A Song of Ice and Fire is one of those fantasy series that will never leave pop culture. The TV series Game of Thrones is still making an impact in fantasy adaptations six years after its end. Both the show and books have been inspiring fantasy authors across the globe ever since.

I began watching Game of Thrones from the release of the very first episode all the way through to the end of Season 8. I actually read A Game of Thrones in April 2024 (in 9 days!) but never continued with the series. I read it mostly on commute to visit my Dad in hospital in London after he had major surgery, while I was off work taking care of him. Once I returned to work I just couldn’t find the time to get any decent reading done of A Clash of Kings and the rest of the series. My biggest reading goal for 2026 is to finish reading the whole series (at least what is already published).

Read more: A Song of Ice and Fire read-a-long 2026

January – A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

This book contains 3 novellas of the adventures of Dunk and Egg – a hedge knight and a Targaryen boy hiding his identity. The TV adaptation of the same name is due to release January 19, so I’d like to get this one read before the show, hence why it’s at the start of the read-a-long.

February – A Game of Thrones

Despite its 780 page length, I imagine I’ll get through this pretty quickly as I tend to be a quick re-reader (though I might not manage it in 9 days while working full time). I was lucky enough to get my copy signed by Mark Addy (Robert Baratheon himself!) at MCM London Comic Con October 2025.

March – A Clash of Kings
April – A Storm of Swords Part 1: Steel and Snow
May – A Storm of Swords Part 2: Blood and Gold

Not much to say here, I’ll continue to read one book per month (my paperback set has split A Storm of Swords into two volumes).

June – Fire and Blood

I’m putting Fire and Blood in here as ASOS is considered the end of the first trilogy in ASOIAF, at least according to G.R.R.M’s original plan for the series. Season 3 of House of the Dragon is also due to be released mid-2026, with many fans believing it’ll be released June/July (Season 1 released in Aug 2022, Season 2 in Jun 2024), so June seemed like a good place to put it.

July – A Feast for Crows

I’ve heard this is typically fan’s least favourite instalment in ASOIAF. This book and the next actually take place at the same time but there was too much going on for it to all be one book. A Feast for Crows follows the story with the minor characters, with the next featuring the main cast.

August – A Dance with Dragons Part 1: Dreams and Dust
September – A Dance with Dragons Part 2: After the Feast

August and September will cover both parts of A Dance with Dragons – currently the last book in ASOIAF so far. There are other books which have been published since which are more like supplementary worldbuilding compilations, such as The World of Ice and Fire, which I may pick up at some point before the year ends but I’m not committing to them for this read-a-long.

If you’ve already read A Song of Ice and Fire then please feel free to come back at the end of every month to join our discussions. Or if you’ve never read this series and have had it on your list for a while like I have then please consider joining the read-a-long! I’m so excited to be immersed in Westeros and Essos in 2026.