Geeks everywhere were not ready when George R. R. Martin's series A Song of Ice and Fire first hit their radar. For so long, many of us fans of the fantasy genre had been crying out for a series, or even a single novel, that wasn't cheesy, that wasn't teeming with magic, and that didn't have perfect heroes with impossibly good looks in (most commonly) medieval-type eras.
When this series came into our lives, it was like water given to a thirsting man in a desert. We relished it, lapped it, and immediately became obsessed.
Before we discuss what's right with Martin's series, let's talk about what's been wrong with the fantasy genre for quite some time. And, just so you know, just because I'm putting these "wrong" things on my list doesn't necessarily mean these things should never be done, it just means we've had a terrible abundance of one kind of fantasy, and not enough of the other.
Down and Dirty
For fans like us, the problem with fantasy and fiction is that is seemed to be afraid to get down and dirty. It didn't just shrink away from sex scenes (there was actually plenty of that in other fantasy series, and still is). No, the genre seemed afraid to talk about what really went on in primitive and medieval societies: rape, incest, rampant superstition, and tremendous fear of anything that even smelled like it might be witchcraft. Far too often in these other series, someone that saw magic might put their hands over their eyes and say, "By the gods! It's black magic!" But within a chapter or two it was just accepted, if not by everyone then at least by those closest to the magic-wielding character.
Also, when it came to the battles, we got far more description of heroes on the front lines, which (and let's be honest) is really kind of redundant. What we got to see so little of were the dirty politics behind war, the pacts made to seal the houses of two families by arranging marriages between children who frequently weren't of the same age (thirty-year-olds marrying twelve-year-olds, et cetera).
Women in Fantasy Fiction
Though everybody likes to see a hot woman in armor, the women in many fantasy series are typically written as adept warriors, at least to some degree, and this often gets played to death. Historically speaking, this scarcely ever happened in any society. Women just weren't allowed to be warriors. Ever. Wherever you find that rare historical example, you'll typically find that it was out of desperation, a last stand sort of moment. Heroic, but extremely rare.
In my opinion, this is laziness on the writer's part, where he (or she) doesn't know how to make a woman that can stand on her own natural talents in a man's world, and so basically just writes her like any other warrior; her physical toughness becomes a substitute for careful thinking, which was what got women through the Dark Ages.
When written this way, it diminishes the power that women have truly had historically, and that has to do with their cunning and their careful manipulation in politics and society, from Cleopatra to the various influential women surrounding various Roman leaders. They weren't warriors, or even military tacticians, but they were no less tactful, and very capable of coercion.
Also, in almost every fantasy series, pretty much everyone is beautiful, except for the bad guys and those permitted to be the fat comic relief. Yes, in these fantasy series, all warriors (both men and women) are somehow both beautiful and extremely skilled at combat. Even in modern times, this is rarely true--think of the most hardcore MMA fighters...and then look how their appearances changes the more they fight. Some are lucky, others are not, but just imagine how "handsome" they'd look after a lifetime of wielding sword and shield, and fighting off barbarians slinging axes.
Too. Much. Magic.
The prevalence of magic in most fantasy settings also diminishes the novelty of it, as well as douses a great deal of the drama. It's one thing if magic is run amok for humor's sake, such as in Piers Anthony's Xanth series, but it's another matter entirely when the author seems to be struggling for realism and yet we are continually taken from one town where divination is a common gift into another town where everyone is a teleporter.
In a world with this much magic floating around, and generally known about and accepted by the public, society couldn't function. It just couldn't. If teleportation was common enough, then locks on bank vaults would be just the first of a thousand other considerations one would have to make before starting a bank.
Too much magic also removes a great deal of mystery. Martin has said he feels that many authors over-explain or overexpose magic to the reader, and I couldn't agree more. Magic ought to be something not quite understood, at least, if you're going for a dramatic effect. If you're trying to write a power-trip fantasy, then by all means, plug in as many lightning bolts from fingers as you want.
Martin's series defies these cliches, which have been the money makers for a few decades now. His work goes into so many dark corners it's hard to list them all.
Now, let's talk about what's right about Martin's writing, and why it's essentially a clinic on how to create better, more beautiful worlds.
Characters, characters, characters
There is no one--not one single person on this Earth, living or dead, past or present--who could possibly say that George R.R. Martin doesn't know how to write characters. It's what he does best. Better than even explaining his world (which we'll get to), he creates men, women and children that have such crystallized personalities you'd swear he was just ripping them off from people that he knows. They're that real.
Do you want to know how you can tell Martin's characters are perfectly written? Take any piece of dialogue from any of the main characters (Cersei, Arya, Ned, Tyrion, take your pick), and then try to plug that line of dialogue into another character's mouth, and see if it fits. It doesn't, does it? That's because Tyrion Lannister sounds only like Tyrion Lannister, and no one else. The words coming out of his mouth simply would not be spoken by Ned Stark, Arya Stark, Sansa Stark, the Hound, the Mountain, or Littlefinger. Likewise, the sorts of things Arya says would never coming out of Tyrion's mouth, or her sister Sansa's, or her mother Catelyn's.
This speaks volumes about Martin's strength as a writer, and should be noted by those interested in writing themselves someday. Every character has a voice, individual and uniquely their own, and you practically cannot get lost in his books, wondering who said what.
He also takes on characters that are usually marginalized, or portrayed only in a certain way. Dwarves are looked down upon as not really people, just as they were in pretty much all primitive and medieval cultures. And, as I stated before, Martin takes women and their needs and their causes seriously, not just throwing armor on them (with one very cool exception...the Maid of Tarth, anybody?) and expecting that to make them appeal to an audience.
Locations, and Details
Not only are Martin's descriptions of his various locales exotic, they are obviously well researched. From the types of fabrics used to make jerkins, to the way tanning worked back then, to the method of forging swords, to the way battle lines were formed and how the battles were typically faught, Martin's detailed world comes off the page and fills your imagination.
There is always something new to see and do. From the harshness of the Wall to the riches of Qarth, the reader never lacks for new and interesting settings. Also, like every character in Martin's books, every city also has a "voice" and a personality. Again, you wouldn't expect someone from the Wall to speak in the same way someone from Kings Landing does, nor would you expect someone from the Wall to be as chipper as someone who's lived their entire lives in Qarth.
Most fantasy writers take the reader to a multitude of places over time, but few have Martin's capacity to continually intrigue with each new place, and to make each setting feel truly unique. Just like the differences between people from the northern U.S. and those from the south...we all act so differently, depending on where we're from. Customs change us, augment or hamper our politeness, making us cold or welcoming. George defines this perfectly in each new setting.
Unpredictability
If you're tired of conventional storytelling and how you pretty much will always know that the hero(es) will make it every time, and you'd like it to at least be possible that the villain might win, then A Song of Ice and Fire is for you.
Anyone who has read or watched the TV series remembers their first reaction when a certain someone dies in the first part of the series, and you found yourself thinking, "Uhhh, I must've missed something, because there's no way he's dead, he's the main character!" Turns out, no he's not. No one person is the main character, and there is no clear villain or hero in Martin's world of Westeros.
Just because a prophecy is spoken in this series, don't assume it means anything close to what you think it means. Just because something appears to be foreshadowed, don't assume the author is going to follow through. The character's reactions are real, and the betrayals always make sense for that character, and never feel forced for the sake of drama. (Which actually makes the impact more dramatic.)
The Only Drawback
The only drawback to the series is that it's taking Martin longer and longer to finish writing each new book. It was a decade between A Dance with Dragons and the last book that contained Tyrion Lannister, which meant everybody's favorite conniving dwarf was left in suspension for ten years. Slated to be a seven-book series, there are five out now, which means fans may be waiting a very long time for the last two.
However, whenever Martin does put out a book, it is quality stuff. No doubting that. You can be guaranteed that your money will be well spent. The series isn't just destined to be one of the greatest, it already is. Martin could stop writing right now, and these five fantasy books would go down in fantasy and fiction history as among the top 5 greatest epics ever written.
I'd put it at number one, but that's just me.
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