First published in 1996, A Game of Thrones is the opening movement of A Song of Ice and Fire. Set in and around the Seven Kingdoms, a mythical realm where seasons can last for years or even decades, the story begins in Winterfell, the northernmost of the Seven Kingdoms, as the long, deceptively benign summer comes to an end. Eddard (Ned) Stark, lord of Winterfell, finds himself removed from the familiar—and comforting—routines of his life by an unexpected visit from King Robert Baratheon, his ruler and longtime friend. Robert offers Ned the crucial political position of Hand of the King, a position Ned does not want and cannot refuse. Against his will, he leaves his home and much of his family and travels south to the royal seat of power at King’s Landing. Once there, his life—and the lives of everyone he cares for most—will change in astonishing, often tragic ways.