Maybe my favourite book series! Intelligent dialogue dealing with consequences of even minor decisions. The hierarchy is criticised constantly, shown for being trivial, hypocritical and based almost entirely in violence and threats based on strength in numbers (implied and real).
I can't choose a favourite character or arc, but I really love ADWD for really elaborating on and setting up new goals for stories that had more or else finished their first act.
I also enjoy that while GRRM indulges in 'pure evil' characters such as Joffrey, The Mountain, Ramsay and Euron (Read that TWOW preview chapter- it's Godly!) he still establishes that most people commit horrific acts while being actual complex people in a shit system (Theon, Jamie, Stannis).
Main two characters also should be noted are a staunch abolitionist (Dany) and a man who sacrifices himself for refugees who he successfully migrated (Jon). Considering the ramifications they both faced for their decisions they both managed to be awesome, intelligent and compassionate, despite the consistently horrific implications and threats.
What are your favourite characters, arcs, worldbuilding or quotes? Any real life political figures you'd like to compare to ASOIAF characters?
Honestly lol, reading some of these comments has me dissociating. I do like the books within reason but it’s centrist fiction. Gurm was a Biden head in 2019 and when you read into his autobiographical portrayals it shows
The artist is dead, long live the art! Kipling's stories for children are beautiful, even though he was a racist/imperialist/militarist. Lots of artists are imperfect people that nevertheless produce good art.
The exception I'd say is a living artist who has abhorrent views and you'd support them by buying their stuff. That's fair. And if support for Biden makes someone dead to you - boycott away. But GRRM is no Orson Scott Card.
ASOIAF has lots of things to criticize from a socialist perspective. For example, his fantasy world has a lot more Whites and a lot fewer Blacks than our world (there are presumably a lot of Asians, but they live too far away to matter) - though most fantasy universes are even more White. But I don't think it preaches some evil centrist doctrine at its core. Tolkien's work has a more conservative philosophy ingrained.
Fair point. I enjoy the books, and I think the show kind of soured me to the series, which probably shouldn’t be the case.
I really don’t see the series ever being finished though so the show ending is what we’ll be left with.
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Eh. One of the key messages of the books is that war sucks, all nobles are equally bad for the people except when they're doing nothing or being literally ineffective (and even then their taxes can be bad), and only by organising and killing the nobles can the people have their voices heard. Not only do the main books say this, it's also a recurring theme in the history and worldbuilding books. Sucks that the means to do so is a shitty oppressive expy of the Catholic Church, but at least the Sparrows are coming for the "Pope" too.
That’s fair. My experience with the books was def more positive than the show and I think my views have been tainted unfairly. I doubt I’ll read them again but it would probably be different to revisit since my political views have changed since the last time.