You Win or You Die

About this book

If the Middle Ages form the present-day backdrop to the continents of Westeros and Essos, then antiquity is their resonant past. The Known World is haunted by the remnants of distant and powerful civilizations, without whose presence the novels of George R R Martin and the ever popular HBO show would lose much of their meaning and appeal. Explores the echoes, from the Summer Islands to Storm's End, of a rich antique history. Discusses, the convergence of ancient Rome and the reach, scope and might of the Valyrian Freehold. Sows how the wanderings of Tyrion Lannister replay the journeys of Odysseus and Aeneas. Suggests that the War of the Five Kings resembles the War of the Four Emperors (68-69 AD). Demonstrates just how the Wall and the Wildlings advancing on it connect with Hadrian's bulwark against fierce tribes of Picts. Reveals the remarkable extent to which the entire Game of Thrones universe is animated by its ancient past.