George Martin is Creepy

BlaasForRafa

I found this review of the A Song of Ice and Fire series through a blog I regularly read called Pats Fantasy Hotlist. Anyhow this review is so full of hysterical rage and misconceptions it ends up being funny.

http://tigerbeatdown.com/2011/08/26/enter-ye-myne-mystic-world-of-gayng-raype-what-the-r-stands-for-in-george-r-r-martin/

Warning, the "review" does contain spoilers.

Tenger

Pretty much every spoiler possible in that diatribe....


....but at the same time I can't really disagree with the points made. Many people have already commented on the graphic sex scenes that aren't really vital to the ongoing plots......

That really is hysterical... but they do have a point
He's even more obsessed with rape than Goodkind. I think. It's a tough one.

johnnyskeleton

One thing I had thought about it but wasn't really sure, am I right in saying that ages in the books don't necessarily tally with ages in the real world, particularly in the modern world? So someone aged 13 in the books coud be the modern equivalent of 16/17?

After all, we don't really know (do we) how long a year is in the books and it could be significantly longer than our years.

But otherwise, I'd have to agree, it is a bit wierd in this modern, slightly hysterical age, to talk about ye olden times when much older men married much younger women.

Tenger

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

One thing I had thought about it but wasn't really sure, am I right in saying that ages in the books don't necessarily tally with ages in the real world, particularly in the modern world?......

....But otherwise, I'd have to agree, it is a bit wierd in this modern, slightly hysterical age, to talk about ye olden times when much older men married much younger women.

Yet again we see people imposing their own morals on a fantasy setting.

I agree that 'kids' in GRRM world seem older than there should be. We see Bran being very mature for a 8-10 year old, Jon and Robb being seen as men while still only 16 and of course the girls being married off as soon as possible after menstruation begins.

ArthurG

Made me laugh.....

Dades

Tenger wrote: »

I agree that 'kids' in GRRM world seem older than there should be. We see Bran being very mature for a 8-10 year old, Jon and Robb being seen as men while still only 16 and of course the girls being married off as soon as possible after menstruation begins.

A fantasy world it may be, but let's face it it's essentially medieval Europe and beyond. People didn't live as long therefore grew up quicker and also were married/betrothed at very young ages. It's a measure of how adult the books are that George doesn't try to protect our sensibilities by having all the children above the western world 's 2011 age of consent, and all the heroes strapping young 20-somethings.

Of course when it came to making the series it seems TV viewers had to be somewhat protected!

DarkDusk

Before I start reading the blog, could someone please tell me how far in the books do the spoilers go? I'm nearly finished A Clash Of Kings and worried I might spoil the rest of the series! Thanks a mil.;)

Tenger

DarkDusk wrote: »

Before I start reading the blog, could someone please tell me how far in the books do the spoilers go? I'm nearly finished A Clash Of Kings and worried I might spoil the rest of the series! Thanks a mil.;)

It definitely had spoilers from A Feast for Crows, so don't bother for a while yet.

DarkDusk

Tenger wrote: »

It definitely had spoilers from A Feast for Crows, so don't bother for a while yet.

Grand, thanks.:)

BlaasForRafa

Now Salman Rushdie is having a go at game of thrones. wanker!

http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/interview-salman-rushdie-is-not-afraid-1.389961

"I mean, there is always a lot of junk; most novels published are bad novels, most plays put on are bad plays, most movies that come out are bad movies and that is also true of TV. Nineteen times out of 20 you fall asleep. There was a series called 'Game of Thrones' which was very popular here in the United States, a post-Tolkien kind of thing. It was garbage, yet very addictive garbage - because there's lots of violence, all the women take their clothes off all the time, and it's kind of fun. In the end, it's well-produced trash, but there's room for that, too.

thedooner

everyone's a critic....whatever that word means hahahaha.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Martin a few months ago in the hotel i work in and at that point i had not read his books,mostly feist,goodkind,hobb and more recently brett, I told him as much and he still gave me his email and home address and said if i get his books and i like them i could send them to him as i read them and he would sign them!! I was stunned that an author of his calibre would do something like this for a person that was not even a fan of his books at that time. He also gave me a coin from the world the game of thrones is based in. Now if i could only meet Peter Brett and get the same offer i would be one very happy fantasy reader :-)

Dades

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

Now Salman Rushdie is having a go at game of thrones. wanker!

At least it seems to be the show he's complaining about, rather than the novels (wanker!)

Sleepy

thedooner wrote: »

He also gave me a coin from the world the game of thrones is based in.

If that coin happens to be iron, hold onto it and learn the word "Valar Morghulis"

BlaasForRafa

Sleepy wrote: »

If that coin happens to be iron, hold onto it and learn the word "Valar Morghulis"

but watch yer ass if it happens to be a silver stag

Doc Ruby

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

Now Salman Rushdie is having a go at game of thrones. wanker!

http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/interview-salman-rushdie-is-not-afraid-1.389961

Has-been coat tail rider.

5starpool

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

Now Salman Rushdie is having a go at game of thrones. wanker!

http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/magazine/interview-salman-rushdie-is-not-afraid-1.389961

A good fatwa declared on him is what he needs.

Dades

5starpool wrote: »

A good fatwa declared on him is what he needs.

Where's Jaqen H'ghar when you need him!

Tym

In his novel "Fury," published a few months before September 11, 2001, Rushdie described America reeling under a terrorist onslaught. In 2004, shortly before the horrific attack on the Madrid commuter train, Rushdie warned that it would not be long before Europe, too, became a target for mass terror.

Um I could be wrong here but wasn't there a lot of novels before 2001 that described America "reeling under a terrorist onsluaght"?
And wouldn't an attack on europe be the next logical step?

And George RR Martin doesn't condone rape. Sure look at how he potrays the characters who commit these atrocities. There may be spoilers for all the books in this post btw. So I'll just spoiler everything from now on.

Only one rapist character in the series has ever been given any kind of back story and Ramsay Bolton is such a henious character that it would be unrealistic not to give him a backstory. Gregor Clegane, Rorge, Biter etc are just scum of the earth. Any sane character in the books either fears or hates them. Sure if you look through the series you'll see that all the characters who are rapists die in horrible ways.

Saying George RR Martin condones rape is like saying Robbin Hobb's the liveship Trader trilogy condones rape.

Sleepy

Tym wrote: »

Um I could be wrong here but wasn't there a lot of novels before 2001 that described America "reeling under a terrorist onsluaght"?

Tom Clancy's "Clear and Present Danger" for one...

Raging_Ninja

Sleepy wrote: »

Tom Clancy's "Clear and Present Danger" for one...

Dale Brown also did a book where a terrorist organisation was using jumbo jets as weapons.

I have to say, I find GRRM creepy as well, but not to the same extent illustrated in that article. I don't think he condones rape, I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with his depictions of women. He's trying to write a medieval fantasy, but his description of every day medieval life is fairly accurately. I don't think he should be barraged for not writing a nice fairy tale-type story. If you don't like it, don't read/watch it.

me-skywalker

You still didn't make point to why you find him creepy? When did you meet him?

TimeToShine

BlaasForRafa wrote: »

I found this review of the A Song of Ice and Fire series through a blog I regularly read called Pats Fantasy Hotlist. Anyhow this review is so full of hysterical rage and misconceptions it ends up being funny.

http://tigerbeatdown.com/2011/08/26/enter-ye-myne-mystic-world-of-gayng-raype-what-the-r-stands-for-in-george-r-r-martin/

Warning, the "review" does contain spoilers.

I thought it was very funny but it contains a little more than just "spoilers".