A new collection of essays, Women of Ice and Fire: Gender, Game of Thrones and Multiple Media Engagements explores the role and representation of women in Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books and its cultural adaptations.

The Conversation

This is not just another academic book exploring a popular culture phenomenon and the representation of women inside this phenomenon, it is the contemporary reference work to the representation of female characters in the A Song of Ice and Fire books, the TV series (Game of Thrones) and other transmedia adaptations.

Pop-Zeitschrift

Together, the contributions provide a welcome and nuanced analysis of the female figure in relation to fantasy ... It is recommended for readers of all genders.

Norsk Medietidsskrift (Bloomsbury translation)

Game of Thrones and controversy go pretty much fist in gauntlet. And nowhere more so than around its presentations of nudity, sex and sexual violence on screen. Arya … Brienne … Cersei … Daenerys … Ellaria: just the start of an alphabet of complex female characters whose actions and sufferings have been hotly debated. So, can academic criticism take us beyond simple praise vs. condemnation? Oh yes. Agreement? Now that really would be fantasy. Instead, this book elaborates on the debates around particular characters, scenes and narrative adaptation decisions, to great effect. Pretty much all varieties of contemporary feminist analysis are well represented here. The issues are clearly important – but there is also fun to be had, deciding who you (dis)agree with, and why.

Martin Barker, Emeritus Professor of Film & Television Studies and Principal Investigator in Lord of the Ring and Hobbit Audience Projects, Aberystwyth University, UK

The popularity of the HBO Game of Thrones is sensational, and thus a scholarly collection that brings together different perspectives-from gender, genre, television and film, adaptation, and fan studies-is a welcome contribution especially as it engages with the most controversial aspects of the show. By focusing on women characters in George R.R. Martin's novels, Game of Thrones, and its video-game and wiki byproducts, collectively these essays confirm just how powerful gender politics and sexualized violence are in the production and consumption of fantasy across media today. By taking fan and other public discussions of the show seriously, the book also invites us to consider there may be something new in women's engagement with fantasy.

Cristina Bacchilega, Professor of English, University of Hawai'i-Manoa, USA

Women of Ice and Fire: Gender, Game of Thrones, and Multiple Media Engagements is an anthology that needed to be written and must be read. This book presents a series of thoughtful and engaging essays about the female characters who populate the universe of this incredibly successful book and television series. Women of Ice and Fire is an excellent study of the rich tapestry of women – from the progressive to the conventional, the monstrous to the glorious – who give life to the fantastic world that has captured the hearts of millions.

Angela Ndalianis, Head of Screen and Cultural Studies, University of Melbourne, Australia