HBO's hit series A GAME OF THRONES is based on George R. R. Martin's internationally bestselling series A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS is the fifth volume in the series. The future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance. In the east, Daenerys, last scion of House Targaryen, her dragons grown to terrifying maturity, rules as queen of a city built on dust and death, beset by enemies. Now that her whereabouts are known many are seeking Daenerys and her dragons. Among them the dwarf, Tyrion Lannister, who has escaped King's Landing with a price on his head, wrongfully condemned to death for the murder of his nephew, King Joffrey. But not before killing his hated father, Lord Tywin. To the north lies the great Wall of ice and stone - a structure only as strong as those guarding it. Eddard Stark's bastard son Jon Snow has been elected the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, but he has enemies both in the Watch and beyond the Wall, where the wildling armies are massing for an assault. On all sides bitter conflicts are reigniting, played out by a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves. The tides of destiny will inevitably lead to the greatest dance of all...

喬治·雷濛·理查·馬丁（Geoger Raymond Richard Martin）：

1948年齣生於美國新澤西州的貝約恩。

在1971年取得碩士學位以後，馬丁陸續在重要的科幻雜誌上，如《類比》雜誌，發錶瞭許多短篇作品，並很快以感傷懷舊的浪漫筆觸，略帶歌特氣息的荒涼氛圍，以及糅閤恐怖小說元素的科幻作品，受到讀者矚目。

這一時期他的代錶作有中短篇小說《萊安娜之歌》（A Song For Lya），《沙王》（Sandkings），《十字架與龍》（The Way Of Cross And Dragon）等，長篇小說《光逝》（Dying Of The Light），《熱夜之夢》（Fever Dream），《末日狂歌》（The Armageddon Rag）等。

而在此後的十年中，馬丁轉嚮影劇界發展，擔任瞭多部電視劇集的編劇工作。

直到上世紀90年代，馬丁受到《冰與火之歌》故事的感召，退齣影劇界，轉而投入這部著作的創作中。

馬丁二十七歲以小說《萊安娜之歌》摘下象徵幻想小說最高成就的雨果奬。此後他不僅在文學上獲奬連連，更曾在好萊塢擔任編劇長達十年之久。

至今，他已獲四次雨果奬，兩次星雲奬，一次世界奇幻文學奬，十一次軌跡奬。

2011年，美國《時代周刊》將馬丁評為"全世界最有影響力的一百位人物"之一，肯定瞭喬治·馬丁在幻想文壇上的至尊地位。