The world that George R.R. Martin writes so vividly in A Song of Ice and Fire is evolving before our eyes with the release of a new digital, enhanced edition of the series’ first novel.
In a partnership with Apple, A Game of Thrones: Enhanced Edition became available on Thursday exclusively through iBooks, Apple’s e-reader app. It’s the same story that fans have consumed over the past 20 years, but it also includes “a world of additional content” such as character journeys and background information, sigils, family trees, audio clips, and a previously published excerpt from The Winds of Winter.
iBooks
iBooks
iBooks
It’s similar to what the official World of Ice and Fire app and HarperCollins’ app offer. The enhanced books incorporate a searchable guide that makes diving into Martin’s epic fantasy series less intimidating for those who have only seen the show or might not be able to keep track of the books’ thousands of characters, except here you don’t have to switch between apps or leave the page to search for that information. It’s right there on the page.
Martin, who’s seen how we consume books and information over the years, is excited about the possibilities that can come out of interactive books such as his own. He narrated a video with a few passages from his books and explained just what his new books could do.
“Now we’re entering an interesting new period, I think, in the history of publishing,” Martin said. “The digital book gives you the ability to include illustrations and all this artwork, and rich, secondary material that have not been possible before. These enhanced editions include sigils and family trees and they also contain all this background material and glossaries. Anything that confuses you, anything you want to know more about, it’s right there at your fingertips. It’s an amazing next step in the world of books.”
The epic story. Like you’ve never read it before. Get the Exclusive Enhanced Edition of A #GameOfThrones. https://t.co/YM3Ese30WF pic.twitter.com/1iPDNOcDp1
— Apple Books (@AppleBooks) September 29, 2016
Only A Game of Thrones is out right now, but you won’t have to wait long for the rest of the series. A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords will become available later this year on Oct. 27 and Dec. 15 respectively. A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons will come out in February and March 2017.
iBooks
iBooks
As for The Winds of Winter? There’s still no release date, although it’s unclear whether an enhanced edition will be released when the book itself is or if that edition will be delayed.
A Game of Thrones: Enhanced Edition is available through iBooks for Mac and iOS.
H/T The Guardian