Iron, Fire and Ice

The Real History That Inspired Game of Thrones

By: Ed West

Narrated by: Rory Barnett

Have you read everything George R.R. Martin has every written? Do you know what in Game of Thrones is based in real history?

A young pretender raises an army to take the throne. Learning of his father’s death, the adolescent, dashing and charismatic and descended from the old kings of the North, vows to avenge him. He is supported in this war by his mother, who has spirited away her two younger sons to safety. Against them is the queen, passionate, proud, and strong-willed and with more of the masculine virtues of the time than most men. She too is battling for the inheritance of her young son, not yet fully grown but already a sadist who takes delight in watching executions.

Sound familiar? It may read like the plot of Game of Thrones. Yet that was also the story of the bloodiest battle in British history, fought at the culmination of the War of the Roses. George RR Martin’s bestselling novels are rife with allusions, inspirations, and flat-out copies of real-life people, events, and places of medieval and Tudor England and Europe. The Red Wedding? Based on actual events in Scottish history. The poisoning of Joffrey Baratheon? Eerily similar to the death of William the Conqueror’s grandson. The Dothraki? Also known as Huns, Magyars, Turks, and Mongols.

Join Ed West, as he explores all of Martin’s influences, from religion to war to powerful women. Discover the real history behind the phenomenon and see for yourself that truth is stranger than fiction.

©2019 by Ed West. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Thrilling!

Great story & storytelling! And pretty bloody too!
Authentic historical accuracy recounted with all the excitement of the show!

Very informative about where the ideas for GOT

Enjoyed it and learned a lot, very good listen if you are a Game of Thrones fan.

Fascinating and fun

Well written, entertaining, and educational. I am a big fan of Ed West books as they bring a very human perspective to legendary history. Extremely enjoyable!

Real History

The real history behind ASOIF is so much more intriguing and gruesome you would’ve thought GRRM was making it up if he had wrote it!

Well done and interesting!

Sometimes tricky to follow , but interesting and informative! He does some jumping around to give the historical connections.

Good popcorn history

Good historical info and GOT info, a bit not in the order I would do, but good for a quarantine walk listen.

Superb Narrator; Incredible Recounting but Be Prepared to Take Notes!

While fascinated by the history, I often found myself lost. Perhaps it was SO much information that I couldn’t tie all the people, locations and events together. My favorite bits were when the author tied GOT to elements.

Very complex for an audiobook

I read game of thrones as an audiobook several years ago. Pace and character development made it easier to follow than Iron Fire and Ice. It is a strong reminder of the brutality people are capable of.
There are many historical vignettes: crusades, the fall of Constantinople, the mini ice age. I did find I had trouble following the narrative about the Yorks, Lancasters and their family and followers.
It does become clear the many ways game of thrones followed European history at the end of the middle ages.

Fascinating, if hard to follow

The parallels with historic events are well described, and offer interesting insights. Unfortunately, jumping from one century to the next, it is hard to keep track of who is in which family, or even which Henry is being described at any given time. Nonetheless, it does give the flavor of the complexity of political and family relationships through the Middle Ages.

Allegory at its best

Well read and interesting comparisons between history and Game Of Thrones by George R. R. Martin