The Volokh Conspiracy

Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent

About The Volokh Conspiracy Editorial Independence Who we are Books Volokh Daily Email Archives Search DMCA RSS

Science Fiction

Reviews of "House of the Dragon" and "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms"

Catching up with developments in the cinematic Game of Thrones/House of Ice and Fire Universe.

Ilya Somin | 7.14.2026 6:30 PM

HBO

In recent months, I have not had a chance to write many science fiction and fantasy reviews, like I used to do more often, particularly when it comes to the Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire universe based on the works of George R.R. Martin. I have the excuse that I was busy with other things, such as the tariff case. But in the meantime, we have accumulated two seasons of House of the Dragon and the start of a third, plus the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. When you play the game of reviewing Game of Thrones, you win or your connection with your audience dies! So in this post, I'm going to begin trying to make up for lost time.

Overall, I like both series, and if you like the GOT universe generally, you are likely to enjoy them, too. But House of the Dragon has a number of shortcomings that arise partly from the source material (Martin's book Fire and Blood), and partly from its own flaws. Both series also raise interesting political issues that extend the treatment of such matters in the GOT universe as a whole.

Before going on, I should note there will be some spoilers for the two series here. Most of the episodes and plotlines covered here have been out for many months, and this material is based on George R.R. Martin's books Fire and Blood and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, both published six or more years ago. For those who read on but still dare to complain about spoilers, I have but one word: Dracarys!

House of the Dragon

At the start of this series, the Targaryen dynasty is firmly in control of the the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, and dragons are part of the foundation of their power. The Targaryens have a monopoly over their use, and it is believed that only members of the family can successfully tame and ride them.

A succession crisis arises by virtue of the fact that King Viserys (a relatively weak ruler) has no male heirs. He therefore designates his daughter Princess Rhaenyra, as his successor. But many members of the Westerosi elite are unwilling to accept a female ruler. Viserys later marries Alicent Hightower (a member of one of the other powerful noble houses), and has sons by her. But Viserys persists in retaining Rhaenyra as the designated heir. When Viserys suddenly dies. Alicent and others claim that - at the last moment - he changed his mind and designated her son Aegon II as the new heir. Civil war soon breaks out between the Greens (supporters of Aegon) and the Blacks (those who back Rhaenyra). The war becomes known as the "Dance of the Dragons."

In the show, the conflict begins at the end of the first season. By midway through season 3 (where we are now), the fighting has massively escalated, and both........

© Reason.com