A Game of Thrones: Enhanced Edition by George R.R. Martin is now available from Apple, and it includes a bunch of exciting new features.
The “Enhanced Edition” of the first book in the epic series comes loaded with interactive features, as well as a chapter from the current metaphorical monkey on Martin’s back — The Winds of Winter.
The Winds of Winter chapter is not expected to be a brand-new release, but one that George R.R. Martin has previously posted on his website. That leaves plenty of options, as Martin has released chapters from Arianne Martell, Theon Greyjoy, Sansa Stark, and others in the years since A Dance With Dragons was published.
Still, A Game of Thrones: Enhanced Edition will let readers experience Westeros in an entirely new way. The exclusive iBooks release includes text annotations, family trees, and glossaries explaining the unique language of George R.R. Martin’s world. Readers can follow characters’ journeys on interactive maps, explore House sigils, and study the detailed illustrations provided in this new edition.
Entertainment Weekly has a look at the interface of A Game of Thrones: Enhanced Edition. Interested A Song of Ice and Fire fans can also download a preview of the book on iBooks.
“We’re now entering a new period in the history of publishing,” says Martin. “The digital book gives readers the ability to experience all this rich secondary material that had not been possible before… 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 enhanced edition of A Game of Thrones is certainly no substitute for The Winds of Winter. Still, the innovative new interface does offer a new path through George R.R. Martin’s beloved story as fans wait for book 6 — and the seventh season of HBO’s Game of Thrones.