'House of the Dragon': Everything you need to know about George R.R. Martin's 'Fire & Blood'

The dragons are coming. HBO's 'Game of Thrones' prequel, 'The House of the Dragon', draws closer and closer, like the Night King north of the wall as he marches towards Westeros.

But it's not about him.

"House of the Dragon" takes place almost 200 years before "Game of Thrones", with a whole new cast of characters, different battles (personal and physical) and an unknown Westeros that viewers will soon get to know. The series chronicles the events depicted in George R.R. Martin's "Fire & Blood," but for those who can't catch up on centuries of fantasy folklore before HBO premieres August 21, here's what you need to know.

Source material (and a grain of salt)

"House of the Dragon" has what later seasons of "Game of Thrones" don't: source material. Martin describes the basic events of Targaryen's story in "Fire & Blood" - but it's not your average adaptation.

Unlike the novels behind "Game of Thrones", "Fire & Blood" has an omniscient narrator: Martin himself. It documents the stories based on various accounts from maesters, septons, other literatures, and a type literally called Mushroom. Over the years covered by "House of the Dragon", many of these stories conflict (Mushroom's is particularly colorful). Showrunners Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan J. Condal have multiple versions to choose from, and the option to create an entirely new one - using Martin's work, as "Thrones" eventually did, as a model but not as a exact model.

Related Related The Targaryen lineage

A whole Targaryen mess in "House of the Dragon".

Ollie Upton/HBO