What I Learned Watching the Game of Thrones Franchise

For most of my life I gravitated toward science fiction and largely avoided high fantasy, but with the fifteenth anniversary of Game of Thrones approaching I decided to give the series a fair shot. I knew almost nothing going in, and finished the core show wanting more — moving straight on to Seasons 1 and 2 of House of the Dragon and then A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1, now impatient for House of the Dragon Season 3.

I expected magic to be front and centre, yet found it handled sparingly and often treated as a relic. The dragons are the most overtly fantastical element — essentially "huge, fire-breathing lizards with wings" — while much of the saga plays like a grounded medieval drama driven by character dynamics rather than constant supernatural spectacle.

I was also surprised by how far George R.R. Martin's world extends beyond the original books and show.

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