Borealis
Catholic Homeschool Dad
NotTroy said:
I'm sorry, but I must disagree as vehemently as possible. The first book was long. The second book was longer, and less happened. I couldn't get past the first couple of chapters of the third book without wanting to throw it out a window. If there is a patron saint of fantasy fiction, he will strike George R.R. Martin down as quickly as possible to keep this endless nothingness from continuing.
Problems? Well, let's see...who's the main character? Just when you've started to figure it out, the main character gets killed. Then another one does. And another...Who is this series about, exactly? And why should we care? Yes, there are politics, the cutthroat (literally), cynical nasty kind that we read enough of in the daily news. Realistic? Maybe, if you consider 1984 to be an optimistic outlook. And let's not go on about the endless digressions into sheer pointlessness, where plot points meander all over the place until they've gotten so lost they can't get back to the main track of the story.
Song of Fire and Ice is a series that should be held up as an example of what NOT to write. It's just awful, awful stuff.
Now, if you want a REAL awesome fantasy series, read the Belgariad by David Eddings. Some people read Lord of the Rings once a year, every year. This is the series I read over and over again, because it's just that good. It's a heroic fantasy in the tradition of all the great epics (and I'm talking the old epics, Beowulf, Roland, Arthur, Sigfried, etc.) with dynamic characters, detailed cultures, and a sense of humour, something which Martin's series is totally devoid of.
Other favorite books? Well, naturally, the Bible. I also 'enjoyed' The Death of Right and Wrong by Tammy Bruce. 'Enjoyed' isn't the correct word, but it was a very moving book.
Of course, there's the Odyssey by Homer; the first and greatest fantasy adventure tale. I'm currently studying Homeric Greek so I can read this (and the Iliad) in the original language.
I also love Harry Turtledove's 'Great War' series, an alternate history in which the South won the Civil War. The series progresses from the prologue (How Few Remain, set in 1882) through the Great War (WWI), and now up to 1941 and the start of WWII. Historical detail galore; Turtledove has written the alternate history masterpiece.
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