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Underground > Books, Criticism & Writing >

Game Of Thrones

02:24 / 02.06.04

Sell me on the Songs of Ice and Fire Series. Is it really worth it?

11:42 / 02.06.04

Could you give us a little more information, perhaps? Such as the author, genre, etc.? Why are you interested?

16:22 / 02.06.04

There are 3 or 4(?) books written by George R.R. Martin and it is supposed to be a fantasy novel but about what I have no idea.

18:49 / 04.06.04

George RR Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" is perhaps the best contemporary fantasy I've read. Martin writes a tale of noble families and the slide into civil war. Martin's characters are utterly believable and fleshed out instead of the cardboard characters we are used to from fantasy. Each chapter is from another perspective than the last and while it can be tempting to jump to the next chapter of your favourite character, it's not recommendable as you'll lose important info. The books have very little magic, but has some supernatural activity. The return of magic though is hinted to in the books. The only fantasy writer I think is as good as Martin is Steven Erikson, but he writes a different kind of fantasy and becomes great only from book two on. So my recommendation is get Martin and start reading, now!!!!!
Haakon Olav Thunestvedt

14:55 / 08.06.04

"Song of Ice and Fire" is very, very good, but the things that are good about it are not the schlock-fantasy things. I'm not so sure about the "realism" of the characters, especially wrt "typical fantasy". They are more "realistic" than D&D characters, sure, but fuck realism anyway--they are excellent characters. The series is primarily a gruesome melodrama that relentlessly punishes its protagonists and is great fun to read. It's just the setting for a lot of mutilation and fratricide and so on. I kind of hope Mr. Martin keeps writing them for the rest of his life, never concluding any of his plots, just being horrible to everyone. It rocks.