In the past decade, there has never been such a pop culture titan as Game of Thrones. We all now live in the seven Kingdoms of Westeros, yearn for the Iron Throne, believe in dragons and know the magic word that makes them breathe fire. What is it in the HBO show, spawned by George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, that has propelled it into the cultural Hall of Fame and made it such a global phenomenon, with loyal fans from all nationalities, cultures, ages, genders, and even tastes? Game of Thrones has made fantasy, once relegated into a subgenre, mainstream and cool, and its characters, scenes, themes, and quotes have permeated into our 21st culture.

Whether winter is coming or going, we live and breathe Game of Thrones 365 days a year. We are YouTube content creators, podcasters, writers, novelists, designers, teachers, professors, techies, and therapists, and we have collaborated on this book after dedicating much of the past decade to better understanding and appreciating Game of Thrones. We are the swords in the darkness and the watchers on the walls. We’ve built community followings of nearly one million people from all over the world to discuss and expand on this pop-culture phenomenon, and this is our ultimate and complete analysis of this incredible story.