A Song of Ice and Fire is the award-winning series of best-selling epic fantasy novels by American author and scriptwriter George R.R. Martin which the television show draws its inspiration from, while HBO's Game of Thrones attempts to feel as much like the novels as possible, some content has to be removed, replaced, and added in order to make the transition from text to visuals. The series of novels currently consists of five books, with at least two more at some point in the future.

The books in the series as well as the years of their release are as follows:

1. A Game of Thrones (1996)
2. A Clash of Kings (1998)
3. A Storm of Swords (2000)
4. A Feast for Crows (2005)
5. A Dance with Dragons (2011)
6. The Winds of Winter (forthcoming)
7. A Dream of Spring (forthcoming)