HBO's biggest hit **'Game of Thrones'** ended five years ago. First aired on HBO in 2011, Game of Thrones gained popularity due to its diverse range of complex characters and unpredictable plots filled with intrigue and betrayal. The final episode of the series, aired in 2019, was watched by 13.6 million households, making it **HBO's biggest hit in history**.

However, the latter part of the series was a catastrophic failure in terms of criticism. When it first premiered in 2011, the production team had five original novels to adapt. The author, George Martin, seemed to be able to complete the novels before the TV series adapted the fifth book. However, the sixth book was not published until 2015, when the fifth season, which corresponds to the fifth book, was aired. The sixth book **remains unpublished until now, 13 years after the first episode of season 1 was aired**.

Ultimately, George Martin gave the series' producers the ending he had in mind. He also offered to write the TV series' scripts if necessary. Martin believed that 10 seasons would be needed to properly explain the ending of the series. As George Martin has been a TV series screenwriter for a long time, it's possible that he finished writing the script faster than he completed the novel. On the other hand, the producers seemed hesitant to continue the series for 10 years. They decided to wrap up the story in season 8.

Therefore, Game of Thrones without a source novel began with season 7. George Martin declared that he would no longer be involved in the TV series. The producers fitted all the stories and narratives into the ending George Martin provided. The personalities of the characters, which had to change over several seasons, abruptly changed in just a few minutes. Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), who was popular for his eloquent speeches, began to mumble meaningless words, and Daenerys, the liberator of slaves, **suddenly turned into a mass murderer**.

After the shocking ending of Game of Thrones, HBO executives were left in deep thought. This is because, as much as Game of Thrones was a huge hit, people also observed how poorly done the latter part was. HBO asked George Martin to write a novel that could be adapted into a Game of Thrones spin-off series. They also requested that the novel be **a completed story**.

Therefore, George Martin wrote a novel titled **'Fire & Blood'**. While 'Fire & Blood' is a novel, it's written in the style of a historical record. The book is presented as a history book written by a scholar in the world of Game of Thrones, recounting events that took place in the past. (For George Martin, writing it as a novel would have taken a long time, but writing the general outline as a historical record seemed to be faster). Therefore, the title of the new HBO series based on this fake history book is 'House of the Dragon'.

**Spoiler alert!**

House of the Dragon takes place **170 years before** Game of Thrones. The Targaryen dynasty, which has already fallen in Game of Thrones, is at its peak during this period. The royal family each has a dragon, and no one dares to oppose the Targaryen family, who ride dragons. Until **the Targaryen family splits and engages in a civil war**.

Princess **'Rhaenyra'**, the direct ancestor of Daenerys Targaryen portrayed by Emilia Clarke in 'Game of Thrones', was officially designated as heir by her father, 'Viserys'. However, her father had a late son with his young new queen, 'Alicent'. From that moment on, Rhaenyra realized that her position was shaky.

Her ominous premonition came true when her father, King Viserys, died. Queen Alicent placed her son, 'Aegon', on the Iron Throne and declared him the **legitimate new king**. Rhaenyra held a coronation at **'Dragonstone'**, the old stronghold of the Targaryen family, to reclaim the throne and declared herself the true ruler of the kingdom.

Aegon and Rhaenyra each gather supporters from across the kingdom. The Stark family, a prominent character in the previous series, swore allegiance to Rhaenyra, while the Lannister family supported Aegon. Both sides, being royal families with dragons, tried to avoid a civil war. However, **unforeseen betrayal and intrigue** could not be avoided even 170 years ago. With a terrible death that no one anticipated, the **'Game of Thrones'** begins anew in Westeros, ending the first season.

Released on HBO Max in 2022, the series has garnered a viewership of over 20 million, making it a hit on par with Game of Thrones. It has been praised for successfully bringing viewers back to this world after being disappointed by the final season of Game of Thrones. While Game of Thrones suffered from a decline in quality in its later part due to the incompleteness of the source novel, this series already has a predetermined ending, so there's less concern about disappointment in the final part.

If you enjoyed watching Game of Thrones, there's no more enticing prequel than this. Millie Alcock's portrayal of Princess Rhaenyra's childhood sparked a buzz due to her resemblance to Emilia's Daenerys. The Iron Throne, a symbol of the series, also reappears in a more majestic form before the viewers. Notably, the **'Song of Ice and Fire'** plot thread, which was never addressed in Game of Thrones, resurfaced in this series. Will viewers finally get an answer to what the 'Song of Ice and Fire' is this time? The second season of 'House of the Dragon' will be released **in the summer of 2024**.