I believe I first heard about George R. R. Martin’s fantasy saga in response to a posts I had written on fantasy fiction. I had begun the first book earlier this month and today am well into the second, A Clash of Kings, likely certain to finish before the week is out.
More than any other writer of fantasy I have read since I was a child, reading and re-reading and re-re-reading Tolkien, loving Terry Brooks and devouring Stephen Donaldson, Martin has crafted a series which avoids the pitfalls* of much fantasy fiction. And he’s a really good writer to boot, with some sentences as well crafted as those in literary fiction. While the prose of most fantasy writers is serviceable, relating the facts of the tale and details of the imagined realm, in language that is clear enough for our understanding, Martin writes in a flowing — and sometimes even musical — manner.
Yes, he does occasionally include a clunky sentence of two, but these stand out because they are so rare.
And we believe his characters. He has transported individuals that we see in contemporary life to this realm of his imagination, clearly crafted after serious study of castles and chivalry in the late Middle Ages. Had our readers — and the books’ other fans — told me Martin’s Song was less a story of a quest and more a kind of War of the Roses set in a fantastic landscape, I likely wouldn’t have read it.
But pick it up I did. And I can hardly put it down. This is not the type of fantasy fiction I typically enjoy, more Ivanhoe in medieval England than Aragorn in Middle Earth. And I was longing for a quest against a Dark Lord with delusions of grandeur and a desire for omnipotence. This series, at least so far, gives us something entirely different. And to its credit, it lacks the overdependence on magic which seems to drive, if not define, all too much fantasy fiction.
Much as I enjoy this new series, I disagree with our reader who lamented that this series “probably outdoes even” Tolkien. And while, to be sure, both are works of fantasy fiction set in a a medieval landscape, as far as narrative structure goes, you can’t really compare the two. In Martin’s opus, there are a number of plot lines, instead of one overarching quest.
Martin’s books read more like historical fiction set in a fantastic landscape while Tolkien’s are more akin to myth. That said, there are other similarities, notably the appreciation each writers gives to stories and story-telling. Each have imagined a historical — and mythic — background to their realm. Both are good stories, but in entirely different ways.
As I continue my journey through Martin’s series, I find much wisdom in his tale, particularly in how the individual characters face their particular challenges, but is this story, I wonder, as wise as is Tolkien’s trilogy, Tolstoy’s novels and Homer’s epics?
That question is not rhetorical, but very real. The answer will only come in reading the series and discovering just where he’s taking us.
More on this anon. Much more, I hope.
——
*I identified them in this post:
- Narrative flow lacking because author didn’t know where he was going when he started writing, wasn’t clear what the quest would be and what conflicts would arise.
- Too much magic
- Too little history
- Lame names.
I just finished re-reading the four ‘War of Fire and Ice’ novels in preparation for the fifth coming out in a few months. I agree with your assessment — GRRM is an outstanding writer, and his characters are fascinating. The fourth novel loses some steam because he introduces new characters without (as he fully acknowledges in his epilogue) keeping track of several of the established ones. And, of course, it then takes him five years (instead of the one he promised at the end of the 4th novel) to come out with the 5th novel. But, yeah, I’ll buy (and start reading) it the day it comes out. ..bruce..
Fantasy Patriots have nothing better to do than think about genitalia. What a pathetic website.
Auntie Dogma?…is that you again?
I’ll likely get my geek card taken away, but I’ve not read ‘Ice and Fire’ I did enjoy his work on Wild Cards. I’m still getting caught up on my pulp novels.
Sorry, but there is no comparison between JRR and GRR. If the latter was writing LOTR, the entire fellowship of the Ring would have been lost at Moria, then GRR would start a new storyline about activities around Rhun. Maybe that works for 15-second attention spans, but that’s not the type of reader JRR was targeting.
Clever critique, davek!
If there is one thing that’s distracting about GRRM, it’s the superabundance of storylines!
Everyone get called “comparable to” or “outdoes” Tolkien. There are lots of reasons, but mainly I think it is because Tolkien was the first fantasy writer that became considered real literature, and because his themes are, to use your favorite word, mythic. I wept at what the movie did to the book… Tolkien for me was a gateway into Anglo-saxon and Norse literature, and also history. “Heart be the harder…” still rings true.
I read the first book of Martin and then stopped when I realized it wasn’t finished. I read Jordan and that cured me of series than take forever to finish. If the last book finishes the series, I’ll pick them up again. They were good reads, but the tau was too great.
Kevin, what do you mean when you write, “the tau was too great.”
Would be intrigued to hear why you wept at the movie. I pretty much loved the films even as the casting of Frodo prevented Jackson from showing how that hobbit gained wisdom on his journey, thus living up to his name (deriving from the Anglo-Saxon word for “wise”).
Jackson made some changes which he had to make in order to accommodate a filmic format, some which work (Arwen’s vision of Eldarion, for example), others which do not, such as the Ents not deciding to go to war until they see the destruction in the parts of Fangorn closest Isengard. And he just plain got the Fall of Saruman wrong. And the witch-king didn’t have the power to break Gandalf’s staff, being a mortal man transformed by the power of a lesser ring and not a member of a lower order of deity, from the service of Manwë himself.
Sorry, tau is the symbol used for the time constant, how long something takes to occur…
The whole Glimi character, the elves in general, Saruman (althro I disagree with your comment above. The stuff published from his son, and the hobbit make it clear that Saruman was also an angelic being and at one time, Gandalf’s boss.) Both of my sons also had issues with what one called the rape of the book – most of their compliants were additions. (The theater broke into laughter when this small 7 year old voices screamed “that’s not in the book.”) I also disliked the way they did the shield-maid. And then there elf princess as warrior theme…. Arrrgh.
At least it wasn’t as bad as some. I will admit to never having really liked a movie made from a book thro.
Kevin, wouldn’t call him exactly an angelic being, but instead would note that he, like Gandalf, was one of the Maiar, a lower level of deity than the Valar.
Interesting I like what Jackson did with Gimli, not because it was faithful to the book, but because the comic relief he provided helped move the movie along. I expected changes because the visual means of storytelling (movies) differs greatly from the literary (books) — as that latter does from the verbal (storytellers reciting their tales).
Yes, Saruman was once Gandalf’s boss, but the former was in the service of Aulë while Gandalf was in the service of Manwë, the kind of “king” (I realize that word doesn’t quite work) of the Valar, the only one who had a, well, direct line of communication with Ilúvatar.
I found that save for the character of Frodo that none of the characters departed substantially from the ones Tolkien created. Yet, there were numerous scenes which grated, particularly in the third movie.
I started this series when it came out and really liked it but I’ve lost almost all my interest in the 10 years since and the lack of additional books. There are just to many story lines to remember over that period. I want to be excited over this but honestly I can only remember that every one dies, there’s a wall and “winter is coming.” maybe if he finishes the books I’ll pick it up again.
I’d not have minded comic Gimli so much if he ever got one up on Legolas.
Especially the drinking contest in the extended version.
I also wish they’d not cut his lines when encountering the riders. Gimli was one of the companions who showed the most growth in the books.
I thought Fellowship was the best of the three to be honest.
(and Damnit, they should have done the scouring)
I know that a Song of Fire and Ice has an RPG, put out by Green Ronin.
“wouldn’t call him exactly an angelic being, but instead would note that he, like Gandalf, was one of the Maiar, a lower level of deity than the Valar.”
Dan, That’s because your worldview is fundamentally Greek pagan where my is Christian, althro with a strong bit of double belief. After all, otherwise your Athenas would be called St. Barbara or St. Joan. 🙂
I see Tolkien’s hierarchy of beings as having too much in common with the old idea of heavenly hierarchies for me to think he meant those as gods.
Anyway, I found the comic dwarf just a degradation of the character. As The-Livewire says, he grows more and is in many ways one of the noblest characters in the book and the movie in my view made him a buffoon.
I also was very pissed that the Scouring and the leavings were dropped. I think that is in many ways an important part of any quest, that home changes because of it.