Game of Thrones from a book reader’s perspective for The A.V. For The A.V., from the perspective of a book reader. Polygon approached me to inquire about what information readers should have on the source material. House of the Dragon’s August debut.

There was just one problem: I haven’t read Fire & Blood. This request led to me realizing something that I’d been afraid to admit: I don’t want to be read. Fire & Blood. My proposal is officially submitted. We collectively must resist the temptation to devour an 800-page book in order to keep up with the story when it premieres.

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

Photo: Helen Sloan/HBO

Maybe it’s just me, but being a “book reader” during Game of Thrones’ run was exhausting. The beginning was both enjoyable and productive. Our knowledge of the books helped us acclimate other viewers to the sheer volume of characters and the depth of Martin’s world-building, and tracking changes to the story allowed for equal parts meaningful analysis of narrative adjustments and pedantic complaining about the absence of direwolves, two of my favorite pastimes. It might have seemed silly to an outside observer to have different reviews for “experts” and “newbies” across the internet, but it created a really fascinating insight into the adaptation, and I loved both writing and reading about it.

However, as the show drifted further from the original storyline, it became so difficult to watch and just enjoy the show for its merits. And when the show passed the books, we couldn’t dig ourselves out, struggling to grapple with the phantom of Martin’s unfinished volumes and take in the final season as something other than a purple-monkey-dishwasher rendition of his intended ending. Reading books became an overwhelming task.

One of many reasons why I didn’t go. Fire & Blood when it came out in 2018, although I likely wasn’t alone in this; it’s written as an in-world history of the Targaryen family told by Archmaester Gyldayn of the Citadel, and Martin himself went to great lengths to emphasize that this was “not a novel,” instead collecting various bits of “imaginary history” together into what he jokingly dubbed the “GRRMarillion” in a nod to Tolkien’s history of Middle-earth. It was so easy to forget about it, even after it was revealed as the source material. House of the Dragon, I didn’t feel a strong urge to rush out and read it; this wasn’t another character-driven narrative but rather a recording of historical events, which offers a more limited insight into how the show will approach the stories within.

And yet still my time as a “book reader” created this sense of shame as House of the DragonMy resistance to it has grown, but I have been able to see that this dream is becoming a possibility. As different actors were cast, I began to see Westeros.org’s news alerts through my Twitter feed. I was shocked that it didn’t bring me the excitement of Winter is Coming and similar fan sites. Like back in 2009, how did you react to the casting announcements? As I was unable to form an opinion on Matt Smith’s casting, I was dreading the day when I would give in and write about the news in my newsletter.

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

But why should any of us feel like we need to spend our beach days this summer poring over what some reviews have called “interminable” and “a mildly interesting, but often tedious, piece of homework”? Frankly, I don’t know that I’d even agree with these reviews were I to read the book; the idea of an in-world history actually sounds fine to me in the abstract. The discussion about Game of Thrones became so entangled with one’s relationship to the books, I am loath to re-enter those discourses solely because some combination of the internet content machine and the innate desire for wielding authority is hanging over me.

While I don’t doubt there will be explanations for why you should read, Fire & Blood Before House of the DragonAs your representative, I suggest that we collectively reject this framework. Read it or don’t read it, but we need to normalize removing ourselves from this narrative, even if that puts me in the awkward position of discouraging the act of reading and advocating for the value of ignorance.

Although, it isn’t ignorance, really. It is not ignorance. Game of Thrones When book readers first appeared, they offered an introduction to a world most viewers didn’t understand. For those who watched that series for the eight-seasons, however, they were able to grasp the vast world of House of the Dragon isn’t a complete mystery. The basic concept of House Targaryen is easily understood by casual viewers. And those who are avid book readers have many references to help them find their way around this old version of Westeros. In other words, we have enough context to simply treat this like we’d treat any spinoff: more of what we’re invested in, with the promise of that carefully constructed blend of familiarity and novelty.

Simply put, House of the DragonThere is enough on its plate without adding the book to the mix. After a busted pilot from Jane Goldman starring Naomi Watts, this is HBO’s second crack at making a prequel to Game of Thrones, and there’s a lot riding on it considering how that show’s final season disrupted the momentum both on-screen with ratings and off-screen with licensing and merchandising. Ryan J. Condal, director, and co-showrunners Miguel Sapochnik will ensure that the show regains its original essence. Thrones a cultural juggernaut in a way the failed pilot didn’t? Was this particular take on a spinoff — from Condal — chosen because it was the best, or because it had the word “dragon” in the title and captured the most recognizable bits of the franchise? The context of the show’s creation offers more than enough narrative to feel like it’s unnecessary to add “Does Emma D’Arcy capture the essence of *insert character name I’ll learn to spell in August by reading her IMDB page*?” to the mix.

As a former one, I don’t have any ill will towards book lovers. I won’t begrudge anyone who shells out $10 for a mass-market paperback of Fire & Blood They read it on the beach, at work or while commuting back to the office. Book readers are bound to provide insightful and valuable insights for both new and experienced viewers. I am certain that it will enrich their experiences.

But I am officially declaring that I will not be among them, and that we should give ourselves the freedom to enjoy — or not enjoy! — experiencing this story anew, with only our existing relationship to Game of ThronesWe are here to help. House of the Dragon is a reset button for HBO’s biggest franchise, and we should be willing to use it as a reset button for our experience getting too invested in it on the internet.