Tolkien: and then the Good King came and cast out the Evil Stewards who were corrupt because they ruled without the correct bloodline. Everything was peaceful after that and there was no more evil. There are two women in this story. Monarchy is good. The actual singular God who created everything wants you to be ruled by a 300 year old nobleman. The End.

GRRM: Feudalism is inherently destructive. Even the Noble Good Guys cause unimaginable suffering due to the structures of the system they operate within. Women are no more than brood mares under Feudalism. There is a Good King whose father was deposed. This Good King has spent his life living amongst the common people in order to become a good ruler. He is being manipulated by cynical actors and will bring devastation to the world when he begins his conquest. Thirty years ago the Hero of Prophecy acted to save the world from the Great Evil. He unleashed devastation on the land, died, and destroyed his own dynasty, possibly dooming the world. There are no gods, only powerful forces beyond our understanding that operate through the power of blood. Once upon a time there was a Good King who ruled justly. He brought peace to the land and improved the common folks' lot tremendously. Due the nature of Feudalism, the succession crisis that succeeded his reign led to the most bloodshed in 300 years. No one who wants war understands its cost.

People who dislike things because they're popular: Wow these are exactly the same!

  • Aryuproudomenowdaddy [comrade/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    I don't think I'll ever revisit GoT because Martin is such an exhausting author. Dude just doesn't know when to shut the fuck up about banner designs and the cooking methods of a 20 course dinner.

    • HogWild [none/use name]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Sure, because Tolkien, and by extension every fucking fantasy author ever, would never wax lyrical about mundane and plot inconsequential stuff just to establish lore or atmosphere...

      I distinctly remember a part in the LOTR where the fellowship enters a small forest, and Tolkien does nothing but talk about the flowers growing on the side of the path, their color, their smell, in which part of Middle Earth these flowers usually grow, how some ancient king died, and the flowers were growing on his grave....and on and on and on, for three full pages, only to end the whole paragraph with "and then they left the forest".

      GRRM is so much more sharp and precise than most of these other classic fantasy authors, it's just fat shaming when people have to constantly make the same joke about "20 course dinners". It's the attack helicopter joke of fantasy writing.

      Contrarian edgelord bullshit is what it is.

      • THC
        ·
        1 year ago

        deleted by creator

        • Redbolshevik2 [he/him]
          ·
          2 years ago

          IIRC rather than spending eight paragraphs describing food and people's suffering, Tolkien spends six paragraphs describing the landscape and its history.

            • UlyssesT
              ·
              17 days ago

              deleted by creator

            • Farman [any]
              ·
              2 years ago

              Isnt the whole point if these stories to build fake physical geography with its fake social dynamics? And the rest is just narrative devices to showcase said fake world(and in some cases the point those dynamics are tring to make). That is why the characters are always in a journey or a quest or an adventure or traveling somewhere.

        • Redbolshevik2 [he/him]
          ·
          2 years ago

          I'm not familiar with his stuff, though I'm definitely interested in a medieval story that's a little more grounded.

          • AvgMarighellaEnjoyer [he/him,any]
            ·
            2 years ago

            honestly i'm really, really enjoying it. had stopped reading for a while and his Saxon Tales series has got me read routinely again. i think he offers a pretty fair and representative picture of how the medieval period was, i don't think he romanticizes or dramatizes it in excess. if you like history, medieval historical fiction or medieval fantasy you'll probably enjoy it. the prologue of the first book is a bit of a slog but after that it picks up pretty quickly.

    • CyborgMarx [any, any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Dude just doesn’t know when to shut the fuck up about banner designs

      I like banner design :I-was-saying:

    • Slaanesh [he/him, comrade/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Getting into a description of a feast and realizing it goes on for three pages.

      How many times did he describe what pigeon pie was?