A Song of Ice and Fire is an award-winning series of epic fantasy novels by American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the series in 1991 and the first volume was published in 1996. Originally planned as a trilogy, the series now consists of four published volumes with three more projected. There are also two prequel novellas available, with several more planned, and a series of novellas consisting of excerpts of the main novels. The series has been translated into eighteen languages and the fourth volume reached the top of the New York Times bestseller lists upon its release.
The story of A Song of Ice and Fire takes place in a fictional secondary world, primarily upon a continent called Westeros but also on a large landmass to the east. Most of the characters are human but as the series progresses other races are introduced, such as the enigmatic and threatening Others and a towering race of giants from the far north. There are three principal storylines in the series: the chronicling of a dynastic civil war for control of Westeros between several competing families; the rising threat of the Others who dwell beyond an immense wall of ice that forms Westeros' northern border; and the journey of Daenerys Targaryen, the exiled daughter of the rightful king who was murdered in another civil war fifteen years previously and now seeks to return to Westeros and claim her rightful throne.

The series is told in the limited third-person through the eyes of a number of POV characters. By the end of the fourth volume, there have been twenty-five such characters, although these include eight who only appear once apiece. Martin is noted for his ruthlessness towards his characters. By the end of the fourth volume eight of the POV characters have been killed.

While the series is set in a fictional secondary world and Martin has acknowledged his debt to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Jack Vance and Tad Williams, the series differs from these earlier works in its greater interest in and use of realistic elements. While Tolkien was inspired by mythology, A Song of Ice and Fire is more clearly influenced by medieval history, most notably the Wars of the Roses. This has led to the series being cited as a forerunner of a 'gritty' new wave of epic fantasy authors that followed, including Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie, Steven Erikson and Scott Bakker. On his website, Martin has acknowledged historical fiction authors such as Bernard Cornwell and George MacDonald Fraser to be influences on the series. Martin has cited the cover blurb by Robert Jordan for the series to have been influential in ensuring the series' early success with fantasy readers.

The growing popularity of the series has led to it being optioned by HBO for a possible television adaptation, while there are popular board and role-playing games based on the books available, as well as a collection of artwork based on and inspired by the series.

The series has been placed as the number 2 rated series at the Internet Book List as of November 12th, 2007.

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