Iron, Fire and Ice
The Real History That Inspired Game of Thrones
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Iron, Fire and Ice
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Narrated by:
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Rory Barnett
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By:
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Ed West
About this listen
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.Listeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Iron, Fire and Ice
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steve Sochor
- 22-08-19
Excellent voyage through history
Absolutely loved this and it won't be a single listen for me. It's intricate look at the similarities between real history and the history of westeros is brilliantly told and I believe it helps you to understand history that bit more.
There were times in the narrative it would go somewhere or a certain time but then jump to somewhere or something else, leaving us on a cliff hanger or an unfinished story, almost like the workings of Billy Connelly's mind. That made it slightly harder to follow but once you got back into it, back to the part it had described before, it was intense focus, to listen to every moment with extreme excitement.
Definitely recommend to anyone with an interest in a wide variety of history and those who loved Game of Thrones and its vast lore.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Julie Domaille
- 13-09-20
Loved it
I will likely play it again since it is so complicated I don't think I absorbed it all enough. It is both harrowing & amazing.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- The Commandante
- 05-12-20
Fascinating if you love history and GOT
I’m a big history fan and also love Game of Thrones so this is an ideal book for me. It’s fascinating and a good level of detail without losing the reader. Having said that I didn’t find the narrator very captivating and found myself drifting away at times.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jack Clancy
- 03-03-20
History with all interesting and gory bits!
Ever wondered where the inspiration for the Red Wedding came from? Was Joffrey based on a real monarch? Who were the real life nomadic horseman that were the basis for the Dothraki? All these questions are answered and more throughout the book. I didn’t want it to end as it was so fascinating. Also didn’t realise until the book’s conclusion how much George RR Martin had gone through many different civilisations in history, and taken events that occurred and translated them into a series of books that I love.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 23-07-19
pretty damned average
Yes, most of the facts are right.
Yes, the pronunciation is terrible.
No. I will not listen again. The level of mysogeny is terrible
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Mister B
- 02-02-20
Disjointed
Although there were a lot of interesting facts and stories I found it hard to follow and disjointed. Dates seemed to jump all over the place, and the family names in the book seemed to merge into one. I feel it would have benefited from a slower pace and explanation about the characters and how they are linked, even if repeated through the book.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- rupert
- 15-12-20
Disappointing
Narrative jumped around a lot chronologically and became repetitive and confusing- shame because the subject matter was very interesting but I lost patience with trying to keep up with the time jumps. Narration could have been better - and on occasions pronunciation wrong or emphasis misplaced.
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