House of the Dragon is the first of many GOT spinoffs to grace our screens. While it seems broadly new to those only familiar with the TV show, book readers/fans may also realize that most of HOTD’s events are not mentioned in A Song of Ice and Fire, either.
So, where did the show get its source material from? Is House of the Dragon based on a book as well? Or has it been invented from scratch?
House of the Dragon is based on the events described in two of George R. R. Martin’s novels: Fire & Blood, and A Song of Ice and Fire. It is canon and depicts the reign of one of Westeros’ most powerful houses, the Targaryens, and their eventual downfall.
Let’s get into all the details and clear your doubts!
Is HOTD canon in the GOT universe?
Absolutely! House of the Dragon’s story is canon both in novels and the TV show universe.
Not only does this show allow you to revel in the rich history of the Targaryens and Westerosi politics, but it is also important from a point of view of understanding everything that transpired in Game of Thrones. This is where you can pinpoint the downfall of the Targaryens.
The only thing to keep in mind is that Martin wrote Fire & Blood more like a history book than a novel. So, while he did provide key details about different events and relationships, it isn’t very rich with his crafty dialogues and descriptions.
One benefit of this is that it gives the TV show a lot of room to create and develop dynamics to fill the gaps present in the book. You may worry that this may lead to a disconnect across mediums, but the good news is that Martin is an active consultant on the show. So, he’s there to lead the way in case the creative decisions of the showrunners or writers go awry.
Let’s look at the novels per se. Most of us may be acquainted with the A Song of Ice and Fire (ASoIaF) series, which is what GOT is based on. Since ASoIaF takes place roughly 200 years after HOTD, the show doesn’t rely heavily on this novel.
However, the book will contain mentions or recollections of Targaryen-related events and people such as Dance of the Dragons or the Mad King, as a thread connecting the two. These will be portrayed in the show.
Fire & Blood on the other hand is a novel that solely focuses on House Targaryen. You can read about their entire history, right from Daenys’ dream about the end of Valyrian Freehold, to conquering the seven kingdoms of Westeros, to the civil war that would weaken their stronghold and bring an end to their dragons.
House of the Dragon does not get into the first half of Fire & Blood, which centers around the first century of Targaryen rule.
The show gives us a brief introduction and summary of those chapters and straight heads to the fourth chapter of the book, “Heirs of the Dragon.” Notably, this is also the title of Episode 1.
The remaining nine episodes will showcase the events depicted in Chapter 5 of Fire & Blood, “The Dying of the Dragons.”
Rumor has it that House of the Dragon is planning on adapting not just the Dance of the Dragons arc, but the rest of Targaryen history too, bridging it with Robert’s rebellion.
However, only Volume I of Fire & Blood has been published, which covers the end of the civil war. If the show wants to adapt events that take place after that, they won’t have any books to refer to since Volume II has not been published yet.
Unless, of course, Martin releases it soon! Here’s hoping.
About House Of The Dragon
House of the Dragon is the prequel series to HBO’s blockbuster Game of Thrones based on George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood.
Set three hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will show Westeros under the Targaryen family’s rule before the dragons went extinct. It will follow the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war between siblings Aegon II and Rhaenyra, who fought for the throne after the death of their father, Viserys I.
Directed by Ryan Condall and Miguel Sapochnik, the show stars Paddy Considine as Viserys I Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Craney as Aegon II Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, and Graham McTavish.
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