Beyond the Wall: Exploring George R. R. Martin's a Song of Ice and Fire, from a Game of Thrones to a Dance With Dragons

Get ready for HBO's Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon prequel series with this exploration of George R.R. Martin's iconic novels

The world created by George R.R. Martin in his high fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire—now the basis for the hit HBO series Game of Thrones—is not only richly drawn, but also immensely popular. By A Game of Thrones' debut in May 2011, the series already had more than 6 million copies in print in the US and had sold more than 16 million worldwide.

Since the television series' debut, A Game of Thrones and subsequent titles in the series have appeared consistently on the New York Times bestseller list. The latest title in the series, A Dance with Dragons, sold nearly 300,000 copies on its first day in print.

Beyond the Wall explores the book series' influences, its place in the fantasy pantheon, its challenging narrative choices, and the pull of its stunningly epic scope.

James Lowder has worked extensively on both sides of the editorial blotter. His credits include the bestselling, widely translated novels Prince of Lies and Knight of the Black Rose, short fiction for such anthologies as Shadows Over Baker Street and The Repentant, and comic book scripts, role-playing game material, and hundreds of reviews and articles, including essays for the BenBella titles The Unauthorized X-Men and King Kong is Back! As an editor, he's directed book lines or series for a variety of publishers and has helmed more than a dozen critically acclaimed anthologies, including Curse of the Full Moon, Hobby Games: The 100 Best, and the Books of Flesh zombie anthology series. He's been a finalist for the International Horror Guild Award and the Stoker Award, and has won five Origins Awards and a silver ENnie Award.