Editing George R. R. Martin (section)

=== Themes ===
{{see also|Themes in A Song of Ice and Fire}}
Martin's work has been described as having "complex story lines, fascinating characters, great dialogue, perfect pacing" by literary critic [[Jeff VanderMeer]].<ref>{{cite news|last=VanderMeer|first=Jeff|title=Book review: "A Dance With Dragons" by George R.R. Martin|url=https://www.latimes.com/books/la-xpm-2011-jul-12-la-et-book-20110712-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=July 12, 2011}}</ref> [[Dana Jennings]] of the ''New York Times'' described Martin's work as "fantasy for grown ups"<ref>{{cite news|last=Jennings|first=Dana|title=In a Fantasyland of Liars, Trust No One, and Keep Your Dragon Close|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/15/books/a-dance-with-dragons-by-george-r-r-martin-review.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220102/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/15/books/a-dance-with-dragons-by-george-r-r-martin-review.html |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|newspaper=New York Times|date=July 14, 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and [[Lev Grossman]] wrote that it was dark and cynical.<ref>Lev Grossman, [https://web.archive.org/web/20051124053608/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1129596,00.html The American Tolkien], ''Time'' (November 13, 2005).</ref> Martin's first novel, ''[[Dying of the Light (Martin novel)|Dying of the Light]]'', set the tone for some of his future work; it unfolds on a mostly abandoned planet that is slowly becoming uninhabitable as it moves away from its sun. This story has a strong sense of [[Depression (mood)|melancholy]]. His characters are often unhappy or, at least, unsatisfied, in many cases holding on to [[idealism]]s in spite of an otherwise chaotic and ruthless world, and often troubled by their own self-seeking or violent actions, even as they undertake them. Many have elements of [[tragic hero]]es or [[antihero]]es in them; reviewer T. M. Wagner writes: "Let it never be said Martin doesn't share Shakespeare's fondness for the senselessly tragic."<ref name="TMWagner">{{cite web |url= http://www.sfreviews.net/stormofswords.html |title=A Storm of Swords / George R. R. Martin ★★★★{{citefrac|1|2}} |first=T. M. |last=Wagner |work=sfreviews.net |year=2003 |access-date=July 8, 2014}}</ref>
[[File:George R. R. Martin by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg|left|thumb|Martin in November 2016]]
The overall gloominess of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' can be an obstacle for some readers; the Inchoatus Group writes that, "If this absence of joy is going to trouble you, or you're looking for something more affirming, then you should probably seek elsewhere."<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Review of ''A Game of Thrones''
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080325003052/http://www.inchoatus.com/Reviews/Review--A%20Storm%20of%20Swords%2C%20George%20Martin.htm
 |archive-date=March 25, 2008
|url=http://www.inchoatus.com/Reviews/Review--A%20Storm%20of%20Swords,%20George%20Martin.htm
 |access-date=November 3, 2007
|url-status=usurped
}}</ref> However, for many fans, it is precisely this level of "realness" and "completeness" – including many characters' imperfections, moral and ethical ambiguity, and (often sudden) [[Peripeteia|consequential plot twists]] that is endearing about Martin's work. Many find that this is what makes the series' story arcs compelling enough to keep following despite its sheer brutality and intricately messy and interwoven plotlines; as TM Wagner points out:<blockquote>There's great tragedy here, but there's also excitement, humor, heroism even in weaklings, nobility even in villains, and, now and then, a taste of justice after all. It's a rare gift when a writer can invest his story with that much humanity.<ref name="TMWagner" /></blockquote>Martin's characters are multifaceted, each with intricate pasts, aspirations, and ambitions. ''Publishers Weekly'' writes of his ongoing epic fantasy ''A Song of Ice and Fire'': "The complexity of characters such as [[Daenerys Targaryen|Daenerys]], [[Arya Stark|Arya]] and [[Jaime Lannister|the Kingslayer]] will keep readers turning even the vast number of pages contained in this volume, for the author, like [[J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien]] or [[Robert Jordan|Jordan]], makes us care about their fates."<ref>[https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-553-10663-3 Review of ''A Storm of Swords''] by Publishers Weekly</ref> Misfortune, injury, and death (including false death and reanimation) often befall major or minor characters, no matter how attached the reader has become. Martin has described his penchant for killing off important characters as being necessary for the story's depth: "when my characters are in danger, I want you to be afraid to turn the page, (so) you need to show right from the beginning that you're playing for keeps".<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.qbd.com.au/author/george-r-r-martin/ |title=George R R Martin |work=QBD The Bookshop |year=2014 |access-date=July 8, 2014}}</ref>

In distinguishing his work from others, Martin makes a point of emphasizing realism and plausible social dynamics above an over-reliance on magic and a simplistic "[[good and evil|good versus evil]]" dichotomy, for which contemporary fantasy writing is often criticized. Notably, Martin's work makes a sharp departure from the prevalent "heroic knights and chivalry" schema that has become a mainstay in fantasy as derived from [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. He specifically critiques the oversimplification of Tolkien's themes and devices by imitators in ways that he has humorously described as "Disneyland Middle Ages",<ref>{{cite news| url=https://entertainment.time.com/2011/04/18/grrm-interview-part-2-fantasy-and-history/ | magazine=Time | date=April 18, 2011 | title=GRRM Interview Part 2: Fantasy and History}}</ref> which gloss over or ignore major differences between medieval and modern societies, particularly social structures, ways of living, and political arrangements. Martin has been described as "the American Tolkien" by literary critics.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://spectator.org/blog/53929/george-rr-martin-%E2%80%9Camerican-tolkien |title=Is George R.R. Martin the "American Tolkien'? |first=Anne |last=Hobson |work=The American Spectator |date=May 31, 2013 |access-date=July 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714182859/http://spectator.org/blog/53929/george-rr-martin-%E2%80%9Camerican-tolkien |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> While Martin finds inspiration in Tolkien's legacy,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/556384-i-admire-tolkien-greatly-his-books-had-enormous-influence-on |title=Quote by George R.R. Martin: "I admire Tolkien greatly..." |work=goodreads.com |year=2014 |access-date=July 8, 2014}}</ref> he aims to go beyond what he sees as Tolkien's "medieval philosophy" of "if the king was a good man, the land would prosper" to delve into the complexities, ambiguities, and vagaries of real-life power: "We look at real history and it's not that simple... Just having good intentions doesn't make you a wise king."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/george-r-r-martin-the-rolling-stone-interview-20140423 |title='Game of Thrones' Author George R.R. Martin |first=Mikal |last=Gilmore |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=April 23, 2014 |access-date=July 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708061804/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/george-r-r-martin-the-rolling-stone-interview-20140423 |archive-date=July 8, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Per this fact Martin has been credited with the rise of [[grimdark fantasy]], a modern form of an "anti-Tolkien" approach to fantasy writing which,<ref>{{cite web |title=We Asked Writers How A Game of Thrones Changed Fantasy Forever |url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/20th-anniversary-celebration-of-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/ |publisher=Barnes & Noble |last=DuBois |first=Shana |date=October 20, 2016 |access-date=August 25, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407110107/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fantasy/20th-anniversary-celebration-of-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/ |archive-date=April 7, 2022}}</ref> according to British science fiction and fantasy novelist [[Adam Roberts (British writer)|Adam Roberts]], is characterized by its reaction to Tolkien's idealism even though it owes a lot to Tolkien's work.<ref name="Roberts 2014">{{cite book|last1=Roberts|first1=Adam|title=Get Started in: Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy|date=2014|publisher=Hachette UK|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T2rEAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT42|isbn=978-1-4447-9566-0|page=42}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Game of Thrones': Five Inspirations for George R.R. Martin's Novels, From Tolkein {{sic|nolink=y}} to Scottish Massacres |url=http://www.newsweek.com/game-thrones-inspirations-george-rr-martin-hbo-tolkein-scottish-massacres-634498 |work=Newsweek |last=Shaffer |first=Claire |date=October 7, 2017 |access-date=August 25, 2021 }}</ref> The Canadian fantasy writer [[R. Scott Bakker]] "says he wouldn't have been able to publish his fantasy novels without the success George R. R. Martin achieved first".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/game-of-thrones-creates-ripple-effect-and-rise-of-grimdark-fiction-1.3019422 |title=Game of Thrones creates ripple effect and rise of "grimdark" fiction |work=CBC News |last=Hopton |first=Alice |date=April 6, 2015 |access-date=August 25, 2021 }}</ref> Similarly, [[Mark Lawrence (author)|Mark Lawrence]], author of ''[[The Broken Empire Trilogy|Prince of Thorns]]'', was inspired by Martin and impressed by his Red Wedding scene.<ref>{{cite web |title=25+ Grimdark Books to Add Some Grit to Your Reading List |quote=Lawrence himself is a professed admirer of George R.R. Martin, in particular, citing the Red Wedding as a crucial inspiration in his work. ""I was impressed by how ruthless he was with characters we were invested in and how exciting that made reading the series." |url=https://reedsy.com/discovery/blog/grimdark-books/ |website=reedsy.com |access-date=August 25, 2021 }}</ref>

The author makes a point of grounding his work on a foundation of [[historical fiction]], which he channels to evoke important social and political elements of primarily the [[Medieval Europe|European medieval era]] that differ markedly from elements of modern times, including the multigenerational, rigid, and often brutally consequential nature of the hierarchical [[class system]] of [[feudalism|feudal societies]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.pri.org/stories/2011-09-21/john-hodgman-interviews-george-rr-martin |title=John Hodgman interviews George R.R. Martin |work=Public Radio International |date=September 21, 2011 |access-date=July 8, 2014}}</ref> that is in many cases overlooked in fantasy writing. Even as ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' is a fantasy series that employs magic and the surreal as central to the genre, Martin is keen to ensure that magic is merely one element of many that moves his work forward,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.vulture.com/2011/10/george_rr_martin_on_his_favori.html |title=George R.R. Martin on His Favorite Game of Thrones Actors, and the Butterfly Effect of TV Adaptations |first=Adam |last=Pasick |work=vulture.com |year=2014 |access-date=July 8, 2014}}</ref> not a generic [[deus ex machina]] that is itself the focus of his stories, which is something he has been very conscious about since reading Tolkien; "If you look at ''The Lord of the Rings'', what strikes you, it certainly struck me, is that although the world is infused with this great sense of magic, there is very little onstage magic. So you have a sense of magic, but it's kept under very tight control, and I really took that to heart when I was starting my own series."<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0OR85uwUh8 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140711150540/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0OR85uwUh8| archive-date=July 11, 2014 | url-status=dead|title=Unnatural Forces: George RR Martin discusses the necessity of magic in a fantasy |work=YouTube |date=June 13, 2011 |access-date=July 8, 2014}}</ref> Martin's ultimate aim is an exploration of the [[internal conflict]]s that define the [[human condition]], which, in deriving inspiration from [[William Faulkner]],<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1949/faulkner-speech.html |title=William Faulkner – Banquet Speech |work=nobelprize.org |date=December 10, 1950 |access-date=July 8, 2014}}</ref> he ultimately describes as the only reason to read any literature, regardless of genre.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/07/08/game-of-thrones-author-george-r-r-martin-spills-the-secrets-of-a-dance-with-dragons/ | work=The Wall Street Journal | title='Game of Thrones' Author George R.R. Martin Spills the Secrets of "A Dance with Dragons" | date=July 8, 2011}}</ref>

In 2018, Martin called ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', ''[[The Great Gatsby]]'', ''[[Gone with the Wind (novel)|Gone with the Wind]]'', ''[[Great Expectations]]'', ''[[Lonesome Dove]]'', ''[[Catch-22]]'', and ''[[Charlotte's Web]]'' "favorites all, towering masterpieces, books that changed my life".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2018/04/22/time-to-read/|title=Time to Read!!! — Not a Blog|website=georgerrmartin.com}}</ref>