HBO's blockbuster hit **'Game of Thrones'** ended 5 years ago. First aired on HBO in 2011, Game of Thrones was popular for its diverse, multifaceted characters and its unpredictable plots and betrayals. The series' finale, which aired in 2019, was watched by 13.6 million households, making it **HBO's most successful series** ever.

However, the latter half of the series was a complete failure in terms of criticism. When the series first aired in 2011, the production team had 5 volumes of the original novel to adapt. It seemed like George Martin, the author of the original work, would be able to complete the novel before the TV series adapted the fifth volume. However, the sixth volume was not published until 2015, when season 5, which corresponds to the fifth volume, aired. The sixth volume has **not been published yet even after 13 years since the first season aired**.

In the end, George Martin told the series producers the ending he had in mind. He also said he would write the TV series script if necessary. In Martin's opinion, it would take 10 seasons to properly explain the ending of the series. From George Martin's perspective, who has been a TV series screenwriter for a long time, the script may have been completed faster than the novel. On the other hand, the producers seemed to have been burdened by dragging out the large-scale series for 10 years. They said they would wrap up the story in season 8.

Thus, 'Game of Thrones' without the original work began with season 7. George Martin announced that he would no longer be involved in the TV series. The producers crammed all the stories and narratives into the ending George Martin told them. The characters' personalities, which had to change over several seasons, suddenly change in just a few minutes. Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), who was popular for his eloquent speech, just mumbles meaningless words, and **Daenerys, who was a liberator of slaves, suddenly turns into a murderer**.

After the shocking ending of Game of Thrones, HBO executives were in a dilemma. They saw how flawed the latter half was, even though Game of Thrones was a huge hit. HBO asks George Martin to write a novel that could be made into a Game of Thrones spin-off series. They also demanded that the novel be **a complete story**.

So George Martin wrote a novel titled **'Fire & Blood'**. 'Fire & Blood' is a novel, but it is written in a historical style. The book has a premise that it is a history book written by a scholar in the world of Game of Thrones based on past events. (It seems that it took a long time for George Martin to write it as a novel, but it was faster to write a rough outline like this history book concept.) That's why the new HBO series based on this fake history book is titled 'House of the Dragon'.

**Spoiler alert!**

'House of the Dragon' is set **170 years before** Game of Thrones. The Targaryen dynasty, which has already fallen in Game of Thrones, is in its heyday at this time. Each member of the royal family has a dragon, and no one dares to rebel against the Targaryen family who rides dragons. Until **the Targaryen family split into two and waged a civil war**.

Princess **'Rhaenyra'**, a direct ancestor of 'Daenerys Targaryen', played by Emilia Clarke in 'Game of Thrones', was officially named heir by her father 'Viserys'. But her father and his young new queen 'Alicent' have a late son. From that moment, Rhaenyra senses that her position is shaky.

Her ominous premonition comes true when her father, King Viserys, dies. Queen Alicent puts her son 'Aegon' on the Iron Throne and declares him **the rightful new king**. Rhaenyra holds a coronation in **'Dragonstone'**, the old stronghold of the Targaryen family, to claim the throne and declare herself the true ruler of the kingdom.

Aegon and Rhaenyra gather supporters from all over the kingdom. The Stark family, the protagonist of the previous work, is loyal to Rhaenyra, and the Lannister family supports Aegon. Both sides have royal family members who have dragons, so they try to avoid a civil war. But **unexpected betrayal and intrigue** could not be avoided even 170 years ago. With a terrible death no one expected, **'Game of Thrones'** begins again in Westeros, and the first season ends.

The series, which was released on HBO Max in 2022, was watched by over 20 million people, making it a hit as big as Game of Thrones. It is praised for successfully bringing viewers back to the world who were disappointed with the final season of Game of Thrones. While Game of Thrones was hampered by the unfinished original novel, which resulted in a sharp decline in quality in the latter half, this series has already been decided on its ending, so there is less chance of disappointment at the end.

If you enjoyed Game of Thrones, there's no prequel more appealing than this. The childhood of Princess Rhaenyra, played by Milly Alcock, has become a hot topic due to her resemblance to Emilia's Daenerys. The Iron Throne, the symbol of the series, also returns to viewers in a more magnificent form. Notably, the **'Song of Ice and Fire'** plotline that was not resolved in 'Game of Thrones' reappears in this series. Will viewers finally get the answer to what 'Song of Ice and Fire' is this time? The second season of 'House of the Dragon' will be released **in the summer of 2024**.