George RR Martin has created one of the largest fantasy episans that have led to a very popular series. It is not surprising that he is compared to the most important writer in the genre. However, Martin sees a big difference.
“The song of ice and fire” is the best-known book series by George RR Martin and at the latest since the appearance of the TV series, the title of the first volume, “A Game of Thrones” has become widely established.
Today Game of Thrones can undoubtedly be described as important and influential fantasy history. Countless fans are waiting for the continuation of the books. George RR Martin himself was often compared to another author who had even greater influence on the genre: JRR Tolkien.
The Creator of Middle-earth has strongly shaped the fantasy literature. However, George RR Martin explained to what extent Tolkien himself influenced him.
In the trailer for the 5th season of Game of Thrones, Daenerys wants to break the wheel
More videos
Autoplay
A rougher kind of fantasy
Who tells George RR Martin? In conversation with Adria’s News, the writer was addressed in Tolkien. Not only do the two move in the same genre, they also created works that enjoy great popularity.
However, Martin denies that Tolkien is a great influence today and even has to add criticism. But he appreciates “Lord of the Rings” since he read the books at the age of 12. At that time they had impressed him very much, so that he even thought about writing Tolkien a fan letter. But it never happened.
As a writer, however, Martin was influenced by far older works:
Tolkien had no direct influence on me when I decided to write “the song of ice and fire”, although my books are part of the fantasy canon that Tolkien has improved. I mean, fantasy is very old. We can find them in the “Ilias” or in the “Gilgamesch poem”, but Tolkien has made it a modern genre, and “The song of ice and fire” shares some of these patterns, but not all.
George RR Martin Via Adria’s News
Martin uses authors like Homer to be inspired. A big difference is also, he says that he is writing a “dirty fantasy”. She is much rougher than that of Tolkien.
This can actually be seen when you put the two works next to each other. In Martin, figures are mostly ambivalent. There are hardly any classic heroes that only do good, such as Aragorn in “Lord of the Rings”.
However, Martin had drawn some conclusions from “Lord of the Rings”. So he praises the handling of magic in Tolkien’s work (via Ign.com). It is not used excessively and is not overpowering. Gandalf pulls his sword when he faces an orc and does not simply make it disappear.
This ensures a more realistic world and magic looks more mysterious than if it were used at any time. The writer has also compared his own work with science fiction and shows what really matters for a story: George RR Martin does not matter whether figures fight against aliens or dragons-only one thing is important for history