Kim Renfro - The Unofficial Guide to Game of Thrones

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Copyright 2019 by Kim Renfro

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First Atria Paperback edition October 2019

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Interior design by Jason Snyder

Cover design by Alan Dingman

Cover photographs by Shutterstock and Getty Images

Illustrations by Devin Elle Kurtz

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

ISBN 978-1-9821-1640-8

ISBN 978-1-9821-1641-5 (ebook)

For Mike, the Father of Cats, Brewer of Coffee, Protector of Sanity, and Keeper of My Heart

D earest reader,

First, a warning. This book is filled from front to back with spoilers for the entirety of Game of Thrones. So if you are a super-new fan who hasnt yet seen the whole show and wants to experience it fresh, please gently place a bookmark at this page and return to it only once youve finished the series.

My hope is that you are standing in a bookstore or library or even your own home, drawn to the page you are reading right now because you, like so many millions around the world, love Game of Thrones. Whether you read George R. R. Martins A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) series starting in 1996 or binged the first seven seasons last year and then tuned in to HBO for the big finale, I am grateful you have found yourself here, reading my book.

I first learned about Martins work in 2011, along with much of the world, because of HBOs adaptation. From the first episode, I could tell this was something I would love. Kingdoms! Outcasts! Boromir! Wolf puppies! Sex! It was all I needed.

I also realized I needed to read the books upon which this show was based. As an avid Harry Potter fan, I knew the vast differences between a visual adaptation and a novel was treacherous territory for me. But if I loved what I saw on the screen, the odds were high I would love the source material even more.

I purchased slightly worn copies of the four ASOIAF books that were then available. I devoured the first chapters of A Game of Thrones, and instantly knew I was holding something special in my hands. Soon I became that inconsiderate, reckless brand of New Yorker who walked down sidewalks while reading a book, nearly stepping into intersections or brushing shoulders roughly with strangers as I scanned the pages.

I bought the massive hardcover copy of A Dance with Dragons as soon as it was available. Toting that beast around the subways along with my textbooks was no easy feat, but I couldnt contain my reading to the apartment.

At the same time I was falling in love with Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow and Arya Stark, I was introduced to Reddit. The front page of the internet! they called it. At first I just called it a cesspool of misogyny, but soon saw the value beneath the loud hordes on the main pages threads. I learned how there was a subreddit, or subcommunity, for nearly every interest or hobby one could possibly have. Naturally, there was one for A Song of Ice and Fire. That little page, /r/asoiaf, soon became my addiction. I read every discussion thread, awed by the little details and foreshadowings I had failed to notice as I sped through the novels on my first time.

It was among those unfurled conversation chains that I first learned about R + L = Jthe theory about Jon Snows parentage so popular and perfect it was effectively treated as fact. It was also there that I learned my first big lesson in navigating the internet for spoilers. At the time, discussion posts on /r/asoiaf had to be marked with the acronym of the book you wanted to discuss, so people would know to avoid threads about books they hadnt yet finished. I was pretty far along in A Storm of Swords when I stumbled upon a thread titled something like [ASOS] A question about Roose Bolton. Well, I had my own questions about Roose Bolton. Maybe this would help. I clicked on the post, despite having not yet finished the book. The thread opened, and the first line was basically So when Roose Bolton stabbed Robb Stark in the heart and betrayed the Northern army

I actually screamed. You think watching the Red Wedding was bad? Or reading it in A Storm of Swords as Martin masterfully builds up to the horrible scene? That was nothing compared to the pit in my stomach as I realized I had just spoiled for myself one of the biggest shocks of the series. But this was the first of my many forays into the spoiler-filled world of both A Song of Ice and Fire and the Game of Thrones fandom. My obsession with the books, and by proxy the show, knew no bounds.

In January 2014, I graduated from Hunter College and quickly registered at a temp agency. They placed me at a digital media company called Business Insider to fill in as an administrative assistant.

I soon made myself a valuable part of the growing team. My days were spent stocking the kitchen with snacks and seltzer and setting up Mac Mini computers for new hires, all while I observed the hustle of a newsroom. The temp job became permanent, and for the first time in my life I was introduced to a behind-the-scenes understanding of journalism and digital media and online content creation. One day, when I was adding sodas to the kitchen fridge and chatting with an editor about the coming weekend, Game of Thrones came up. We started swapping opinions on the show, and how it differed from the books. He was confused and surprised by how much I knew about, well, everything to do with Martins world of characters and HBOs adaptation.

If you ever want to write something for Business Insider about the show, let me know, he said.

And my whole life changed.

In my spare time outside of office assistant duties, I began writing articles about Martins plans for the book series or ways HBOs adaptation had changed up characters or roles or hinted at important prophecies and twists. The company grew, and new teams were created. As the person responsible for setting up all new hires computers and restocking the kitchen, I knew anyone and everyone at the company and what job openings were being posted.

When I read the description for a new entry-level reporter role on the Culture team, I applied for the job. Within three months, I was officially a full-time reporter for the company, covering not just