The most popular George RR Martin books in order by far are his A Song of Ice and Fire series. However, before Martin created the Seven Kingdoms, he wrote several standalone books and short stories. The earlier George RR Martin books in order are quite different from the novels that brought him international acclaim.
Instead of epic fantasy, these standalones feature smaller-scale fantasy, science fiction, and space exploration. There is also a historical urban fantasy with vampires. However, reading these earlier books will demonstrate how Martin grew as an author throughout the course of his career.
About George R.R. Martin
While we will briefly take a look at Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire books, you can read our dedicated article to learn more about the two ways to read the Game of Thrones books in order. Martin published the first book in the series in the 1990s, but his writing career began two decades before that.
Martin published his first piece of writing when he was in his early 20s, but he has said that he was writing and distributing stories for his friends since grade school. He also worked in Hollywood before he decided to leave in 1994 to pursue writing on his own.
One of his criticisms regarding his time in Hollywood was that his first drafts were always too big and too expensive to execute. However, when he shifted back to writing novels, he could create a world as expansive as his imagination. That is what lead to the vast universe of A Song of Ice and Fire.
The series slowly gained momentum thanks to independent booksellers, before gaining mass popularity. Martin has collectively sold more than 90 million books around the world.
While some of his earlier works fall within the science fiction genre, Martin says that it was within the science fiction fandom and at conventions that he found his community.
George R.R. Martin Books in Order
A Song of Ice and Fire Books
So to begin we have included a list of the A Song of Ice and Fire books in order of publication below. That’s because these are the books that brought Martin international fame. If you’d like to learn more about how to read the Game of Thrones books, then you can read our article all about the series.
- A Game of Thrones (1996)
- The Hedge Knight (1998)
- A Clash of Kings (1999)
- A Storm of Swords (2000)
- The Sworn Sword (2003)
- A Feast for Crows (2005)
- The Mystery Knight (2010)
- A Dance with Dragons (2011)
- The Princess and the Queen (2013)
- The Rogue Prince (2014)
- The Sons of the Dragon (2017)
- Fire and Blood (2018)
- The Winds of Winter (TBA)
- A Dream of Spring (TBA)
Standalone Books
Next are the books which predate the Seven Kingdoms and A Song of Ice and Fire series. It is not necessary to read these books in order unless you are interested in observing and analyzing Martin’s growth as a writer. If that is the case reading the books in publication order will allow you to witness his development, but it is not necessary to enjoy the plot of each book.
- Starlady and Fast-Friend (1976) (Out of Print)
- Dying of the Light (1977)
- Windhaven (1981) (With Lisa Tuttle)
- Fevre Dream (1982)
- The Armageddon Rag (1983)
- Nightflyers (1985)
- Tuf Voyaging (1986)
- Hunter’s Run (2007) (With Gardner Dozois, Daniel Abraham)
Short Stories
There are also several short stories by Martin that were initially individually published.
- The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr (1976)
- The Ice Dragon (1980)
- The Skin Trade (1988)
- The Pear-Shaped Man (1991) (Out of Print)
- The Mystery Knight (2010)
Short Story Collections
Martin has also published several short story collections throughout the course of his career.
- A Song for Lya (1976) (Out of Print)
- Songs of Stars and Shadows (1977) (Out of Print)
- Sandkings (1981) (Out of Print)
- Portraits of His Children (1985) (Out of Print)
- Quartet (1996) (Out of Print)
- Dreamsongs: A RRetrospective (2003) (Out of Print)
- Old Venus (2015)
- Nightflyers: Other Stories (2018)
Graphic Novels
There are also a handful of George RR Martin books in order which are graphic novels. The first two titles on our list are adaptations of previous books, while the other titles are original content.
- Sandkings (1987) (Out of Print)
- Skin Trade (1988) (With Daniel Abraham)
- In the House of the Worm (2005)
- Doorways (2011) (Out of Print)
- The Meathouse Man (2014) (With Raya Golden)
- Starport (2019)
Wild Card Books
Next is a substantial series that George RR Martin has had a large hand in as both an editor and a contributor. Wild Cards takes place in an alternate reality where an alien virus was accidentally unleashed over the skies of New York City in 1946 and consequently overwrote human DNA. It killed 90 per cent of those infected, transformed another nine per cent into tragically deformed creatures, and the final one per cent gained superpowers.
The books below tell the story of this world and its superheroes in the time since the infection. Martin was one of the founding science fiction authors, and continues to edit the series. The titles below are a variety of anthology-type books, individually-written books, or collaborative mosaic novels.
- Wild Cards (1986)
- Aces High (1987)
- Jokers Wild (1987)
- Aces Abroad (1988)
- Down and Dirty (1988)
- Ace in the Hole (1990)
- Dead Man’s Hand (1990)
- One-Eyed Jacks (1991)
- Jokertown Shuffle (1991)
- Double Solitaire (1991)
- Dealer’s Choice (1992)
- Turn of the Cards (1993)
- Card Sharks (1993) (Out of Print)
- Marked Cards (1994) (Out of Print)
- Black Trump (1995) (Out of Print)
- Deuces Down (2002)
- Death Draws Five (2006)
- Inside Straight (2008)
- Busted Flush (2008)
- Suicide Kings (2009)
- Fort Freak (2011)
- When We Were Heroes by Daniel Abraham (2013)
- The Button Man and the Murder Tree by Cherie Priest (2013)
- The Elephant in the Room by Paul Cornell (2013)
- Lowball (2014)
- Prompt. Professional. Pop! by Walter Jon Williams (2014)
- Discards by David D. Levine (2016)
- High Stakes (2016)
- The Thing About Growing Up in Jokertown by Carrie Vaughn (2016)
- The Atonement Tango by Stephen Leigh (2017)
- Mississippi Roll (2017)
- When the Devil Drives by Melinda M. Snodgrass (2017)
- Low Chicago (2018)
- Evernight by Victor Milán (2018)
- How to Move Spheres and Influence People by Marko Kloos (2018)
- The Flight of Morpho Girl by Caroline Spector and Bradley Denton (2018)
- Texas Hold’em (2018)
- Knaves Over Queens (2018)
- Fitting In by Max Gladstone (2018)
- Long is the Way by Carrie Vaughn and Sage Walker (2019)
- The City That Never Sleeps by Walton Simons (2019)
- Naked, Stoned, and Stabbed by Bradley Denton (2019)
- American Hero (2020)
- The Visitor: Kill or Cure by Mark Lawrence (2020)
- Ripple Effects by Laura J. Mixon (2021)
- Joker Moon (2021)
- Three Kings (2022)
- Hearts of Stone by Emma Newman (2022)
- Grow by Carrie Vaughn (2022)
- Full House (2022)
- Pairing Up (2023)
Anthologies
By far, however, the bulk of Martin’s bibliography is made up of anthology titles. This is both as a contributor and as an editor.
In Print Anthologies
Our first list of anthologies are the ones that are still in print and widely available.
- The Year’s Best Science Fiction Third Annual Collection (1986)
- Legends II: Dragon, Sword, and King (1998)
- The Reel Stuff (1998)
- Future on Ice (1998)
- The Good New Stuff (1999)
- Galileo’s Children (2005)
- Futures Past (2006)
- The Living Dead (2008)
- Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honour of Jack Vance (2009)
- Warriors 1 (2010)
- Warriors 2 (2010)
- The End of the World: Stories of the Apocalypse (2010)
- Werewolves and Shape Shifters: Encounters with the Beasts Within (2010)
- Songs of Love and Death (2010)
- Down These Strange Streets (2011)
- The Mammoth Book of Angels and Demons (2011)
- Warriors 3 (2011)
- Necro Files (2011)
- Extreme Zombies (2012)
- The Eighth Science Fiction Megapack (2013)
- Future Games (2013)
- Super Stories of Heroes and Villains (2013)
- Dangerous Women (2013)
- In Space No One Can Hear You Scream (2013)
- Old Mars (2013)
- Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2013 (2013)
- The Time Traveler’s Almanac (2013)
- Rogues (2014)
- Fantasy For Good (2014)
- Old Venus of Stories (2015)
- Unidentified Funny Objects 4 (2015)
- Warrior Women (2015)
- The Book of Swords (2017)
- Knaves Over Queens (2018)
- The Book of Magic (2018)
- Infinite Stars (2019)
- Conversations From the Edge: The Galaxy’s Edge Interviews (2021)
- Pairing Up (2023)
Dreamsongs Anthologies
Next are two volumes that collect Martin’s earlier shorter works of fiction. In addition to republishing those earlier stories, these anthologies also include extensive author commentary.
- Dreamsongs: Volume I (2003)
- Dreamsongs: Volume II (2003)
Out of Print Anthologies
Finally, our third list of anthologies by George RR Martin are, unfortunately, no longer in print. However, links to second-hand copies have been included for each book.
- Nebula Award Stories 9 (1974)
- Andromeda 1 (1976)
- Analog Annual (1976)
- Science Fiction Discoveries (1976)
- The Best Science Fiction of the Year 5 (1976)
- The Ides of Tomorrow (1976)
- The Hugo Winners: Volume 3 (1977)
- The Infinite Arena (1977)
- The Best Science Fiction of the Year 6 (1977)
- The Year’s Best Fantasy Stories 3 (1977)
- New Voices I (1978)
- 100 Great Science Fiction Short Stories (1978)
- The Best of Analog (1978)
- Galaxy Science Fiction, September-October 1979 (1979)
- Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year 1979 (1980)
- The Best Science Fiction of the Year 9 (1980)
- Dragons of Light (1980)
- Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year 1980 (1981)
- Nebula Winners 15 (1981)
- The Best Science Fiction of the Year 10 (1981)
- Fantasy Annual V (1982)
- The Road to Science Fiction 4 (1982)
- Fears (1983)
- The Science Fiction Weight Loss Book (1983)
- The First Omni Book of Science Fiction (1983)
- Issac Asimov’s Fantasy (1985)
- Night Visions: The Hellbound Heart (1986)
- Nebula Awards 21 (1987)
- A Very Large Array (1987)
- The Year’s Best Fantasy First Annual Collection (1988)
- Demons & Dreams: The Best Fantasy and Horror 1 (1988)
- Masters of Darkness 2 (1988)
- Night Visions 5 (1988)
- Dark Visions (1989)
- The Seventh Omni Book of Science Fiction (1989)
- Issac Asimov’s Fantasy (1989)
- Splatter-Punks: The Definitive Anthology (1990)
- A Century of Fantasy 1980-1989 (1990)
- Foundations of Fear (1992)
- Omni Best Science Fiction Two (1992)
- Worlds of Fear (1994)
- Shadow Twin (2005)
A Summary of George R.R. Martin Books in Order
If you are one of the many, many fans waiting for the next A Song of Ice and Fire book, reading one of George RR Martin’s earlier standalone books will dull the sharp edge of a long wait. Below you will find the summaries to each of his standalone books still in print.
1. Dying of the Light
Dirk t’Larien has been summoned to Worlorn and a former love by a whisperjewel, but Worlorn is not the world Dirk imagined and Gwen Delvano is no longer the woman he once knew. Gwen is bound to another man and to a dying planet that is trapped in twilight.
Gwen needs Dirk’s protection, and he will do another to keep her safe, even challenge the barbaric man who claimed her. But there is a veil of secrecy surrounding them all and it is becoming impossible for Dirk to distinguish between his allies and his enemies.
2. Windhaven
Scattered islands make up the water world of Windhaven, and among these islands no one holds more prestige than the silver-winged flyers. They are romantic figures who cross treacherous oceans. They brave shifting winds and sudden storms to bring news, gossip, songs, and stories to a waiting populace.
Maris of Amberly is a fisherman’s daughter and she wants nothing more than to soar on the currents high above Windhaven. Tradition dictates that flyers are chosen through inheritance, but Maris challenges this and demands sway be given to merit instead.
She wins that bitter battle, but it is only the beginning of her troubles as a flyer. That’s because now a revolution is threatening to destroy the world she fought so hard to join — and force her to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Martin is the co-author of this book alongside Lisa Tuttle.
3. Fevre Dream
Abner Marsh is a struggling riverboat captain when he receives an offer of partnership from a wealthy aristocrat that seems far too good to be true. Then when he meets the pale, steely-eyed Joshua York, he knows it to be.
That’s because York does not care that the brutal winter of 1857 has wiped out all but one of the boats in Marsh’s fleet or that he won’t earn his investment back for a decade. York has his own reasons for wanting to traverse the powerful Mississippi and they are not Marsh’s concern — no matter how bizarre, arbitrary, or capricious his actions may prove.
For his part, Marsh meant to turn York’s offer down. It was too secretive and had a dangerous air, but the promise of gold and a new boat were far too tempting. It wasn’t until they were aboard the new Fevre Dream that Marsh realized he had joined a mission more sinister and more noble than his most fantastic nightmare.
4. The Armageddon Rag
Sandy Blair was once an underground journalist, but he has come a long way from his radical roots in the 1960s. Then something draws him back in. The promoter of the rock band Nazgûl, who made millions, has been murdered in a bizarre and brutal fashion.
Sandy begins to investigate the murder but finds himself confronting his past with a magical mystery tour of the pent-up passions of his generation. That’s because a new messiah has resurrected the Nazgûl and the new rhythm may be more than anyone bargained for — a requiem of demonism, mind control, and death.
5. Nightflyers
The Nightflyer is a fully autonomous vessel manned by a single human. It is also the only ship available for a scientific expedition to study a mysterious alien race. But Captain Royd Eris remains locked away and only interacts with the passengers aboard for the expedition through holograms or a disembodied voice.
The ship also feels haunted for other reasons too. Thale Lasamer is the team’s telepath and senses another presence aboard the ship with them. It is dangerous, volatile, and also alien.
Captain Eris claims to not know anything about the intruder, but when the team starts getting killed off, he is unable or unwilling to stop the bloody tide. Melantha Jhirl is a genetically enhanced outcast with more strength, stamina, and intelligence than other humans. She is the only one who has a chance at solving the mystery and saving her shipmates, but first she needs to keep herself alive.
6. Tuf Voyaging
Haviland Tuf is an honest space-trader who also likes cats. In a universe full of rogues, he is an endearing and unlikely hero trying to do right by the galaxy. He has also somehow become the owner of a seedship, which is the last remnant of Earth’s legendary Ecological Engineering Corps.
The seedship has the ability to control the genetic material of thousands of outlandish creatures, and now that godlike ability is in Tuf’s hands. He sets out to tackle the problems that human settlers have caused in colonizing far-flung worlds, which include hosts of hostile monsters, a population hooked on procreation, as well as a dictator who unleashes plagues to get his own way.
7. Hunter’s Run
Finally, this last standalone book is written in collaboration with Gardner Dozois and Daniel Abraham. It tells the story of Ramón Espejo who is running from poverty and hopelessness. As a result, he boards one of the great starships of the mysterious, repulsive Enye.
But the life he found on the far-off planet of São Paulo is no better than the life he left behind. Then one night his anger and drunkenness gets the better of him and deadly violence ensues. Now Ramón is fleeing into the wilderness.
He finds happiness far from the bustling hive of humanity and begins searching for the one rich strike that could make him wealthy. Instead, what he finds is an advanced alien race in hiding just like him. The alien race are desperate fugitives on a planet that is not their own.
Subsequently, Ramón becomes caught up in an extraordinary manhunt on a hostile, unpredictable planet.
Final thoughts
The earlier George RR Martin books in order are quite different from the enormous fantasy world he created with the A Song of Ice and Fire series. However, if you are looking for something by him to read while you wait for the publication of The Winds of Winter, his standalones are a great option.
Since his standalones also predate the publication of the A Song of Ice and Fire books, they will also be a great example of his growth and development as a writer.