Fire and Blood 2: George R.R. Martin book sequel release date - is it connected to House of the Dragon?

George R.R. Martin has given his legions of loyal readers plenty of updates on the (slow) progress of his upcoming novel The Winds of Winter, but he’s had less to say about another project he’s working on - a sequel to Fire and Blood.

Fire and Blood follows the Targaryen rulers of years gone by and the brutal civil war that erupted between them. The 2018 novel, which netted about $2 million following its release, was adapted into the $200 million HBO show House of the Dragon.

The series, starring Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, and Rhys Ifans,  is expected to run for four seasons in total, but may be extended following the release of Fire and Blood volume two.

House of the Dragon’s popularity turned many fans onto the source material, and now, as well as Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, readers have another upcoming novel to anticipate from the world’s slowest writer. 

What is Fire and Blood volume 2 about?

The first volume of Fire and Blood, published in 2018, was set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones (George Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series), from the reign of King Viserys I, through the Targaryen Civil War, and ending with the regency of Aegon III, around 150 years before Game of Thrones.

The second instalment will likely cover the 150 years or so between the death of Aegon III up to Robert Baratheon’s rebellion and the end of the Targaryen dynasty, which occurred 17 years before the events of Game of Thrones.

The novel will therefore cover the reigns of Daeron I, Baelor I, Viserys II, Aegon IV, Daeron II, Aerys I, Maekar I, Aegon V, Jaehaerys II, and finally Aerys II, the Mad King, whom Robert Baratheon defeated.   As the second volume has a lot of ground to cover, and the first book was around 730 pages long, volume two is likely to be at least 700 pages, if not longer.

Is Fire and Blood volume 2 connected to Game of Thrones?

Yes, Fire and Blood is set in the same universe as Game of Thrones, and the second volume will be a direct sequel to Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series which was adapted into the HBO show.

Volume two is expected to end less than two decades before the events of Game of Thrones, and may feature some of the same characters, though they will be played by different actors due to the time difference.

Aerys II featured in Game of Thrones in a series of flashbacks, whilst Robert Baratheon, the man to bring an end to the Targaryen dynasty, was a major character in the first ASOIAF book and first season of the show. 

Other characters from Game of Thrones that could also feature towards the end of Fire and Blood volume 2 include Tywin Lannister, who was the hand to King Aerys II, and his twin children Jaime and Cersei. Eddard Stark, who fought alongside Robert in his rebellion could also appear. 

When will Fire and Blood volume 2 be released?

The release date for Fire and Blood volume 2 has not yet been confirmed - the bad news for fans of the first book is that Martin previously said he would not write it until he had finished Winds of Winter.

Winds of Winter, the upcoming sixth instalment of the ASOIAF series, has been in the works for 12 years, and Martin has still not confirmed when it will be released. 

If Martin hasn’t begun writing volume two yet then it will be a long time until it is published, and with no date for Winds of Winter it’s impossible to predict when it will come out.