A high fantasy novel series by American author George R.R. Martin, running since 1996 with five novels (out of a projected seven) as of 2012.
The saga revolves around three interconnected stories, set in a world where summer and winter can last decades: a seven-way war for the throne of Westeros, a looming threat of supernatural beings from beyond a massive wall of ice as a long winter approaches, and an exiled princess' quest to retake Westeros from the usurpers who killed her father.
The saga is unique among its genre for its impartial third-person point-of-view provided by dozens of characters of differing allegiances and personalities, as well as toning down the genre's more fantastic elements in favor of battles, political intrigue and moral ambiguity.
The following tags implicate this tag: game_of_thrones and house_of_the_dragon (learn more).