'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Comes to Life in Official Coloring Book (Review)

Fan artists have even more to look forward to this spring, as this coloring book goes on sale May 7 and 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 premieres on June 16.

By Michael Hein

As a show all about dragon scales and war banners, House of the Dragon lends itself well to a coloring book tie-in. House of the Dragon: The Official Coloring Book hits shelves on Tuesday, May 7, published by Random House Worlds. It puts fans into Westeros in a way that many have never experienced before, unveiling some beautiful new artwork in the process.

House of the Dragon: The Official Coloring Book comes with over 75 original illustrations that fans can color in by their own standards, and there is a lot of detail to look over. Dragons are depicted with intricate scales, and the cover art shows how granular artists could get with shading and tone. The style is clearly similar to the TV show, but the illustrators have gotten creative in some places as well, with nods to George R.R. Martin's writing. The character designs are recognizable as the actors in the show, but there are some flourishes here that simply wouldn't have worked in live-action.

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(Photo: Courtesy of Penguin Random House)

The book depicts some of the most dramatic moments from the show – though it only includes scenes from Season 1, meaning it is still spoiler-free. Notable illustrations include Daemon Targaryen's (Matt Smith) battle against the Crabfeeder army, Rhaenys' (Eve Best) escape from the Dragonpit during Aegon II's (Tom Glynn-Carney) coronation, and the moment when Alicent (Olivia Cooke) drew a dagger on Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy). There are some slice-of-life moments as well, including young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) and Alicent (Emily Carey) in the Godswood.

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(Photo: Courtesy of Penguin Random House)

Perhaps even more interesting than scenes from the show are the close-up depictions of details that fans typically only glimpse in passing. There are full-page illustrations of the House Hightower banner and the House Velaryon crest, and a two-page spread depicting the map shown in the series' opening title sequence. There are also close-up portraits of several of the show's dragons, finally giving fans a chance to study them and refine the color of their scales for themselves.

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The paper used for this book is thick and sturdy, of the quality you would expect from a coloring book meant for adults. It lends itself nicely to colored pencils and even some types of markers, depending on preference. In such a passionate, active fandom, a book like this is perfect as a personal purchase or a gift. It honors the existing fan art for House of the Dragon, Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire, and may even inspire new artists to get involved.

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(Photo: Courtesy of Penguin Random House)

House of the Dragon: The Official Coloring Book goes on sale on Tuesday, May 7 via Penguin Random House, wherever books are sold. It retails for $18.99 in the U.S. House of the Dragon Season 2 premieres on Sunday, June 16 on HBO and Max.

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