Listen free for 30 days
-
Iron, Fire and Ice
- The Real History That Inspired Game of Thrones
- Narrated by: Rory Barnett
- Length: 20 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: History, Europe
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £30.19
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
- By: George R.R. Martin
- Narrated by: Harry Lloyd
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A century before A Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros.... A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms compiles the first three official prequel novellas to George R. R. Martin's ongoing masterwork, A Song of Ice and Fire. Before Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne, there were Dunk and Egg. A young, naïve but courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals - in stature if not experience.
-
-
Great intro to Westeros if u can't face the Epics!
- By Mini on 04-11-15
-
Fire and Blood
- A Song of Ice and Fire
- By: George R.R. Martin
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 27 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Centuries before A Game of Thrones, an even greater game began, one that set the skies alight with dragon flame and saw the Seven Kingdoms turned to ash. So began the Targaryens’ bloody rule, with fire and blood. Setting brother against brother, mother against daughter, and dragon against dragon. Chronicled by a learned maester of the Citadel, this thrilling and bloody history of Westeros tells the story of where the battle for the Iron Throne began.... This audio edition now includes an exclusive interview between George R.R. Martin and historian Dan Jones.
-
-
pretty bad actually
- By jamesg on 07-04-19
-
A Brief History of the Vikings
- Brief Histories
- By: Jonathan Clements
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Between the eighth and eleventh centuries, the Vikings surged from their Scandinavian homeland to trade, raid and invade along the coasts of Europe. Their influence and expeditions extended from Newfoundland to Baghdad, their battles were as far-flung as Africa and the Arctic. But were they great seafarers or desperate outcasts, noble heathens or oafish pirates, the last pagans or the first of the modern Europeans?
-
-
Anti-Viking book on Vikings
- By NK on 01-02-21
-
1666
- Plague, War and Hellfire
- By: Rebecca Rideal
- Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1666 was a watershed year for England. The outbreak of the Great Plague, the eruption of the second Dutch War and the Great Fire of London all struck the country in rapid succession and with devastating repercussions. Shedding light on these dramatic events, historian Rebecca Rideal reveals an unprecedented period of terror and triumph. Based on original archival research and drawing on little-known sources, 1666 takes listeners on a thrilling journey through a crucial turning point in history.
-
-
Narration detracts
- By Jem on 01-11-19
-
Kindred
- By: Rebecca Wragg Sykes
- Narrated by: Rebecca Wragg Sykes
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Kindred, Neanderthal expert Becky Wragg Sykes shoves aside the cliché of the shivering ragged figure in an icy wasteland and reveals the Neanderthal you don’t know, who lived across vast and diverse tracts of Eurasia and survived through hundreds of thousands of years of massive climate change. Using a thematic rather than chronological approach, this book will shed new light on where they lived, what they ate and the increasingly complex Neanderthal culture that is being discovered.
-
-
Was this recorded inside a biscuit tin?
- By hhj on 31-05-21
-
Rome: A History in Seven Sackings
- By: Matthew Kneale
- Narrated by: Neil Gardner
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No city on earth has preserved its past as has Rome. Visitors stand on bridges that were crossed by Julius Caesar and Cicero, walk around temples visited by Roman emperors, and step into churches that have hardly changed since popes celebrated mass in them 16 centuries ago. These architectural survivals are all the more remarkable considering the violent disasters that have struck the city. Afflicted by earthquakes, floods, fires and plagues, it has most of all been repeatedly ravaged by roving armies.
-
-
Great story, well told - shame about the Italian!
- By Anonymous User on 07-07-18
-
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
- By: George R.R. Martin
- Narrated by: Harry Lloyd
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A century before A Game of Thrones, two unlikely heroes wandered Westeros.... A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms compiles the first three official prequel novellas to George R. R. Martin's ongoing masterwork, A Song of Ice and Fire. Before Tyrion Lannister and Podrick Payne, there were Dunk and Egg. A young, naïve but courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals - in stature if not experience.
-
-
Great intro to Westeros if u can't face the Epics!
- By Mini on 04-11-15
-
Fire and Blood
- A Song of Ice and Fire
- By: George R.R. Martin
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 27 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Centuries before A Game of Thrones, an even greater game began, one that set the skies alight with dragon flame and saw the Seven Kingdoms turned to ash. So began the Targaryens’ bloody rule, with fire and blood. Setting brother against brother, mother against daughter, and dragon against dragon. Chronicled by a learned maester of the Citadel, this thrilling and bloody history of Westeros tells the story of where the battle for the Iron Throne began.... This audio edition now includes an exclusive interview between George R.R. Martin and historian Dan Jones.
-
-
pretty bad actually
- By jamesg on 07-04-19
-
A Brief History of the Vikings
- Brief Histories
- By: Jonathan Clements
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Between the eighth and eleventh centuries, the Vikings surged from their Scandinavian homeland to trade, raid and invade along the coasts of Europe. Their influence and expeditions extended from Newfoundland to Baghdad, their battles were as far-flung as Africa and the Arctic. But were they great seafarers or desperate outcasts, noble heathens or oafish pirates, the last pagans or the first of the modern Europeans?
-
-
Anti-Viking book on Vikings
- By NK on 01-02-21
-
1666
- Plague, War and Hellfire
- By: Rebecca Rideal
- Narrated by: Billie Fulford-Brown
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1666 was a watershed year for England. The outbreak of the Great Plague, the eruption of the second Dutch War and the Great Fire of London all struck the country in rapid succession and with devastating repercussions. Shedding light on these dramatic events, historian Rebecca Rideal reveals an unprecedented period of terror and triumph. Based on original archival research and drawing on little-known sources, 1666 takes listeners on a thrilling journey through a crucial turning point in history.
-
-
Narration detracts
- By Jem on 01-11-19
-
Kindred
- By: Rebecca Wragg Sykes
- Narrated by: Rebecca Wragg Sykes
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Kindred, Neanderthal expert Becky Wragg Sykes shoves aside the cliché of the shivering ragged figure in an icy wasteland and reveals the Neanderthal you don’t know, who lived across vast and diverse tracts of Eurasia and survived through hundreds of thousands of years of massive climate change. Using a thematic rather than chronological approach, this book will shed new light on where they lived, what they ate and the increasingly complex Neanderthal culture that is being discovered.
-
-
Was this recorded inside a biscuit tin?
- By hhj on 31-05-21
-
Rome: A History in Seven Sackings
- By: Matthew Kneale
- Narrated by: Neil Gardner
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No city on earth has preserved its past as has Rome. Visitors stand on bridges that were crossed by Julius Caesar and Cicero, walk around temples visited by Roman emperors, and step into churches that have hardly changed since popes celebrated mass in them 16 centuries ago. These architectural survivals are all the more remarkable considering the violent disasters that have struck the city. Afflicted by earthquakes, floods, fires and plagues, it has most of all been repeatedly ravaged by roving armies.
-
-
Great story, well told - shame about the Italian!
- By Anonymous User on 07-07-18
-
Powers and Thrones
- A New History of the Middle Ages
- By: Dan Jones
- Narrated by: Dan Jones
- Length: 24 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the best-selling author of The Templars, Dan Jones' epic new history tells nothing less than the story of how the world we know today came to be built. Across 16 chapters, blending Dan Jones' trademark gripping narrative style with authoritative analysis, Powers and Thrones shows how, at each stage in this story, successive Western powers thrived by attracting - or stealing - the most valuable resources, ideas and people from the rest of the world.
-
-
A stunning recounting of the past (and probable lesson for the future)
- By Myh on 10-10-21
-
The Hollow Crown
- The Wars of the Roses and the Rise of the Tudors
- By: Dan Jones
- Narrated by: Dan Jones
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Some of the greatest heroes and villains in British history were thrown together in these turbulent times: Henry V, whose victory at Agincourt and prudent rule at home marked the high point of the medieval monarchy; Edward IV, who was handed his crown by the scheming soldier Warwick the Kingmaker, before their alliance collapsed into a fight to the death; and the last Plantagenet, Richard III, who stole the throne and murdered his own nephews, the Princes in the Tower.
-
-
More unbelievable then Game of Thrones!!
- By Foxhole on 28-01-19
-
The Gestapo
- The Myth and Reality of Hitler's Secret Police
- By: Frank McDonough
- Narrated by: Paul McGann
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Professor Frank McDonough is one of the leading scholars and most popular writers on the history of Nazi Germany. His work has been described as 'modern history writing at its very best...Ground-breaking, fascinating, occasionally deeply revisionist' by renowned historian Andrew Roberts. Drawing on a detailed examination of previously unpublished Gestapo case files this audiobook relates the fascinating, vivid and disturbing accounts of a cross-section of ordinary and extraordinary people who opposed the Nazi regime.
-
-
A Reasonable But Bias Narrative
- By Adrian Chan-Wyles Ph.D on 20-12-20
-
The Plantagenets
- The Kings Who Made England
- By: Dan Jones
- Narrated by: Dan Jones
- Length: 22 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England’s greatest royal dynasty, the Plantagenets, ruled over England through eight generations of kings. Their remarkable reign saw England emerge from the Dark Ages to become a highly organised kingdom that spanned a vast expanse of Europe. Plantagenet rule saw the establishment of laws and creation of artworks, monuments and tombs which survive to this day, and continue to speak of their sophistication, brutality and secrets. Dan Jones brings you a new vision of this battle-scarred history.
-
-
Entertaining and scholarly
- By Kirstine on 23-08-19
-
The Perfect King
- The Life of Edward III
- By: Ian Mortimer
- Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
- Length: 19 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Edward’s life is one of the most extraordinary in all English history. He ordered his uncle to be beheaded, he usurped his father’s throne and he started a war which lasted for more than a hundred years. He took the crown when it was at its lowest point and raised it to new heights, presenting himself as a new King Arthur, victorious across Europe. He was the architect of many English icons - from parliamentary rule to the adoption of English as the official language and even the building of a great clock tower at Westminster.
-
-
Scholarly, interesting and engaging blography
- By Kirstine on 16-03-19
-
Conquistadors
- By: Michael Wood
- Narrated by: John Telfer
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Spanish conquest of the Americas in the sixteenth century was one of the most important and cataclysmic events in history. Spanish expeditions endured incredible hardships in order to open up the lands of the 'New World', and few stories in history can match these for drama and endurance.
-
-
Brilliant submersion into the New World
- By Grace on 21-06-16
-
The Last Viking
- The True Story of King Harald Hardrada
- By: Don Hollway
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows
- Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harald Sigurdsson burst into history as a teenaged youth in a Viking battle from which he escaped with little more than his life and a thirst for vengeance. But from these humble origins, he became one of Norway’s most legendary kings. The Last Viking is a fast-moving narrative account of the life of King Harald Hardrada, as he journeyed across the medieval world, from the frozen wastelands of the North to the glittering towers of Byzantium and the passions of the Holy Land, until his warrior death on the battlefield in England.
-
-
True story?
- By Mr. R. Murray on 12-07-22
-
Persian Fire
- The First World Empire, Battle for the West
- By: Tom Holland
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows, Tom Holland
- Length: 15 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 480 BC, Xerxes, the King of Persia, led an invasion of mainland Greece. Its success should have been a formality. For 70 years, victory had seemed the birthright of the Persian Empire. In the space of a single generation, they had swept across the Near East, shattering ancient kingdoms, storming famous cities, putting together an empire which stretched from India to the shores of the Aegean. Yet somehow, astonishingly, against the largest expeditionary force ever assembled, the Greeks of the mainland managed to hold out.
-
-
Accessible telling of fascinating history
- By Connor Sampson on 24-12-20
-
The History of the Medieval World
- From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade
- By: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 22 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the schism between Rome and Constantinople to the rise of the T'ang Dynasty, from the birth of Muhammad to the crowning of Charlemagne, this erudite book tells the fascinating, often violent story of kings, generals, and the peoples they ruled.
-
-
A continuing rollercoaster ride through history
- By RG on 13-11-19
-
A Beautiful Mind
- By: Sylvia Nasar
- Narrated by: Anna Fields
- Length: 18 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Forbes Nash, Jr., a prodigy and legend by the age of 30, dazzled the mathematical world by solving a series of deep problems deemed "impossible" by other mathematicians. But at the height of his fame, Nash suffered a catastrophic mental breakdown and began a harrowing descent into insanity, resigning his post at MIT, slipping into a series of bizarre delusions, and eventually becoming a dreamy, ghostlike figure at Princeton, scrawling numerological messages on blackboards.
-
-
Very different to the movie
- By Mr. P. D. Selman on 28-06-16
-
How to Behave Badly in Renaissance Britain
- By: Ruth Goodman
- Narrated by: Ruth Goodman
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Historian and popular TV presenter Ruth Goodman offers up a history of offensive language, insulting gestures, insolent behaviour, brawling and scandal in the 16th and 17th centuries - with practical tips on just how to horrify the neighbours. From royalty to peasantry, every age has its bad eggs, those who break all the rules and rub everyone up the wrong way. But their niggling, antisocial and irritating ways tell us about not only what upset people but also what mattered to them, how their society functioned and what kind of world they lived in.
-
-
Joyous!
- By Mrs Trellis on 14-01-19
-
A History of Britain: Volume 1
- By: Simon Schama
- Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
- Length: 15 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of Britain from the earliest settlements in 3000BC to the death of Elizabeth I in 1603. To look back at the past is to understand the present. In this vivid account of over 4,000 years of British history, Simon Schama takes us on an epic journey which encompasses the very beginnings of the nation's identity, when the first settlers landed on Orkney. From the successes and failures of the monarchy to the daily life of a Roman soldier stationed on Hadrian's Wall, Schama gives a vivid, fascinating account of the many different stories and struggles that lie behind the growth of our island nation.
-
-
Well written but hard to manage as an audiobook
- By Roderic on 23-01-14
Summary
Have you read everything George R.R. Martin has every written? Do you know what in Game of Thrones is based in real history?
A young pretender raises an army to take the throne. Learning of his father’s death, the adolescent, dashing and charismatic and descended from the old kings of the North, vows to avenge him. He is supported in this war by his mother, who has spirited away her two younger sons to safety. Against them is the queen, passionate, proud, and strong-willed and with more of the masculine virtues of the time than most men. She too is battling for the inheritance of her young son, not yet fully grown but already a sadist who takes delight in watching executions.
Sound familiar? It may read like the plot of Game of Thrones. Yet that was also the story of the bloodiest battle in British history, fought at the culmination of the War of the Roses. George RR Martin’s bestselling novels are rife with allusions, inspirations, and flat-out copies of real-life people, events, and places of medieval and Tudor England and Europe. The Red Wedding? Based on actual events in Scottish history. The poisoning of Joffrey Baratheon? Eerily similar to the death of William the Conqueror’s grandson. The Dothraki? Also known as Huns, Magyars, Turks, and Mongols.
Join Ed West, as he explores all of Martin’s influences, from religion to war to powerful women. Discover the real history behind the phenomenon and see for yourself that truth is stranger than fiction.
What listeners say about Iron, Fire and Ice
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jack Clancy
- 03-03-20
History with all interesting and gory bits!
Ever wondered where the inspiration for the Red Wedding came from? Was Joffrey based on a real monarch? Who were the real life nomadic horseman that were the basis for the Dothraki? All these questions are answered and more throughout the book. I didn’t want it to end as it was so fascinating. Also didn’t realise until the book’s conclusion how much George RR Martin had gone through many different civilisations in history, and taken events that occurred and translated them into a series of books that I love.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mister B
- 02-02-20
Disjointed
Although there were a lot of interesting facts and stories I found it hard to follow and disjointed. Dates seemed to jump all over the place, and the family names in the book seemed to merge into one. I feel it would have benefited from a slower pace and explanation about the characters and how they are linked, even if repeated through the book.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Steve Sochor
- 22-08-19
Excellent voyage through history
Absolutely loved this and it won't be a single listen for me. It's intricate look at the similarities between real history and the history of westeros is brilliantly told and I believe it helps you to understand history that bit more.
There were times in the narrative it would go somewhere or a certain time but then jump to somewhere or something else, leaving us on a cliff hanger or an unfinished story, almost like the workings of Billy Connelly's mind. That made it slightly harder to follow but once you got back into it, back to the part it had described before, it was intense focus, to listen to every moment with extreme excitement.
Definitely recommend to anyone with an interest in a wide variety of history and those who loved Game of Thrones and its vast lore.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- rupert
- 15-12-20
Disappointing
Narrative jumped around a lot chronologically and became repetitive and confusing- shame because the subject matter was very interesting but I lost patience with trying to keep up with the time jumps. Narration could have been better - and on occasions pronunciation wrong or emphasis misplaced.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- The Commandante
- 05-12-20
Fascinating if you love history and GOT
I’m a big history fan and also love Game of Thrones so this is an ideal book for me. It’s fascinating and a good level of detail without losing the reader. Having said that I didn’t find the narrator very captivating and found myself drifting away at times.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Julie Domaille
- 13-09-20
Loved it
I will likely play it again since it is so complicated I don't think I absorbed it all enough. It is both harrowing & amazing.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 23-07-19
pretty damned average
Yes, most of the facts are right.
Yes, the pronunciation is terrible.
No. I will not listen again. The level of mysogeny is terrible
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Annabells
- 14-06-19
Fun history for all -not just Game of Thrones fans
Ed West gives an exciting retelling of medieval history, focusing on the British Isles. He makes the world feel larger, though, by alluding to tales of 'far away lands' like China and the Middle East. In addition to telling the historical people and events behind aspects of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice & Fire series, West describes castle architecture, shares tidbits of daily life, and explores the religions and cultures of the peoples involved. He even includes quotes from historical documents and other sources. If you're well-read in history, you may not learn secrets you've never heard before, but I think you'll be entertained. Ironically, I found this book much more colorful than the official histories of Ice & Fire that are formally associated with the series. Rory Barnett's posh British accent is perfectly applied here. It's exactly what I want to hear from a reader of medieval British history. Pronouncing the Latin is not his strong suit (although I'm just nitpicking - I minored in the classics myself). Barnett reads clearly and with enough enthusiasm to keep the content interesting but not so much as would seem out of place for dark subject matter. A warning: this book covers medieval wars, torture methods including the rack, and punishments including beheadings, burnings at the stake, and more. This is not for the faint of heart.
80 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- K. Blink
- 03-01-20
Fascinating and fun
Well written, entertaining, and educational. I am a big fan of Ed West books as they bring a very human perspective to legendary history. Extremely enjoyable!
19 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Leon
- 14-02-20
Ouch
Huge kudos to the idea but was there even an editor involved? Way too scattered to even follow. Many times I just tried to see beyond the names. Only so many Edwards, Edmunds, and Percys I can follow!
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- John Crooker
- 06-08-19
Real History
The real history behind ASOIF is so much more intriguing and gruesome you would’ve thought GRRM was making it up if he had wrote it!
16 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Matthew Tafoya
- 16-06-20
In depth look at real game of thrones
This was an interesting book with so much detail. The connection to Game of Thrones is mentioned, but the book is about the history that inspired the books and show. I love history books and this was a great one with small details that changed my perception.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Tanna
- 11-09-19
very interesting!
great if you love history. lots of names and story lines, very cool to tie to ASOIAF.
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- ST
- 02-10-19
Like a kitten with Wobbly Cat Syndrome
Really poorly written. Meanders through history and fiction as if the border is inconsequential. Jumps from one historical topic from another like an over caffeinated child. Makes no attempt to distinguish between individuals of the same name, for instance, just uses the name Edward like you're supposed to know which one is being talked about after having made three detours to Westeros, ancient Egypt, and a discussion of Neanderthals. I don't recommend it at all.
80 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- c_clemens90
- 10-05-20
yessssss!
Ad a HUGE G.O.T. fan, I loved finding out how Martin's mind was working while incorporating real history and his own twist in creating his masterpiece. Im hoping for Winds of Winter to come around reallllly soon!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Ida
- 21-11-19
Fact filled entertainment
So many interesting facts and histories I have never heard of before, a good listen!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Dean
- 21-07-19
Very good indeed .
As above . This has kindled my interest in the history of the lands of my ancestors . Bravo !
14 people found this helpful