The Sword and Laser discussion
This topic is about
A Song of Ice and Fire
Questions for George R R Martin
ummm....I am not going to ask what happens if he dies...been there, done that....just don't anyone else do that...even though he had a nice sense of humor about it. If he ever needs that kidney he joked about I will be there for the guy...I am sort of feel obligated now.There is no Frank Herbert style safety deposit box full of notes...it is all in his head. How does he have room to think with all that swimming around in there? That is my question.
I'd love to know if he ever gives any thought to what happens in the future of his world. If the pseudo-medieval era were to start progressing in a way parallel to our world, what would his world's "modern era" be like?
A lot of people are excited about the GoT TV show. Do you feel that the show conveys anything about story, characters, or world that you couldn't put on the page? Does the medium of TV allow you to do anything that you cannot do in written work?
The characters and story keep getting more and more spread out with every new book; we might have expected Dany to go to Westeros at some point, but instead she creates an alternate story on another continent, and other characters leave Westeros as well. Is the story heading to a point where everything and everyone come together, or do the characters end up so far beyond each other that they never get that kind of closure?I could have probably phrased that better...
I would like to know whether he intended "our" favorite and least favorite characters to be perceived as such?A long time back we had a thread here about our favorite characters and the ones we hated the most. I remember Tyrion and Arya coming out as definite winners in the favorite threads, not sure who won in the "most hateful" category, although I think Cersei was mentioned a lot.
Is that how he intended it to be or did it just "happen" that people could relate to Tyrion and Arya much more than to other characters?
I have thought that Peter Dinklage does a brilliant job of bringing Tyrion to life - I can't read the books anymore without seeing Dinklage as Tyrion in my mind's eye. Are there any particular actors or actresses for the show whom he feels have really managed to capture the essence of the character they play?
The ending of Adance whith the dragons, didn't make any sense to me, the whole world is harassed by undead creatures and the ones that could stop them "die", isn't it too norse? ( how the world will end)
in addition to Anne's question: i would like to know who his own favorite characters are in his books? Does he have one he feels he particularly enjoyed creating and writing about?
A Song Of Ice And Fire has a deserved reputation as a rather bloodthirsty series where no character is safe forever. Are there any characters GRRM regrets killing off?
Alterjess wrote: "A Song Of Ice And Fire has a deserved reputation as a rather bloodthirsty series where no character is safe forever. Are there any characters GRRM regrets killing off?"i can answer that question: Tyrion, that's why the dwarf keeps returning to life
I want to ask: How does he answer to the accusiations of "orientalism" in his books. Why Essos(fantastical counterpart of the eternally unchanging "Orient") is portrayed as only a place of decadence, magic, slavery, rape and barbarism while the Westeros(fantastical counterpart of medieveal Europe) is a very complex and nuanced society with a rich culture and history?
Rasnac wrote: "I want to ask: How does he answer to the accusiations of "orientalism" in his books. Why Essos(fantastical counterpart of the eternally unchanging "Orient") is portrayed as only a place of decadenc..."are we reading the same book?
I would like to ask if Jaqen H'gar is still in Westeros and have or will we see him again?I would also like to ask do you think two books is enough to get a closure on all the loose threads in the story? especially after all that happens in ADWD.
I'd like to know, in terms of the plot, how far in advance he's had to think things through. He's clearly got a direction for the major storylines, but for the minor and more tangential ones, were those originally planned, or was it just a matter of creating a robust enough world with expansive family trees and places and elements to have the options available. Like with the Beric Dondarrion storyline, or whatever's going on with the Mountain. Because I have to say that those parts end up being some of my favorites!
I'd like to ask if he has read Laurie Penny's "review" of Game of Thrones in the New Statesman, http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/tv-... and wondered what he thought?Also congrats on the TV series! I thought his episode Blackwater was excellent, was the best in the series. Will he be allowed to write more in the future?
:D
Kamil wrote: "are we reading the same book?"I agree that the idea that Westeros is portrayed as less of a shitheap than Essos is kinda weird, but the accusations of Orientalism are well founded.
Perhaps the question would be better phrased: As the series has become more mainstream, it's attracted more critics who take issue with your portrayal of cultural otherness -- for example, the homogeneity of the Dothroki hordes vs the cultural diversity of Westeros -- and accusations of Orientalism. How do you respond to these critiques?
Has the TV show changed any of your plans for the future books?References to Renley and Loras's sexuality were extremely subtle in the books, if even existent (The Rainbow Guard...). Did you always know they were in a relationship? If so, why wasn't this more explicit in the books?
I know you'll be visiting Barcelona soon, if you need a guide, I'll love to show you the best places!
Maybe ask George if he has a table top roleplaying background? If yes, how did it inspire his writing?
Mike wrote: "References to Renley and Loras's sexuality were extremely subtle in the books, if even existent (The Rainbow Guard...). Did you alwa..."
Ohh yes I second this question, would love to know more about that. :)
For the HBO series, you have actually been able to write a couple of episodes (at least one per season). How does writing the episode compare to writing the whole book? And do you enjoy being able to actively participate with the HBO series while you're still writing the story ahead of it?Any concerns about the show catching up to your publications?
I would like to know whether he has a clear cut idea of how a character is going to evolve before he begins writing, or does he create the character in his mind then listen as they "speak" to him, writing as he follows them on their journey.
Wild cards, has there been any interest in doing a TV series based on it? Does he see the Game of Thrones TV series as a Version 2.0 of the early books? Allowing him to tighten up the plot as the story evolved over the last 3 books.
Two questions, neither particularly related to A Song of Ice and Fire.1) If he were stranded on a desert island for a year, which 3 books would he want to have with him?
2) I know a lot of writers don't like to look backwards on old works, but given that many of his worlds span multiple tomes, Mr. Martin may be different. Of the universes he's written in, which is his favorite (outside of Westeros)? Which one, if he didn't have publishing commitments and a need to make a living, would he like to re-visit, either in writing or some other form?
I am curious about your character creation process. Do you decide beforehand the ways you want a character to change and evolve the story around that, or do you allow the story to determine how your character changes?
Seeing as a proper television and or movie are long and involved proccesses; is there any chance we might get a quick and dirty animated version of Wildcards anytime in the forseeable future? The method has been established and perfected by both Marvel and DC and the established partnership with Dynamite Entertainment could enable this, please?
Does he know the ending to his series? I know Robert Jordan used to say that he knew exactly how his Wheel of Time series would end, it was just the getting there that he was unsure of.
Oh, and not a question, but a side note. Up to a few years ago Mr. Martin would famously come here to Connecticut and meet up with fans in New Haven for a pizza crawl; as he was very fond of the local speciality. Much easier to virtually cater than trenchers and roasted beast.
Is there a conscious choice in writing the long form series of books as opposed to one off stories? or does it just fit the story you want to tell?
Well, the rights of Wildcards was acquired by Syfy Films, a joint venture between Syfy Channel and Universal last October.
If all goes in the right time frame, I think anohter Dunk and Egg story might mostly likely for my guess to be 2016. The first one came out in Legends in 1998, then the second in Legends II in 2004, and lastly in Warriors in 2010, which is all exactly 6 years apart.
Kevin wrote: "Well, the rights of Wildcards was acquired by Syfy Films, a joint venture between Syfy Channel and Universal last October."Oh.joy.SyFy /s
In his opinion, what is his best non-Song of Ice and Fire book? What he would suggest for people trying to read more GRRM (and already read all the ASoIaF published)?
Graeme wrote: "Kevin wrote: "Well, the rights of Wildcards was acquired by Syfy Films, a joint venture between Syfy Channel and Universal last October."Oh.joy.SyFy /s"
Hey, its along with Universal. Universal has a image to maintain, so it might not let SyFy screw it up.
Now the weird questions!1) I want to have sex with Brienne (the character in the books, not the TV). Am I gay?
2) Why Sam is the only noble born that had yellow teeth on TV? All the other (and even Shae, and you know, she is a whore) had white teeth. That seems unfair. Why?
3) My favorite character in ASoIaF is Jaime. I am a bad person?
4) Who win a fight between Ned Stark and Rhaegar?
5) Why Daario Naharis looks like a pimp from a rap video?
Obviously, these questions are a joke only to entreating my colleges in Sword and Laser, please don’t ask him that.:)
What inspired you to delve so much (and so well!) into the world of disability, be it through a green-seeing cripple, machiavellian dwarf, or every major female character? I think it's this over all the other good attributes of the series that makes it stand head and shoulders over the rest of the genre!
-Was Reek/Theon castrated, or not?-In ADWD, Tyrion is chided for referring to himself as a lion, and yet both the Starks and The Targaryens are shown to have real connections to the animals they wear on their shields. Can we expect to see more such connections in future books? (A Greyjoy calling a kraken, Gendry and a stag, etc.)
-How many Astronomical Units is the world of Westeros from its sun?
-Ned Stark had been through a pretty cutthroat rebellion already, and had seen with his own eyes the nature of the Lannisters. Yet he tells Cersei everything. Why are the "good" characters so stupid?
Mach wrote: "I would like to ask if Jaqen H'gar is still in Westeros and have or will we see him again?I +1 that!
Also: I wonder if GRRM ever created side characters which then grew to become more important.
So Dear George R.R. Martin, did you ever get to like any of your characters so much that you decided not to kill them off but instead give them a greater importance in the storyline? Or just let them live on the sidelines for a little longer?
Anyway, I look forward to the interview so much! I hope there's be a bonus one after the official show again. :)
A Song of Ice & Fire is often credited with (or blamed for) starting a trend for dark or grim and gritty epic fantasy. Do you feel this is an accurate assessment? If so, do you think it's a good thing for the genre, or (like Alan Moore 15 years after Watchmen) do you have regrets over the breadth of your influence?
Joe wrote: "A Song of Ice & Fire is often credited with (or blamed for) starting a trend for dark or grim and gritty epic fantasy..."How about R.E.Howard's Conan? It's as dark and gritty as it gets. And how it approaches to magic and politics in fantasy world is very similar to A Song of Ice and Fire series. Actually, that might make a good question: Does R.E.Howard's works have any influence on the grittiness of the A Song of Ice and Fire series?
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Books mentioned in this topic
Legends (other topics)Legends II (other topics)
Warriors (other topics)
Fevre Dream (other topics)
The Black Company (other topics)
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Next Tuesday we'll record our next episode of the Sword and Laser video show. Our guest author is George R. R. Martin, and we're blowing it out with a Game of Thrones special!
Got a question you would like us to ask Mr. Martin? Besides when the next book is coming out? Post it here!