The Original A Game of Thrones Novel Is Getting An Illustrated 20th Anniversary Edition

As fans impatiently wait for the next proper follow-up in the Song of Ice and Fire series, George R.R. Martin has shared details on his blog about a forthcoming 20th anniversary edition of the book that started it all: A Games of Thrones.

The new illustrated edition will feature an introduction penned by comedian/writer John Hodgman of The Daily Show and the New York Times along with 81 illustrations within the book: 73 black and white, 8 in color.

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According to Martin, although many of these images are culled from calendars, board games etc, 48 of them will be totally new, never-released depictions of his epic fantasy world.

Further, the art will be from a long list of varied illustrators, including John Picacio, Paul Youll, Gary Gianni, Didier Graffet and more.

The novel was originally published on Aug, 1, 1996. Now, 20 years later, the novel and Martin’s series as a whole have taken on a new life with the hit HBO TV show. As Martin quips in his blog post, the show claims “record ratings, record piracy, and a record number of Emmy Awards.”

A Game of Thrones: The Illustrated Edition is out Oct. 18 via Bantam Spectra/Random House and can be pre-ordered here.