I really loved that book. Everyone who liked GoT will love this book too. It is like history brought to life. It is an absolutely must have for all fans of Scotland and Game of Thrones.

This book showed me how much actual history inspired the fantastical world of George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones series. It truly inspired me to learn more about the history of ancient Rome, Scotland, Ireland and other European countries. It almost as if George R.R. Martin picked themes and events from history, put a fantasy spin on them, and added dragons. In my book, that's pretty brilliant. The book is a bit long and dense, but overall, it is an interested read.

Long delay - pandemic related - finally read this book, I wish I had not waited so long!
So much knowledge in an easily digestible and fun read. Armchair history at its finest. I prefer this book to waiting for the next George R.R. Martin... and cannot wait to visit Scotland in person. Have not seen it yet in store.
Thank you

Meticulously researched and passionately told, however, unless you are a die-hard GOT fan then it is a tedious read. The historic references are compelling, but the omnipresent fanboying over GRRM's body of work is repetitive and verbose. It is not quite a travel tome either unless you are planning a GOT tour of Scotland. The transition between the research and the narrative is rough lending to an uneven read.

As a reader as well as a viewer of the Song of Ice and Fire series, I really appreciated this book and enjoyed reading about the true history. I'm a history geek anyway, so this was actually a captivating book. I would recommend to anyone who has an interest in finding out more about the reality behind the fantasy fiction.

This book was such an interesting read. I was aware that a great deal of what happens in the show takes it’s inspiration from history which is both fascinating and terrifying. Also, being Scottish, I know of certain historical events which definitely show up in Game of Thrones and this book gave me the opportunity to learn more. Highly enjoyable read.

a good reference book for game of thrones fans, full of interesting facts and stories behind the stories.

Whilst I haven’t yet caught up with the A Song of Ice and Fire book series, the TV adaptation is one of my favourites. Yes, even that final season. When I saw that this book compared many facets for both the books and the show with real-world historical equivalents I was more than intrigued.

This is set out in distinct sections that focus on the geography, battles, and individuals that feature throughout the series and spoilers are abundant in every section. I doubt there was any way to avoid this being so, but may be something to be wary of. Each section gave an overview of the source material focused on before either proving the historical basis or giving an overview of some similar historical occurrence. Each also came complete with quotes from both the book series, the TV adaptation, and a vast array of history books and historical documents.

This book largely focused on Scotland, as many of the ruling families, the castles they dwelt in, and Westeros geography in general was rooted from this region. I found this such an interesting insight and it helped to understand not only the vastness of the world that Martin created, but also the abundant sources he claimed from. The research he undertook would have been immense and, perhaps, goes some way to stemming my disappointment at not receiving the final book in the series, yet.

Princess Fuzzypants here: My entire family were and are huge fans of Game of Thrones, both book and series. We have been enthralled by the world created by George R R Martin and others. As history buffs, we were able to see themes and events that mirrored history and appreciate the richness of Westeros and beyond. But this book really covers it in a highly convincing way, with many a footnote, as the author compares GOT with real Scottish history.
He looks at the geographical similarities of the areas of Scotland with the GOT places. He then brings in the characters and events that the particular geography encouraged such as the Iron Islands and the islands off the coast of Scotland. He does a very good job in making his case and supporting it. We see The North, The Riverlands, and The Twins were spawned by imagination and fact. We see how the Castles of Scotland are mirrored in GOT as well. It would be hard to argue his thesis.
What I found most fascinating was the comparison of fictional and historical figures. Clearly there was an influence and many of the events shown on screen and in the book, had their genesis in fact. Even The Red Wedding has historical precedent . Yes, there was someone who could challenge Walter Frey to the title of worst villain. It was interesting to read how many of the characters were similar to real people.
Since the book was written prior to the final season and the ultimate conclusion, at least in the series, we don’t get a chance to see how the author would handle Danys’ descent into madness and Jon’s final act.
Still what is there is both an academic work and a good addendum to the series.
Five purrs and two paws up.

I enjoyed reading this non-fiction book about the history behind Game of Thrones. The author tried to connect the events, people, and places of Game of Thrones with real ones from the history of Scotland and he did a very good job. I didn't know much about thw Scottish history and this book was a good introduction for me.
The book is very weel researched and written and it was easy to get through. The truth is that I learned a lot.
However, I would prefer it if the illustrations were throughout the book and not at the end. It would be easier to follow (especially if you read an ebook as I did).

Despite that, if you are a fan of Game of Thrones or/and history you should pick this book up.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is a fantastic book for any Game of Thrones fan (like me!). It explains the history relating the books (the north) to Scotland and I found it a fascinating read and it pieced so many things together in my mind.
The castles are just amazing too!
A fantastic read if you love history or castles or are a game of thrones fan!

An interesting book to link in with the Tv show and books, I’m interested in history so there wasn’t much in here I wasn’t aware of, but for someone who takes only a light interest it would be an interesting and informative read. It was well set out in an easy and informative manner , however the illustrations should be less at the footnotes and more with the chapters they relate too. It was well researched and written, and as a fan of the books or show most will really enjoy this.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

A fun book to read for Game of Thrones fans and history fans! I think everyone saw the borrowed from real history references in the series, but this bok lays out all the history for you.

So first off, I am a giant fan of both history and Game of Thrones so I was beyond excited to get a chance to read this book because hello, two of my favorite things combined in one place.

So in my usual reviewer hat manner, first the good things, I absolutely devoured the writing, the style was easy, fun, and educational without being too text book like and would likely appeal both to history fans and fantasy fans alike. The book was meticulously researched as it moved literally from the study of the land of Westeros and Scotland, all the way to the history that connected the two worlds. And the book was just really enjoyable to read so good job David Weinczok.

And now, for the not so good. The ending was entirely too abrupt. It’s like one page I’m reading about the Massacre of Glencoe and the next page is footnotes. There is zero transition, zero tying up all ends, basically zero ending, it just stops. People will not like that, . Secondly I would strongly recommend putting the illustrations within the individual chapters rather than the very end after footnotes. I know I am not the only history reader who enjoys pictures in harmony with the chapters especially if the photos show places, things and people that are talked about,

Just some of my notes.

An interesting read that will appeal to fans of GOT or people interested in Scottish history.
I learned a lot and it was great to discover the history of places and the relationship to the sage.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I recently finished reading a review copy of David C. Weinczok's analysis of George R.R. Martin's "The Game of Thrones." The book in question, published by Pen and Sword in 2019, and entitled "The History Behind Game of Thrones: The North Remembers" is a thoroughly entertaining study of Weinczok's interpretation of the historical basis of Martin's work. He situates events principally in Scotland and does a superb job of illustrating this with numerous geohistorical examples of his thesis. The book reads like a peculiar and enchanting hybrid of history and fantasy and in so doing shines a light on both genres (history and fantasy). Indeed, as I read the book, the boundaries between fantasy and history seemed to collapse and fold in on themselves in a complex pattern that serves to reveal how incredibly successful each genre is in informing and explicating the other. I enjoyed it thoroughly and urge anyone with an interest in either of the two genres under discussion or simply an interest in Scottish and Medieval history and culture to peruse a copy. You will be glad you did.

Author David C. Weinczok (http://castlehunter.scot/) published the book “The History Behind Game of Thrones” in 2019. This is his first book.

I categorize this novel as “R” because it contains scenes of Violence. The book compares the 'history' from the Game of Thrones novels and TV series to the real history of Scotland. The book highlights the similarities between the fantasy world and Scottish history. 

I have read all the novels published so far in the "A Song of Fire and Ice" series. I have enjoyed watching the TV production on HBO. I am of Scottish descent and have a rough idea of Scotland and its history. Unfortunately, I am not familiar enough with Scotland to completely appreciate many of the comparisons drawn in this book. Those from Scotland, or at least very familiar with Scotland, will appreciate it more.

I enjoyed the 8+ hours I spent reading this 248-page history. There are several comparisons made to Game of Thrones. This book is, more than anything else, a history of Scotland. There were a few photos included in the book. I would have gained more if there had been more photos and especially some detailed maps. I like the cover art. I give this novel a 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

I couldn't write a review since the title was archived before I was able to download it. Sorry. As a huge ASOIAF/GOT fan, I would have loved to share my thoughts on "The History Behind Game of Thrones". I really enjoyed reading "Winter is Coming: The Medieval World of Game of Thrones" by Carolyne Larrington, thus it would have been interesting to compare the books. I'm sure Mr Weinczok put great effort into "The History Behind Game of Thrones", but I think the book should have been published earlier when the HBO series was still a thing. I don't really know how to provide a star rating since I haven't read the book, but I think it deserves a three star rating at least.

An incredibly interesting view on the real life history behind the television series Game Of Thrones, definitely would recommend to anyone interested in the real history.

5 stars

Fantastic book!

When I read the Game of Thrones (still waiting for book six!), I had envisioned Scotland and England. I just knew that the “wall” was probably Hadrian's Wall, and was able to identify other locations as well.

This book illustrates it all so well: the locations and the countryside – even the history of Scotland. I did not tie together the “Red Wedding” and the massacre described in this book. Oh, heck, as I slapped my forehead.

Mr. Weinczok's book makes history very interesting and easy to read and understand. Very well done, sir!! And the castles – ooohh – got to love them.

I want to thank NetGalley and Pen & Sword/Pen & Sword History for forwarding to me a copy of this most delightful book for me to read, enjoy and review.