House of the Dragon Season 2 is officially confirmed to arrive on HBO in 2024, but that still means a long wait to see what's next for Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen on the verge of civil war in the Seven Kingdoms. While fans are beginning to give up on George R.R. Martin finishing the A Song of Ice and Fire saga, the fantasy author has published plenty of reference material about the Targaryens in the years since the last ASOIAF novel. Luckily for House of the Dragon fans, his most recent book about Targaryen history, called The Rise of the Dragon, is available now for a great Black Friday deal to help fill the wait before Season 2.
Unlike earlier books from George R.R. Martin and his collaborators that revealed the history of Westeros and the Targaryens, The Rise of the Dragon: An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty includes 180 illustrations that are brand new to the book, which runs for 352 pages. The price on Amazon is usually $60 for the hardback edition, but you can find it now at just $24.11 for 60% off.
Any viewer of House of the Dragon can attest to the fact that the Targaryen family was already incredibly complicated just one season in, not least because there were two characters named Aegon and two characters named Viserys. The book elaborates on the stories of the Targaryen family tree going back to the earliest members arriving in Westeros. Much of The Rise of the Dragon is devoted to George R.R. Martin's text and the illustrations, but there is also a very handy Targaryen lineage spread to help differentiate between each Rhaenys, Rhaenyra, and Rhaena, not to mention every Aegon, Aemon, Aemond, and Daemon.
Along with co-writers Elio M. Garcia Jr. and Linda Antonsson, George R.R. Martin's The Rise of the Dragon isn't just a reprinting of Fire & Blood – which I've already recommended reading ahead of House of the Dragon Season 2 – with pictures. There are differences in how the story is told, and the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. You can see the book's visual take on scenes that were already filmed as part of the show, as well as scenes that haven't yet made it into the HBO series. With no set date for Season 2 in 2024, why not venture into Westeros in a new way?
While this is a book, I'd say that it qualifies among the best Black Fridays deals for movie and TV fans available now. Whether you read it cover to cover or just want to check out the illustrations, it's worth the Black Friday deal price of less than $25. As 2023 winds down, you can also revisit House of the Dragon Season 1 (and all eight seasons of Game of Thrones) streaming with a Max subscription now.
