Fantasy is derided by many as a genre where artistic skill is eschewed in favor of palliative doses of mysticism, cross-species mating between partners of absurd comeliness, and unlikely heroes saving the world (yet again) from some overwhelmingly potent yet curiously myopic evil. George R. R. Martin has done more than any other writer to refute such aspersions and bring fantasy deserved attention and acclaim, placing himself in the pantheon of great novelists in so doing.
Martin got his professional start with a story in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine in 1970 according to his website bio, and started writing full time in 1979. He eventually moved on to Hollywood, where he lent his talents to such television productions as “The Twilight Zone” and “Beauty and the Beast.” “A Game of Thrones,” the first book of his epic “A Song of Ice and Fire” series, was published in 1996, launching him to the apex of his career and profession.
The crux of Martin’s excellence is his ability to immerse readers in his characters’ lives. Fantastic elements like magic and monsters can be important parts of those lives, but people take center stage. He writes believably from the eyes of adults and children alike of both genders, coloring events with the ambiguity of perspective. Inner worlds are remorselessly exposed so that whatever the reader’s reaction to a character on the spectrum between sympathy and contempt, it will not be indifference. Martin excels at furnishing just the right details, in just the right amounts, to create atmosphere and stimulate imagination, and manages to make people, events, and settings all feel unique. His vision captures the essence of everything it touches, whether beautiful or loathsome, wondrous or bleak – usually a blend of disparate elements, as one encounters in reality.
My favorite book of Martin’s is “A Storm of Swords,” the third in the “Song of Ice and Fire” series. If there’s a novel that better evokes the misery intrinsic to power politics and war, I haven’t read it. There are certainly moments of levity – Martin’s wit is sharp and always intact – but the human toll of the struggle for power is never far from view. I’m not the sort of person often emotionally affected by artistic works, but I found myself a little gloomy for a few days after finishing “Storm.”
George R. R. Martin deserves to be considered among the literary greats. His imagery is captivating, his repertoire of personalities and locales endless, his characterization without peer. And he never flinches from doing whatever is necessary to tell a great story, even if it requires killing a central character. For these qualities, Martin is my favorite author.
” Life & Times of George R. R. Martin,” The Official Website of George R. R. Martin