A Dance with Dragons vs A Game of Thrones: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Epic Fantasy, Epic, Ficción, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction
A Dance with Dragons
“The night was rank with the smell of man.”
In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance once again–beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House…
vs
A Game of Thrones
“We should start back," Gared urged as the woods began to grow dark around them.”
A Game of Thrones is the inaugural novel in A Song of Ice and Fire, an epic series of fantasy novels crafted by the American author George R. R. Martin. Published on August 1, 1996, this novel introduces readers to the…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- A Game of Thrones is the quickest read — about 15 hours vs 22 for A Dance with Dragons.
- A Dance with Dragons has the widest readership — 754320 ratings behind its score.
- A Dance with Dragons runs the darker storyline; A Game of Thrones stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
A Game of Thrones
≈ 15h vs 22h for A Dance with Dragons
Want the crowd-tested pick?
A Dance with Dragons
754320 ratings vs 2089 for A Game of Thrones
In the mood for something dark?
A Dance with Dragons
a darker storyline than A Game of Thrones
Want something lighter?
A Game of Thrones
an easier tone than A Dance with Dragons
Scores by source
| A Dance with Dragons | A Game of Thrones | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (754320) | 4.8 (591) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (1) | 4.2 (4) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (1) | 4.5 (6) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (8866) | 4.5 (2089) |
Reception
| A Dance with Dragons | A Game of Thrones | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 754320 | 2089 |
| Editions | 49 | 136 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 367088 | 169 |
| Reading it now | 27548 | 44 |
| Written reviews | 28921 | 11 |
| Wikipedia attention | 56564 | 62730 |
| Pages | 1208 | 824 |