Books written by George R. R. Martin
George R. R. Martin: A Song of Ice and Fire
Like formulaic fantasy? These books are not for you. If you require an easy read with a quick resolution, forget the Ice and Fire series. Usually, sooner or later, it always happens to us Science Fiction/Fantasy readers. We read all the classics, we try out the new guys and then plots start to get predictable, soon you're talking to yourself as you read, muttering, 'Okay, I saw THAT coming a mile and a half away!' I came off of reading Jordan's books, and was certain that I'd never read another fantasy series (when WILL that thing END?) for as long as I lived. Too many fantasy books focus on being an adult fairy tale, yet avoid any mention of how adults really act. Well, it's about time someone shook up the fantasy scene by using plot elements generally avoided. Here you see the horror of war, the subtlety of treason and the rashness of anger. What this story lacks in cliche, it makes up in substance of character.
This is the way to write epic fantasy. Having been disappointed by Jordan's novels, I was leery of picking up another doorstopper fantasy directly afterwards. Well, I was blown away. Trying to keep the names of families straight in the beginning was difficult but, it was well worth the small times of confusion. Once you have the families straight, the story is that much more rewarding. I found Martin's book fascinating. At first the disconnected narratives are hard to follow. Then you realize that you're in the same world as "War and Peace" -- families that interact against the backdrop of larger events. It moves at a good pace - instead of three chapters saying "The river was blue, they crossed it at 8 p.m., nothing happened, but let me tell you ALL about it..." there was the amazing sentence "They crossed the river".
Mr. Martin offers a truly refreshing change of pace for us die hard fantasy enthusiasts that are tired of the old "small town hero fights off the ancient prophesied evil" plot that has sadly become a stable point in modern fantasy. The Ice and Fire books, deal with a medieval lands politics and warring, and they have their fair share of despicable power-hungry "villain" characters. As Martin has stated, one of his main inspirations was the War of the Roses, which is a turbulent time of history for Britain. You can see the similarities between the primary families of the novel and the main families involved in the War, the Yorks (Starks in the novel), and the Lancasters (Lannisters in the novel.) The characters are superbly drawn. Nearly all the characters in this genre are framed in a bipolar axis: they are either good or evil.. Mr. Martin has created the contrary effect, his characters are human, they are people that fight for their interests in the way they consider "right", they are plagued with contradictions, doubts and fears. I don't know about you, but I am tired and fed up with characters that represent only virtues and vices.
This book is not for the easily offended. It is very probably not for young children, unless very mature. It contains realistic acts of violence, murder, explicit sexuality, vulgar language, greed, cowardice, deceit, and politics. It is often grim and dark, with good characters hurt and wicked characters rewarded. And, indeed, most of the characters are rather Grey than black and white in their goodness and wickedness. The best thing about this story is the vulnerability of ALL characters. No one is safe. No one is above injury. All of the characters are very mortal, so we truly do not know what will happen between chapters. This series effectiveness comes from the depth of its characters and the pitiless handling of their fates. This makes for very interesting reading. It is thick with plots, and new ways of thinking. I find myself at times understanding the bad guy, and even at times, rarely, liking them. The good guys, at times I just cannot stand their choices, and also make me annoyed, reminds me of a classic line in "Spaceballs" where Dark Helmet says, "Evil will always overcome good, because good is dumb". Martin knows that heroes are not always sterling exemplars and villains are not always totally evil. In this series I guarantee you will find yourself, at one point, cheering on a member of the "evil" family in his struggles. When is the last time you did that?
All in all ,when added together, it makes a story so real that it seems that you could be viewing it from a few feet away. Each scream and strike of metal on metal come alive in Martin's writing. If you're tired of characters that are less intelligent than you are and want to be challenged while reading. Characters so real that they make your friends and neighbors seem like pale shadows of reality. If you like a plot that will leave you with no more fingernails, characters that will make you weep and rage and laugh and smile, and just plain great storytelling, this is definitely for you.
A Song of Ice and Fire :
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The "A Song of Ice and Fire" setting is copyright © 1996-2001 George R.R. Martin
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