why is 'A Game of Thrones' the best fantasy?
I am not the biggest fan of - caution! Controversial opinion! - the Tolkienian works so I had been sceptic whether I'd have liked George R.R. Martin's books because their universes have quite... similar? vibe. But oh my God: how obsessed I am with 'A Game of Thrones'! This universe COMPLETELY possessed me and I even can verbalise it! I've read just two first volumes of the saga and I am so happy that I could've made famirialise myself with Martin's works before the new year cause now I can add 'A Game of Thrones' to the ranking of the best books read in 2025 which, by the way, I am planning to publish during the first weeks of January.
Martin inspired me to feel once again the vibe of the epic fantasy and I am so thankful for this. Maybe I'll even do a reread of 'The Lord of the Rings' to check whether after some time I'd like Tolkien's world more. I am also planning on reread 'The Witcher', Polish national treasure, to stay in the epic fantasy world longer than 'A Game of Thrones' series lasts.
What I appreciate the most in 'A Game of Thrones' is definitely an intricate plot. The complexity of Martin's books is so perfect to embrace while reading. The amount of threads is breathtaking and I was having so much fun exploring the elaborateness them while reading. The conspiracies among characters are so complex, from the family-dramas-related ones to the ascendancy of the Westeros land. I think that especially the courtly intrigues are the reason I like 'A Game of Thrones' much, much more than 'LotR'. I love courtly vibes - but not Sarah J. Maas' ones... I see the courts of 'A Game of Thrones' as the opposite of the 'Once Upon a Broken Heart' ones I've talked over in a previous post. In Garber's books, the castles and princes were nothing but total sweetness and adorableness with the pinch of glitter. On the other hand, 'A Song of Ice and Fire' is all dark and uninnocent which is a nice contrast to the sweet 'Once Upon a Broken Heart' I'd read before reading the first two volumes of 'A Song of Ice and Fire'.
Another Incest Thread
Fun fact, 'A Song of Ice and Fire' world is de facto a mix of many historical empires but mostly Byzantium. It was a empire in the lands of today's Turkey, the Balkans and Asia Minor existing during the Middle Ages. Starting from 'A Clash of Kings', Martin uses a motif of a wildfire which was originally an actual Byzantine weapon. Also many titles and names come from Byzantium such as 'eunuch'.
And while speaking about historically accurate threads in 'A Song of Ice and Fire' I can't miss... an incest threat. Yeaah. While I was discovering the truth about the reason of Jon Arryn death, I felf an increasing disgust. I was in a lecture when I read the scene when Ned Stark talks to queen Cersei about her relationship with her twin brother Jaime Lannister. I almost vomit. And before you ask - it wasn't anything important during that lesson, it was just a presentation made by a classmate who wanted to get an extra mark from the additional material. I don't want you to think I don't respect my school obligation, especially when I love studying and acquiring new knowledge. As you can propably tell by me writing a passe blog in 2025 about fantasy books, I am a nerd. The hugest nerd I personally know.
Who are the Lannisters?
The Lannisters are in 'A Song of Ice and Fire' the encarnation of the evil forces and Martin tries everything to comunicate a reader that they are the symbol of the human's evil. They are the nemesis of the Starks family, the good ones. The Lannisters are the reason of everything bad that happen to the Starks - the deaths (Ned and the understrappers serving in the Winterfell), being unccounted (Arya), incapacitation (Sansa), serious injuries (Bran) and other huge traumas to the family and their close ones.
But Martin, while the plot is evolving, shows the variability and inadequacy of the definitions of the good and evil. Some characters remain 'good' and 'evil' for instance children of the Lannisters and the Starks family and the heads of the families like Cersei Lannister and Ned Stark. But the others eludes being accurately defined, like the Theon Greyjoy as an ex representant of the Starks or Tyrion Lannister whose isn't exactly good or bad characters. And the character that intrigues me the most - Sandor 'the Hound' Clegane, being so hard to define. Firstly - a servant of the Lannisters and a murderer, secondly - a so-called protector of Sansa in the Lannisters' court and a victim of traumas, thirdly - a wicked and selfish outcast. It's imposible to call him one hundred percent evil but also he just can't be called a good one. Maybe he's just an anti hero. (God, the amount of the Taylor Swift references is increasing... How does it reflect on me...).
I still just can't believe how much do I love 'A Song of Ice and Fire'. And of course, I haven't discuss at least a half of the topics associated with the Martin's masterpiece. But relax, I still have the cartloads of the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' connected posts to write and publish. I can't wait to explore Westeros more! I hasn't been that excited about a high fantasy universum since a veeery long time. But I will talk about my this year's obsession later, in the dedicated post. Oh, and remember - I haven't read the volumes after the 2nd one, so some of my statements might change after reading other parts of the Martin's saga.
