With the August 21 launch of HOUSE OF THE Dragon, HBO's immensely popular Game of Thrones receives its first of many anticipated spin-offs more than three years after the original series' conclusion. If you're wondering how the series ties into the world of the Seven Kingdoms (and how many strange, difficult-to-pronounce names you're going to have to learn), look no further.
The next game starts

These events aren't very pertinent to Game of Thrones because House of the Dragon is a prequel that occurs roughly 200 years before that series. However, the struggle and tension around the legitimate Targaryen heirs and the gendered lines of succession that were essential to Daenerys and Jon's relationship-or would have been, if it had been allowed enough chance to grow in the last season-is accentuated in the new programme.

Yes, the fight for the Iron Throne will take place once more, along with all the treachery and intrigue that goes with with it plus the addition of additional dragons. The new series focuses on House Targaryen during their height of power in the Seven Kingdoms, before Robert's Rebellion, which ousted the Mad King, and even before Daenerys' ascension and fall. In addition, many Targaryens engaged in dragon combat and riding during the time when the series is set, when dragons were a common sight.

If Game of Thrones were a song of ice and fire, House of the Dragon would be a song of fire and fire. Or maybe Fire and Blood, given that the novel that served as the inspiration for the new programme also goes by that name. A Song of Ice and Fire is a spin-off of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, on which Game of Thrones was based. It is a 700+ page fictitious history of the Targaryen dynasty beginning with Aegon the Conqueror, the first Targaryen to conquer Westeros with dragons.

The clan's demise was heralded by the civil war known as The Dance of the Dragons, in which Targaryen turned against Targaryen and dragons engaged in deadly and ferocious battles for power. House only covers a portion of the book, which is a relatively specific time period. Although the key battle events are portrayed in the book, the series based on Fire and Blood is most exciting since there is a lot of room for interpretation and creative licence.


Masters of Games

If you were one of the many Game of Thrones fans who felt let down by the series ending, you should take some solace in the fact that House of the Dragon isn't being produced by Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Instead, the science fiction programme Colony's former creator and producer, Ryan Condal, and George R. R. Martin are the show's co-creators and executive producers.

Also serving as co-showrunners are Condal and Miguel Sapochnik, who is recognised for helming some of the best and longest-running Game of Thrones episodes, such as "Hardhome," "Battle of the Bastards," and "The Winds of Winter." Ramin Djawadi, who also created the amazing score for Game of Thrones, will also write the music for the House of the Dragon.

The visual design of the programme could lead you to anticipate to identify well-known Westeros locations, house colours, and symbols, but since House is set over two centuries earlier, many things seem completely different. After all, the Targaryens are prospering at this time of revelry, as are the Seven Kingdoms as a whole. The Iron Throne is supported by more swords, giving it a framework that makes it appear much more ominous and as it does in Martin's books.
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