Tower of the Hand

Tower of the Hand is an unofficial companion to George R. R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series, featuring chapter summaries, character profiles, family trees, and much more about the world of Westeros.

This site is designed for both ASOIAF experts and new readers. If you've read at least the first book in the series (A Game of Thrones), you can follow along with our chapter summaries and view our reference pages without seeing a single detail from later books. Just remember to update your scope once you're caught up, so you can see all the details and participate in the community discussions.

If you have any questions, just let us know. Thanks for visiting Tower of the Hand!

In his first specific A Dance with Dragons update this calendar, George R. R. Martin jokes that he might take the Santa Fe snow as a sign to stop writing about hot and muggy Meereen in favor of a chilly Jon Snow chapter. More seriously, he reports another completed chapter. Sorta. GRRM has also taken an "especially vigorous hack" at the writing knot that has bedeviled him for much of the past year, all but confirming [ SPOILER for ADWD >>   that multiple POVs will be present in Meereen   << END SPOILER ].

Update: In a brief addendum, GRRM cryptically writes, "A Good Day, With Snow. 'nuff said." In the original post, he also comments on why he's not giving firmer updates, "My guesstimates have all sucked. And every time I give an ETA and then miss it, it triggers another flood of abuse. So... no, rather not."

Update x2: GRRM clarifies that A Dance with Dragons is not done yet.

Pat's Fantasy Hotlist has an exclusive excerpt from The Mystery Knight, the third Dunk and Egg tale due this March in George R. R. Martin's Warriors anthology. Check it out and let us know what you think.

GRRM also lists a few early reviews for The Mystery Knight, from Only the Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suvudu, and Alternative Worlds.

The Television Critics Association held a press event with HBO last night. While there was no official discussion of Game of Thrones, we now have a better idea of what to expect from HBO and when. Matt Roush of TV Guide Magazine tweeted: "HBO programming chief tells me they'll see full pilot of Game of Thrones in 2 wks. Dailies look good; more scripts written. Fingers crossed." James Hibberd of The Live Feed provides more details, including a promising quote from HBO programming chief Michael Lombardo:

The Live Feed story also confirms that the direwolves will be produced via a mixture of live animals and CGI. Winter Is Coming notes that one of those live animals (so adorable) was recently up for adoption.

The Mystery Knight, the third installment of the Dunk and Egg tales, hits bookstores this March. Thanks to a brief spoiler-free review at Read and Find Out (h/t Adam), we have our first clues as to what happens in the story:

We know little else, plot-wise, about it. The first two novels took place in the Reach (The Hedge Knight in Ashford, The Sworn Sword in Standfast). Where do you think The Mystery Knight will occur? Will we already know the identity of the "Mystery Knight"?

With the calendar turning once again, I thought it a good time to reflect on the best fantasy books of the past ten years. I enlisted the help of my favorite book bloggers; a few of them answered the call: Adam of The Wertzone, Aidan of A Dribble of Ink, Eva of evagation, and James of Speculative Horizons. Below is a cumulative list of our favorite reads from the 2000s, alphabetized by author.

For all you aspiring authors, George R. R. Martin will be one of the instructors at this year's Clarion Writers' Workshop. If you've dreamed of having your work critiqued by GRRM, he suggests you apply for this "intensive six-week writer's boot camp that will make you, break you, maybe change your life." GRRM provides details for this and additional writers' resources in his latest Not a Blog.