
The Thrones Effect
How HBO's Game of Thrones Conquered Pop Culture
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $14.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
About this listen
In the past decade, there has never been such a pop culture titan as Game of Thrones. We all now live in the seven Kingdoms of Westeros, yearn for the Iron Throne, believe in dragons and know the magic word that makes them breathe fire. What is it in the HBO show, spawned by George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, that has propelled it into the cultural Hall of Fame and made it such a global phenomenon, with loyal fans from all nationalities, cultures, ages, genders, and even tastes? Game of Thrones has made fantasy, once relegated into a subgenre, mainstream and cool, and its characters, scenes, themes, and quotes have permeated into our 21st culture.
Whether winter is coming or going, we live and breathe Game of Thrones 365 days a year. We are YouTube content creators, podcasters, writers, novelists, designers, teachers, professors, techies, and therapists, and we have collaborated on this book after dedicating much of the past decade to better understanding and appreciating Game of Thrones. We are the swords in the darkness and the watchers on the walls. We’ve built community followings of nearly one million people from all over the world to discuss and expand on this pop-culture phenomenon, and this is our ultimate and complete analysis of this incredible story.
©2019 Abishai Aziz Al-Doory, Ashaya, Valentina Carias, Chris Christian, Noga Ariel Galor, Theo Gangi, Quinn Howard, MJ Johnson, Gil Kidron, Anthony Peter Medina, Gemma Smith (P)2019 Abishai Aziz Al-Doory, Ashaya, Valentina Carias, Chris Christian, Noga Ariel Galor, Theo Gangi, Quinn Howard, MJ Johnson, Gil Kidron, Anthony Peter Medina, Gemma SmithListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Rise of the Dragon
- An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Volume One
- By: George R. R. Martin, Elio M. García Jr, Linda Antonsson
- Narrated by: Harry Lloyd
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This lavish visual history—featuring over 180 all-new illustrations—is a stunning introduction to House Targaryen, the iconic family at the heart of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon.
-
-
This is a cash grab, and nothing more
- By Lisa Carrasquillo on 10-25-22
By: George R. R. Martin, and others
-
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
- A Song of Ice and Fire
- By: George R. R. Martin
- Narrated by: Harry Lloyd
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A young, naïve but ultimately courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals—in stature if not experience. Tagging along is his diminutive squire, a boy called Egg—whose true name is hidden from all he and Dunk encounter. Though more improbable heroes may not be found in all of Westeros, great destinies lay ahead for these two . . . as do powerful foes, royal intrigue, and outrageous exploits. Featuring more than 160 all-new illustrations by Gary Gianni, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a must-have collection that proves chivalry isn’t dead—yet.
-
-
What separates Lloyd from Dotrice
- By Pusang Tulog on 10-14-15
-
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
- A Hunger Games Novel
- By: Suzanne Collins
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to out charm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low.
-
-
Bad part
- By Edgars Dumins on 05-19-20
By: Suzanne Collins
-
New Spring
- The Wheel of Time Prequel
- By: Robert Jordan
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For three days battle has raged in the snow around the great city of Tar Valon. In the city, a foretelling of the future is uttered. On the slopes of Dragonmount, the immense mountain that looms over the city, a child is born, an infant prophesied to change the world. That child must be found before he can be killed by the forces of the Shadow.
-
-
Read it after reading others in the series
- By Stacy Fair on 12-13-07
By: Robert Jordan
-
The Last Wish
- By: Andrzej Sapkowski
- Narrated by: Peter Kenny
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Geralt the Witcher—revered and hated—holds the line against the monsters plaguing humanity in this collection of adventures, the first chapter in Andrzej Sapkowski’s groundbreaking epic fantasy series that inspired the hit Netflix show and the blockbuster video games.
-
-
Better than the show, of course!
- By Cheryl Dias on 01-07-20
-
Into the Void
- Star Wars Legends (Dawn of the Jedi)
- By: Tim Lebbon
- Narrated by: January LaVoy
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the planet Tython, the ancient Je’daii order was founded. And at the feet of its wise Masters, Lanoree Brock learned the mysteries and methods of the Force - and found her calling as one of its most powerful disciples. But as strongly as the Force flowed within Lanoree and her parents, it remained absent in her brother, who grew to despise and shun the Je’daii, and whose training in its ancient ways ended in tragedy. Now, from her solitary life as a Ranger keeping order across the galaxy, Lanoree has been summoned by the Je’daii Council on a matter of utmost urgency.
-
-
Pleasant surprise, best SW novels of late
- By AnthroGal on 05-30-13
By: Tim Lebbon
-
The Rise of the Dragon
- An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Volume One
- By: George R. R. Martin, Elio M. García Jr, Linda Antonsson
- Narrated by: Harry Lloyd
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This lavish visual history—featuring over 180 all-new illustrations—is a stunning introduction to House Targaryen, the iconic family at the heart of HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon.
-
-
This is a cash grab, and nothing more
- By Lisa Carrasquillo on 10-25-22
By: George R. R. Martin, and others
-
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
- A Song of Ice and Fire
- By: George R. R. Martin
- Narrated by: Harry Lloyd
- Length: 10 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A young, naïve but ultimately courageous hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall towers above his rivals—in stature if not experience. Tagging along is his diminutive squire, a boy called Egg—whose true name is hidden from all he and Dunk encounter. Though more improbable heroes may not be found in all of Westeros, great destinies lay ahead for these two . . . as do powerful foes, royal intrigue, and outrageous exploits. Featuring more than 160 all-new illustrations by Gary Gianni, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a must-have collection that proves chivalry isn’t dead—yet.
-
-
What separates Lloyd from Dotrice
- By Pusang Tulog on 10-14-15
-
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
- A Hunger Games Novel
- By: Suzanne Collins
- Narrated by: Santino Fontana
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the 10th annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to out charm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low.
-
-
Bad part
- By Edgars Dumins on 05-19-20
By: Suzanne Collins
-
New Spring
- The Wheel of Time Prequel
- By: Robert Jordan
- Narrated by: Kate Reading, Michael Kramer
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For three days battle has raged in the snow around the great city of Tar Valon. In the city, a foretelling of the future is uttered. On the slopes of Dragonmount, the immense mountain that looms over the city, a child is born, an infant prophesied to change the world. That child must be found before he can be killed by the forces of the Shadow.
-
-
Read it after reading others in the series
- By Stacy Fair on 12-13-07
By: Robert Jordan
-
The Last Wish
- By: Andrzej Sapkowski
- Narrated by: Peter Kenny
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Geralt the Witcher—revered and hated—holds the line against the monsters plaguing humanity in this collection of adventures, the first chapter in Andrzej Sapkowski’s groundbreaking epic fantasy series that inspired the hit Netflix show and the blockbuster video games.
-
-
Better than the show, of course!
- By Cheryl Dias on 01-07-20
-
Into the Void
- Star Wars Legends (Dawn of the Jedi)
- By: Tim Lebbon
- Narrated by: January LaVoy
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the planet Tython, the ancient Je’daii order was founded. And at the feet of its wise Masters, Lanoree Brock learned the mysteries and methods of the Force - and found her calling as one of its most powerful disciples. But as strongly as the Force flowed within Lanoree and her parents, it remained absent in her brother, who grew to despise and shun the Je’daii, and whose training in its ancient ways ended in tragedy. Now, from her solitary life as a Ranger keeping order across the galaxy, Lanoree has been summoned by the Je’daii Council on a matter of utmost urgency.
-
-
Pleasant surprise, best SW novels of late
- By AnthroGal on 05-30-13
By: Tim Lebbon
-
His Dark Materials: Once upon a Time in the North
- By: Philip Pullman
- Narrated by: David Harewood
- Length: 2 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this prequel episode from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials universe, Lee Scoresby—Texan aeronaut and future friend to Lyra Belacqua—is just 24 years old, and he's recently won his hot-air balloon in a poker game. He finds himself floating North to the windswept Arctic island of Novy Odense, where he and his hare daemon Hester are quickly tangled in a deadly plot involving an oil magnate, a corrupt mayoral candidate, and Lee's longtime nemesis from the Dakota Country, a hired killer with at least twenty murders to his name.
-
-
Great story
- By Wendy Strgar, sagebrushbooks on 10-04-24
By: Philip Pullman
-
The Host
- A Novel
- By: Stephenie Meyer
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 23 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Earth has been invaded by a species that takes over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. But Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away.
-
-
Great story in a genre only touched upon before
- By Keith on 06-20-08
By: Stephenie Meyer
-
Spellbreaker
- Spellbreaker, Book 1
- By: Charlie N. Holmberg
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden, Joel Froomkin
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The orphaned Elsie Camden learned as a girl that there were two kinds of wizards in the world: those who pay for the power to cast spells and those, like her, born with the ability to break them. But as an unlicensed magic user, her gift is a crime. Commissioned by an underground group known as the Cowls, Elsie uses her spellbreaking to push back against the aristocrats and help the common man. Elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey is one elusive spell away from his mastership when he catches Elsie breaking an enchantment. To protect her secret, Elsie strikes a bargain.
-
-
Interesting read/listen
- By Roderica Ruddle on 12-21-20
-
Aurora Rising
- The Aurora Cycle, Book 1
- By: Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff
- Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest, Johnathan McClain, Candice Moll, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the academy would touch....
-
-
Excellent story, but a little overly emotive
- By Zach on 05-15-19
By: Amie Kaufman, and others
-
Diablo: Legacy of Blood
- Blizzard Legends
- By: Richard A. Knaak
- Narrated by: Josh Clark
- Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since the beginning of time, the angelic hosts of the High Heavens and the demonic hordes of the Burning Hells have been locked in a struggle for the fate of all creation. That struggle has now come to the mortal realm...and neither man nor demon nor angel will be left unscathed....
-
-
Addictive!
- By Kesson on 04-25-19
By: Richard A. Knaak
-
Ender's Game
- Special 20th Anniversary Edition
- By: Orson Scott Card
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Harlan Ellison, Gabrielle de Cuir
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why we think it’s a great listen: It’s easy to say that when it comes to sci-fi you either love it or you hate it. But with Ender’s Game, it seems to be you either love it or you love it.... The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Enter Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, the result of decades of genetic experimentation.
-
-
6 titles in the series so far
- By Kapila Wimalaratne on 01-29-03
By: Orson Scott Card
-
Cthonia's Reckoning
- The Horus Heresy
- By: John French, Michael F. Haspil, Gary Kloster, and others
- Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong
- Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After seven long years of conflict, the Horus Heresy nears its end. But now, as the Warmaster Horus marches on Terra to rip his father from the Throne, the seat of the arch-traitor’s power lies empty. Cthonia, a world once dominated by brutal murder-gangs, is occupied by the Emperor’s praetorians—the indomitable Imperial Fists. For the Sons of Horus, this outrage demands a reckoning.
-
-
Created to sell toys.
- By Lowlight on 06-30-22
By: John French, and others
-
Sword Art Online 1: Aincrad
- By: Reki Kawahara, Stephen Paul
- Narrated by: Bryce Papenbrook
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online - a VRMMORPG (virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing game) like no other - debuts, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in a wholly realistic gaming experience. But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG - a logout button.
-
-
Glad to see more Light Novel Audiobooks
- By Bernard Kazlab on 08-10-21
By: Reki Kawahara, and others
-
The Queen's Gambit
- By: Walter Tevis
- Narrated by: Amy Landon
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eight-year-old orphan Beth Harmon is quiet, sullen, and by all appearances unremarkable. That is, until she plays her first game of chess. Her senses grow sharper, her thinking clearer, and for the first time in her life she feels herself fully in control. By the age of 16, she's competing for the US Open championship. But as Beth hones her skills on the professional circuit, the stakes get higher, her isolation grows more frightening, and the thought of escape becomes all the more tempting.
-
-
I can't listen to it.
- By Kindle Customer on 10-26-20
By: Walter Tevis
-
Vanity Fair
- A Novel Without a Hero
- By: William Makepeace Thackeray
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 29 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Generally considered to be his masterpiece, Vanity Fair is Thackeray's resplendent social satire that exposes the greed and corruption raging in England during the turmoil of the Napoleonic wars. Subtitled "A Novel Without a Hero", it traces the changing fortunes of two unforgettable women: the scheming opportunist Becky Sharp, one of literature's most resourceful, engaging, and amoral heroines, and her foil, the faithful, naive Amelia Sedley.
-
-
Superb Version --- Highly Recommended
- By Charles on 09-04-06
-
Untouched by Human Hands
- By: Robert Sheckley
- Narrated by: Gabrielle de Cuir - director, Harlan Ellison, Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Untouched by Human Hands consists of 13 stories of beings who dwell on the strange borders of reality. Some of these stories tell of people you know or of events that might happen - but haven't yet. Some will take you to the furthermost reaches of the sky and to planets whose names are unknown this side of Arcturus. And some - perhaps the richest and most memorable of these stories - open into the interior of strange minds to reveal the reflection of ourselves.
-
-
Some Of Sheckley's Best Short Stories...
- By Nils J. Rasmussen on 03-11-15
By: Robert Sheckley
-
The World According to Star Wars
- By: Cass R. Sunstein
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A deeply original celebration of George Lucas' masterpiece as it relates to history, presidential politics, law, economics, fatherhood, and culture by a Harvard legal scholar and former White House advisor.
-
-
The title says it all
- By Steve on 06-16-16
By: Cass R. Sunstein
The writers each read their own piece and they're very good. As YouTubers they've somewhat mastered the art of speaking at the perfect rate. This is the first audio book in a long time that I haven't had to kick up to 2X speed. Gil Kidron from GOT Academy especially stands out. He read with wonderful energy and verve. The only letdown was the reader for chapter 6 (sorry, I don't know his name), who sounded as though he was automated; no inflection or emotion whatsoever.
Uneven Narration
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
love GOT
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great, worth a read for those super serious fans
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
FAR BEYOND MY EXPECTATIONS!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Most of this is great
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
love these podcasters
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
glaring mistakes an omissions
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I've NEVER liked sci-fi or fantasy but GOT changed the game. There is no show that came take it's place. This book helped me through my GOT depression.
Great read. Well worth the purchase, y'all!!
Oh my sweet summer child! Grayarea, Smokescreen..
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book is everything!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Big Game of Thrones fan... didn't like this
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.