At last, A Feast for Crows is here! But it's been five long years since the last installment of the ICE AND FIRE series hit the bookstands. We wouldn't blame anyone--casual fan or self-proclaimed expert--for forgetting some of the many details in the series. Fear not, though! To make sure you fully enjoy AFFC, we are happy to present a five-minute refresher course on the pivotal plot points from the first three books, as well as details on where key characters are prior to the new story.

Naturally, if you are new to A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, we strongly recommend beginning with the first book, A Game of Thrones. We also recommend reading the story through the third book, A Storm of Swords before viewing this primer. The summaries below will reveal *major* details from the first three books.

WAR OF THE FIVE KINGS

For fifteen peaceful years, King Robert Baratheon sat on the Iron Throne. Then his sudden death sent the land of Westeros into turmoil. His apparent heir was young Joffrey, the apparent son of Robert and the queen, Cersei Lannister. But many disputed Joffrey's claim, rightly accusing Joffrey and his siblings of being the illegitimate children of Cersei and her twin brother Jaime the Kingslayer. Chief among the accusers were Robert's younger brothers, Stannis and Renly. Each staked their own, individual claim to the throne. The North rallied around their own lord, Robb Stark the Young Wolf. The Iron Islands declared Balon Greyjoy their king.

FALL OF THE KINGS

Some say Stannis used black magic to kill his younger brother Renly. Most accused Brienne of Tarth, one of Renly's loyal companions who was with Renly when he died. Brienne fled and eventually joined the service of Catelyn Tully, the Young Wolf's mother. The forces of Highgarden henceforth pledged allegiance to Joffrey Baratheon, promising to wed the maiden Margaery Tyrell (briefly the wife of Renly) to Joffrey, in addition to naming Loras Tyrell the Knight of Flowers (Renly's sworn sword and devoted friend) to Joffrey's personal Kingsguard.

The black arts also may have been responsible for Balon Greyjoy's demise. He suspiciously fell to his death while crossing a bridge in his own castle in the Iron Islands. The fate of Balon's son and heir Theon Greyjoy remains unknown. Once a friend to the Young Wolf, Theon seized Robb's seat of Winterfell for himself, only to lose it and possibly his life. In the battle over Winterfell, the castle was sacked and Robb's younger brothers were apparently killed.

Despite never losing on the battlefield, Robb Stark the Young Wolf lost the war when he wed Jeyne Westerling instead of the daughter of proud, old Walder Frey. Immediately following another wedding--this time, between Robb's uncle Edmure Tully and Walder's daughter Roslin--the Freys betrayed the Starks, killing Robb, his mother Catelyn, and many of their companions. Edmure was taken hostage and his seat of Riverrun besieged. With Robb dead and his brothers presumably dead as well, the North fell to Sansa Stark, who was recently forced into a marriage with Joffrey's dwarf uncle Tyrion.

Joffrey's own wedding to the already-widowed Margaery ended with yet another dead king. Joffrey appeared to have choked to death, but Cersei was quick to name her despised brother Tyrion as the culprit. Joffrey's younger brother Tommen assumed the Iron Throne and Cersei named herself the Queen Regent to rule the realm until Tommen comes of age.

AT THE WALL

Having failed to win an attack on the royal city of King's Landing, Stannis retreated to The Wall--the gigantic landmark that, along with the men of the Night's Watch, protects the realm from unlawful wildlings and other deadly creatures that reside in the far north. Stannis helped repel a wildling attack and captured their King-Beyond-The-Wall Mance Rayder and his newborn son. All this, Stannis did at the advice of a persuasive priestess who believes Stannis to be the subject of an ancient prophecy. The Wall's wise, old Maester Aemon, formerly of the House Targaryen, quietly disagreed.

Another newborn child (as well as the boy's wildling mother Gilly) was rescued from beyond the wall by Samwell Tarly. "Sam the Slayer," as the brothers of the Night's Watch half-jokingly call him, followed that feat with a daring ploy that led to his friend (and half-brother to the Starks) Jon Snow being named Lord Commander of the Wall.

IN SLAVER'S BAY

Far from the battles of Westeros, Daenerys Targaryen remains content to rule the eastern lands of Slaver's Bay. She has won the hearts of many, earned the scorn of others, and--most importantly--breathed life into three dragons, creatures thought to be extinct for hundreds of years. "Fire and blood" are the words of House Targaryen, once the rightful claimants to the Iron Throne. Mad king Aerys was deposed and killed by Jaime during Robert's Rebellion, crown prince Rhaegar slain on the battlefield, and prince Viserys drowned in molten gold while in exile.

DORNE, TO AND FRO

Rhaegar's wife Elia Martell and children fared no better during the rebellion. They were mercilessly slaughtered by the ruthless Gregor Clegane. The Martells from the southern lands of Dorne have long sought Gregor's head for his part in Elia's death, but have been denied by Gregor's liege lords, the Lannisters. While relations between the Lannisters and Martells remain strained, the Lannisters maintained the peace during the present war by sending to Dorne a ward--Myrcella Baratheon, sister of Joffrey and Tommen.

But Oberyn Martell the Red Viper saw in King's Landing a unique chance to avenge his sister Elia's death. He championed Tyrion (still accused of Joffrey's murder) in a trial by combat against Gregor. Gregor ultimately killed Oberyn, though not before Oberyn stabbed him several times with a lethal poison. Nonetheless, Tyrion lost the trial and was sentenced to death.

AT THE EYRIE

Sansa, too, would have been judged for Joffrey's murder, except she had vanished on the night of the wedding. Dontos Hollard--a fat man stripped of his knighthood and turned into a fool--promised Sansa escape from King's Landing, delivered her to Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, and died at Littlefinger's command. Littlefinger instructed Sansa to pose as his bastard daughter. She did and, as "Alayne Stone," she witnessed Littlefinger marrying the gullible Lysa Tully and him shoving his new wife from the top of her castle, the Eyrie. They blamed an unsuspecting singer named Marillion for Lysa's death.

Tyrion was not guilty of Joffrey's murder, Littlefinger explained. The Queen of Thorns Olenna Tyrell conspired with Littlefinger to arrange Joffrey's death. Joffrey was too cruel for both the realm and Olenna's granddaughter Margaery. Littlefinger was also responsible for the death of Jon Arryn (a former Hand of the King and Lord of the Eyrie), which may have been the first event that eventually led to the War of the Five Kings. Littlefinger's endgame remains a mystery...

IN KING'S LANDING

More concerned with squashing his enemies than playing the game of thrones was Hand of the King Tywin Lannister. Tywin conspired with the Freys and the Boltons (and possibly the Westerlings) in arranging for Robb Stark's death at the "Red Wedding." He also produced a young girl to pose as "Arya Stark," Sansa's sister who inherits the North after Sansa. However, managing a victory for House Lannister appeared to be far easier than managing his children Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion.

Once a prisoner of Robb Stark at Riverrun, Jaime Lannister was freed by Catelyn Tully on two conditions: 1) that he return her daughters Sansa and Arya safely to her, and 2) that he never again take up arms against a Tully or a Stark. In the effort to bring Jaime to King's Landing, his cousin Cleos Frey was killed, Brienne of Tarth was nearly raped and pitted against a bear, and Jaime himself lost a hand. They encountered most of their troubles when passing through Harrenhal, courtesy of the so-called Brave Companions (Vargo Hoat, Zollo, Pyg, Timeon, Rorge, and Biter, to name a few). Jaime later charged Brienne with the task of finding Sansa in an attempt to preserve both their honor.

Nearly resigned to his fate, Tyrion was surprised to find Jaime releasing him from his cell with the help of the furtive eunuch Varys. Before taking their advice and fleeing from King's Landing, Tyrion located his father Tywin in a privy and killed him with a crossbow. He also strangled the double-crossing prostitute he found in Tywin's bed.

HERE AND THERE

The true Arya Stark has been on the run for nearly two years. Never quite succeeding in reuniting with her family, Arya found herself in the company of Sandor Clegane the Hound. At the crossroads inn, the Hound fought with his hated brother's men (who happened to be some of Arya's hated enemies), but was gravely injured. Arya abandoned him to his death and made for a port town called Saltpans. She won passage on a ship with an odd, iron coin given to her previously and the words "Valar morghulis."

With the great lords playing their game of thrones and their harried knights weathering a storm of swords, the Brotherhood Without Banners took it upon themselves to protect the innocent and judge the guilty. Led by the unkillable Beric Dondarrion and the red priest Thoros of Myr, these rogues are comprised of former singers, servants, and squires. Their newest member appears to be the resurrected Catelyn Tully, who is now viciously deformed and violently angry...