Season two of House of the Dragon is just around the corner. June 16, to be exact. But if you can't wait, here are shows you can watch and books you can read to stave off the anticipation.
What to watch while waiting for House of the Dragon season 2:
The Witcher (Netflix, Henry Cavill)
Why? This should be a no-brainer: the epic scale, medieval lore, the sword fights… The first three season sees Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia. However, with his departure, Liam Hemsworth will be taking over. Netflix recently released the first look of what he would look like as The Witcher. He's keeping the long white hair, but what most people want to know is how he'll stack up against Cavill who allegedly knew more about the lore than the writers did.
Season four is currently in production and eyeing a 2025 release date.
The Tudors (Showtime, Paramount+, Prime Video; Jonathan Rhys-Meyers)
Why? The politics, the intrigue, young Henry Cavill.
The six-time Emmy Award-winning show is a historical television series than ran for four seasons from 2007 to 2010. It's set primarily in 16th century England and was originally aired on Showtime. While the title takes its name from the Tudor dynasty, the series follows the reign of King Henry VIII, he of the five wives.
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers plays the monarch for the entire series, which starts with his troubled marriage with his first wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon (Maria Doyle Kennedy), and then subsequently his meeting with Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer).
In the four seasons of the show from 2007 to 2010, we meet the rest of his wives, Jane Seymour (played by Anita Briem, but by Annabelle Wallis in the third season's dream sequence), Anne of Cleves (singer Joss Stone), Catherine Howard (Tamzin Merchant) and the only one to have outlived him, Catherine Parr (Joely Richardson).
Henry Cavill plays one of his closest friends who he elevates to the highest non-royal rank, a duke, specifically the first Duke of Suffolk.
The Last Kingdom (Netflix)
Why? The costumes, the politics, the sword fights.
The British historical drama series was based on Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Stories novel series. The show premiered in 2015 on BBC Two. Netflix co-produced the second season and then acquired it in 2018. It ran for five seasons from 2015 to 2022. A feature film concluded the story, Seven Kings Must Die, and is currently streaming on Netflix.
The first season adapted Cornwell's first three Saxon Stories series: The Saxon Stories, The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman. It covered the years 866-878 with the Great Heathen Army's arrival in England led by Guthrum and Ubba Ragnarsson which redefined the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons' relationships.
The second season followed the stories of the third and fourth books, The Lords of the North and Sword Song from the years 879-886. The third season was based on the fifth and sixth novels The Burning Land and Death of Kings. The series, however, made significant plot changes, but still covered end of of King Alfred's reign.
Netflix did the same for the fourth season, based on the seventh and eighth novels The Pagan Lord and The Empty Throne, it still continued continued the story and now deals with the early years of King Edward's reign as well as the continued invasion of the Second Great Danish Army led by a group of Viking warlords and ended in the Siege of Wintanceaster (modern day Winchester).
The final season, again with significant changes, was based on the ninth and 10th novels Warriors of the Storm and The Flame Bearer. It also adapted parts of the 11th novel War of the Wolf. The show now covered the years 917 to 920 and the disputed lines of succession in both Wessex and Mercia.
The feature film incorporates part of the 12th novel, Sword of Kings, and the entirety of the final Saxon Stories novel, War Lord. The movie follows the story after the death of King Edward while his disputed heir Aethelstan seized the throne of England and starts a war which ultimately decided the country's fate.
The Wheel of Time (Prime Video; Rosamund Pike, Daniel Henney)
Why? The epic scale, medieval lore, magic.
The high fantasy series is based on the book series of the same name by Robert Jordan, and staring with the 12th book, with Brandon Sanderson. The first season premiered in 2021 and was renewed for the a second months before the first premiered. Again, over a year before the second season premiered, it was renewed for a third season. Season three is set to premiere some time next year.
Rosamund Pike plays Moiraine Damodred, a member of the powerful all-female Aes Sedai, who can channel the One Power. She and her bonded companion and Warder al'Lan Mandragoran, are looking for a group of young people. One of them is believed to be the reincarnation of the Dragon, a power male channeler of power who broke the world. Reborn, he is supposed to either save the world or break it again.
Season three is set to be released some time in 2025 and will be based on the fourth book, The Shadow Rising, of currently 14 books in the series.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Prime Video)
Why? The epic scale, medieval lore, magic, the author's first name is also three letters from which I believe House of the Dragon author George R.R. Martin got the idea.
While it's based on J.R.R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth, specifically from The Lord of the Rings' appendices, it's set millennia before the novel and is set during the Second Age. Amazon acquired the rights from the Tolkien Estate with a five-season commitment worth $1 billion, making it the most expensive TV/streaming series made in history. Due to their agreement with the estate, the series does not continue Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie trilogies.
When the series premiered in 2022, Amazon stated that it was the most watched of any of its Prime Video original series. The second season will premiere Aug. 29, and will feature the mysterious Tom Bombadil.
Shadow and Bone (Netflix, Ben Barnes)
Why? The epic scale, magic, canceled before its time though but since you're a House of the Dragon fan, you're used to having characters (and storylines) die after you've fallen in love with them. You'll be fine.
The show is based on Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse series, namely the Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology. Before its, in my opinion, untimely cancelation, there was a planned spinoff focusing on the Six of Crows novels. However, Netflix announced the show's cancellation in 2023 after only two seasons.
Black Sails (Netflix, Toby Stephens)
Why? It's also based on a prequel — this one's for Treasure Island. It's got the same vibe and the same color palette with the armor… which I realized as I typed that, that is true for pretty much any armor that isn't in an animated project. And if you're a Percy Jackson fan, you'll note that his dad Poseidon is played by the Black Sails lead. Fitting, don't you think?
The historical adventure series first debuted online on YouTube for free. In 2013, Starz renewed it for a second season, quite early due to the favorable fan reaction at the San Diego Comic-Con. The show ran for four seasons from 2014 to 2017.
Vikings (Netflix; Travis Fimmel, Katheryn Winnick)
Why? The epic scale; takes historical liberties; the names can be confusing, but you'll get used to it. After all if you can tell which one is Aemond and which one is Aegon, and also which one of them really hates their uncle Daemon in House of the Dragon, you'll be fine.
The series ran for six seasons from 2013 to 2020. The show was loosely based on the sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok (Travis Fimmel), one of the best known Norse heroes and the scourge of Anglo-Saxon England and West Francia. It details his beginnings as a farmer who then rises to infamy when he raids England and becomes a Scandinavian king through his family's support, including his ex-wife the shield maiden Lagertha (Katheryn) and their sons (as well as his sons from his other wives).
The later seasons, after Ragnar's death, followed the adventures of his sons in England, Scandinavia, Kievan Rus', the Mediterranean and North America.
Vikings: Valhalla (Netflix)
Why? This one's the sequel. If you're a bit of a history buff, you'll recognize the names Leif Erikson (thought to have been the first European to set foot on continental America, approximately half a millennium before Christopher Columbus), Harald Hardrada (was King of Norway from 1046 to 1066). Additionally, he unsuccessfully claimed both the Danish throne until 1064 and the English throne in 1066.
Before becoming king, Harald had spent around fifteen years in exile as a mercenary and military commander in Kievan Rus' and as a chief of the Varangian Guard in the Byzantine Empire. In his chronicle, Adam of Bremen called him the “Thunderbolt of the North”) and William the Conqueror.
The third and final season will premiere some time this year.
What to read (all about dragons):
Fourth Wing (Rebecca Yarros)
Why? DRAGONS! THERE ARE DRAGONS! AND THEY TALK! Okay, before you say anything, it's an easy read. Plus the second book, Iron Flame, has already been released and the third, Onyx Rain, will be released early next year. Also, Michael B. Jordan's production company is coming out with a live-action version on Prime Video.
The Priory of the Orange Tree (Samantha Shannon)
Why? The author describes this as a feminist retelling of Saint George and the Dragon. It's quite a hefty book and the second one (its prequel is about the same size and length), but if you're like me who likes hardbound books to be worth its price just by how long it is, you'll enjoy it.
His Majesty's Dragon (Naomi Novik)
There are currently nine books in the series and it's done. No more waiting for the next release.
The first book introduces the reader to an alternate history when the Napoleonic Wars (1803 to 1815) were fought on dragonback. When a British captain captures a French ship, he discovers there's a dragon egg on board. He then becomes its new master and names it Temeraire. Since rider and dragon are virtually inseparable, he resigns his commission from the Navy and studies to start fighting on dragonback in time for a decisive battle.
Fireborne (Rosaria Munda)
In honor of the two warring queens of the House of the Dragon, you can read Fireborne. While the characters start out and meet in the middle the same way as Alicent and Rhaenyra did, there's another complication here: class. One is lowborn whose family is killed by dragon fire, and the other an orphaned aristocrat who rises to the top of their dragon-riding class.
There are three books in The Aurelian Cycle and it's also finished. So if you're into a relatively short (for readers) binge-reading, this might be the series for you.
Of Blood and Fire (Ryan Cahill)
Not only does it just flips the title of the book on which the House of the Dragon is based, it's also a finished trilogy. There are many familiar themes as well, aside from the dragons, such as a divided kingdom and war.
Tooth and Claw (Jo Walton)
This time, it's the dragons front and center. The novel centers on dragons and their families and traditions. It's a war between literal (in the books) dragons. After the family patriarch dies, his sons and daughter fight over their inheritance, argue about what's wrong with their society and they make time to fall in and out of love. Dragons… they're just like humans. Only, they eat their dead and the weak on a regular basis.
The Great Zoo of China (Matthew Reilly)
This one's a little different. It still has plenty of dragons — in fact, they have designations and hierarchies, but it is set in the modern times where they're real, scientifically brought back from myth. If you're a Martin fan, there's very little in the novel that will make you queasy. Unless…
Happy watching and reading!
House of the Dragon season two will premiere June 16 on HBO | Max.
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