Book fans, we’ve been shafted again. Announced today, A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin released news that his new book would be coming to shelves. No, not a continuation of his epic franchise he started in 1996. Instead it is Fire & Blood, a prequel-type book filled with the history of the Targaryen family and their legacy. Lets sigh together about this, shall we?

In a blog entry on his Livejournal, Martin announced that Winds of Winter, the 6th book (out of a planned 7) in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, will not be released this year. Now, no one is really surprised by this news. It’s been 7 years since he released A Dance with Dragons, and at this point some fans believe he’ll take the story to the grave with him. But to the point, Fire & Blood isn’t a novel. Martin stressed this in his announcement. Instead it is a narrative on the “imagined history” of one of the most powerful Houses in Westeros. Martin teased the contents by sharing what this book will cover.

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This first volume covers all the Targaryen kings from Aegon I (the Conquerer) to the regency of Aegon III (the Dragonbane), along with their wives, wars, siblings, children, friends, rivals, laws, travels, and sundry other matters.   For those not up on your Westerosi history, that’s Aegon I, Aenys, Maegor the Cruel, Jaehaerys I (the Conciliator), Viserys I, Aegon II (and Rhaenyra), and Aegon III (the regency).   Oh, and there are dragons too.

Yes you read that correctly, this is volume 1 of 2 he has planned. So fans of the Targaryens’ will be able to eat up all that sweet, sweet history. In addition, the entire novel will have illustrations throughout it. While it’s not quite a coffee book table, it’ll be one to add to your collection if you’re a diehard Targaryen/Westeros fan. You can check out the US cover below and pre-order the book on many online retailers.

What do you think of the book? Are you excited to learn more or do you really just want him to finish the story before diving into the history? Let us know! Be sure to come back to Geek Girl Authority for more Westeros news. Fire & Blood will debut on November 20th.