 His epic fantasy series, "A Song of Ice and Fire", was inspired by the Wars of the Roses, "The Accursed Kings" and "Ivanhoe".Though Martin originally conceptualized it as being three volumes, it is currently slated to comprise seven.The first, "A Game of Thrones", was published in 1996, followed by "A Clash of Kings" in 1998 and "A Storm of Swords" in 2000.