George R.R. Martin offers World of Ice and Fire sample

George R.R. Martin, author of the ASong of Ice and Fire series - which American network HBO commissioned as 'Game of Thrones' - has provided a sample of his new book. The World of Ice and Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones, is set to be released in October 2014, with the author posting a generous extract on his website.

The extract isn't easy to find - that's our excuse for not seeing it sooner - but includes a history of the Targaryen king Aegon the Conqueror. Aegon, as Martin fans will know, is a figure often referenced in the author's richly imagined world. Westerosi history recounts 'The Conquest' as Aegon's defining triumph in uniting six of the seven realms under his rule.

In creating the book, being referred to as a companion to his previous works (as well as to the Game of Thrones TV series), Martin has had quite the project on his hands. As the book's pre-release Amazon page offers:

If the past is prologue, then George R. R. Martin’s masterwork—the most inventive and entertaining fantasy saga of our time—warrants one hell of an introduction.

It would be hard to put it better, as Martin looks to offer a comprehensive and detailed history of his world in around 400 pages. Still, the author's UK publisher, Jane Johnson, clearly feels that at least 'comprehensive and detailed' has been achieved. Ms Johnson posted on Twitter last week:

#amreading George RR Martin's World of Ice & Fire, the history of Essos and Westeros. It's fan-bloody-tastic, and coming soon.

The October release should quench some of the thirst for those eagerly awaiting the sixth A Song of Ice and Fire title. There is currently no projected publishing date for the next installment, The Winds of Winter, with Ms Johnson suggesting in January it"almost certainly" wouldn't be published before 2015.

Happily though, we do already have an excerpt from the title to peek at.

And we now also have a Martin book coming this year!