Now that the second season of Game of Thrones is behind us, fans looking to fill the void it left behind are in luck!  A new compilation of essays based on the series titled Beyond the Wall is now available.  The essays contained within are written by various authors and genre experts who explore recurring themes, the history of Westeros and more.

Here is an excerpt from Jesse Scoble‘s contribution, “A Sword Without a Hilt: The Dangers of Magic in (and to) Westeros”:

One of the reasons that many fans grow out of the fantasy genre is because the bookshelves have been overpopulated with unimaginative worlds recycling the same old ideas. If every adventurer has a backpack full of enchanted swords; a magic ring on every finger; and spells to hurl fireballs and magic missiles, as well as to boil coffee, and heal pimples, and maybe even raise the dead, the world becomes boring and dull because of the ubiquitous and predictable nature of the magic. That’s not the case in A Song of Ice and Fire.

And this is a sample of Gary Westfahl‘s essay on fantasy prequels, entitled “Back to the Egg,” he reflects on George R.R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg series:

It might even become necessary to begin describing these prequels as the Duncan and Aegon stories, not the Dunk and Egg stories, to better reflect their burgeoning gravitas. Thus, instead of providing Martin with an alternative, lighter works to to accompany the more serious main components of the Song of Ice and Fire series, the Dunk and Egg stories have become a serious matter in themselves, a second important task that Martin must complete, on top of the original epic.

Sounds like this might be worth checking out, after all we need something to help us pass the time until season three finally arrives!

Check out the original post over at Wired