Fantasy Art Thursday: "A Song of Ice and Fire" by Andrew Hou

((Click HERE to go to Andrew Hou's DeviantArt page))

I have a strange relationship with George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. Part of me loves the series, loving the characters and the world of Westeros. However, I'm not so infatuated with it that I can't see the series flaws and there are certain characters and plotlines that I really hate (*cough*Daenerys Targaryen*cough*). In the end, I would rather live in a world where A Song of Ice and Fire was a thing then in a world where Martin had never written it. 

In honor of the 4th season of Game of Thrones premiering this Sunday, I thought I'd post some related artwork. The above piece by Andrew Hou (a.k.a nJoo on DeviantArt) depicts the famous Battle of the Trident during Robert's Rebellion against the Mad King Aerys II. We see Robert Baratheon with his stag helmet and warhammer meeting the prince Rhaegar Targaryen in single combat. 

I love how Hou has placed a discarded sword and helm into the river, giving us the idea this battle has already claimed a few lives. I also like how we can see the battle between the Rebel and Royal armies raging in the background. Fans of the series know the Battle of the Trident was an important moment in Robert's Rebellion and due to the way Robert appears to be an imposing figure when compared to Rhaegar, you get the feeling this will not end well for the prince (trying to remain spoiler free). No wonder this was the cover for Green Ronin's A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying Game for a time.