A Song of Ice and Fire, the book series Game of Thrones is based on, is written by an American author. The TV Show is an American production. However, the finest cover art for the books appears on the Japanese and Brazilian translations. Go figure.
‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ Book Covers in Japan
The books are split up into two or three parts in Japan, which gives us more characters and book covers to enjoy. The Japanese publisher got Noriko Meguro to do the book cover art manga-style, which is beautiful and also very different to how these characters seemed to me in my mind before the show came along, and obviously differs from the actors, making it even better. Tyrion looks especially gruesome, unlike his handsome counterpart in the show, adding to the difference between book Tyrion and show Tyrion. My personal favorite is Bran in the trees, but maybe it’s because he’s also my favorite character. And now, on to the art:
Game of Thrones Japanese Cover (Jon Snow)
The books are split into two parts, and Daenerys Targaryen appears on the second cover, but it’s a NSFW picture, so you can watch it here.
A Clash of Kings Japanese Cover (Arya Stark)
A Clash of Kings Japanese Cover (Sansa Stark)
A Strom of Swords Japanese Cover (Margaery Tyrell)
A Storm of Swords Japanese Cover (Tyrion Lannister)
A Storm of Swords Japanese Cover (Samwell Tarly)
A Feast for Crows Japanese Cover (Brienne of Tarth)
A Feast for Crows Japanese Cover (Cersei Lannister)
A Dance With Dragons Japanese Cover (Daenerys Targaryen)
A Dance With Dragons Japanese Cover (Bran Stark)
A Dance With Dragons Japanese Cover (Jon Snow)
‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ Book Covers in Brazil
The book cover art was done by the incredible Marco Simonetti, who has done plenty of ASOIAF related work over the years. There are two covers for each book (old and new), but Simonetti has also done work for ‘A World of Ice and Fire’ and calendars for the series as well. Unlike the Japanese covers which focus on characters, Simonetti does an incredible job of depicting specific scenes or places from the universe George R.R. Martin created. On to the art:
A Game of Thrones Brazilian Cover (The Wall)
A Game of Thrones Brazilian Cover (Jon & Tyrion on the Wall)
A Clash of Kings Brazilian Cover (Tyrion in King’s Landing)
A Clash of Kings Brazilian Cover (Dragonstone)
A Storm of Swords Brazilian Cover (Riverlands)
A Storm of Swords Brazilian Cover (Approaching the Twins)
A Feast for Crows Brazilian Cover (Pyke)
A Feast for Crows Brazilian Cover (Braavos)
A Dance With Dragons Brazilian Cover (Daenerys & Drogon)
A Dance With Dragons Brazilian Cover (Daenerys in Meereen)
To summarize, the art from all over the world when it comes to A Song of Ice and Fire is truly mind blowing. Now, if you still haven’t read the books, drop everything you’re doing. It doesn’t matter if you’re an avid show watcher or not. These books, if you like Fantasy (and even if you don’t), have a good chance of changing your life. You can buy the entire series box set on Amazon, or start out with the first one: A Game of Thrones.
