Competitive Non-Fiction

Like many others, I hadn’t heard of the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin until the TV show came out. Even after hearing about it, I didn’t realize that it had become a staple of the fantasy genre and that opinions about the series were as varied and controversial as the fans are passionate. I learned all of this after I finished the final book and began to look at online message boards to try and interpret the last moment of the fifth book. There, I found that the books were highly controversial, and that fans loved to argue about the books as much as they loved to read them.

I read the first book while I was watching the TV series, leapfrogging back and forth between TV episodes and book chapters. It was somewhat frustrating, but given how closely the two stories align and how the book contains more details, I enjoyed the experience of comparing the two in as close to real time as possible. My only complaint about the TV series was that the wolves didn’t play a prominent enough role. The first book, Game of Thrones, was by far my favourite. The plot was straightforward compared to the others, and looking back, the violence was more palatable and the characters more loveable. In fact, it was much more innocent in many ways.

The second to fifth books start to run together in my mind. The intrigue starts to twist and turn and become more tangled and complex. The violence gets unbearable at some points and my favourite characters were pushed further and further away from where I thought they’d be. There were times where I threw the book across the room, cursed loudly and shouted loudly to the empty room, “this is a complete fucking mess.” I still feel that way, but I can see Martin’s reasoning now. In war, anyone can die at any time, and death isn’t the only way to destroy a person. There is no safety in war and there is no safety in these books. It’s a mess because anything else would be unrealistic.

Martin remains steadfastly loyal to the reality of how a political situation or personal conflict would play out, and he seems unapologetic about how devastated his fans are about certain events. His characters make mistakes.  They ignore what is right in front of them. Devastating and frustrating events conspire. And, fans get pissed off. Martin seems to continue with his original design, aware but uncaring that even his most loyal fans are frustrated with some of his decisions. 

When speaking about the final event of the 5^th book, Martin was surprised by the shock that fans felt, saying “don’t you think the text established why…” And despite how angry I am about that particular event, Martin is impossible to argue with. I may have thrown each of the books down and started cursing multiple times, but I also ran across the room quickly to pick it back up and keep reading. I will absolutely read the 6^th book when it comes out and I’ll do my best not to break any lamps.

I’ve been slowly coming around to the conclusion that some of the fun of reading this series is getting to be frustrated, angered, and obsessed by the plot twists and turns. Despite my frustration, and maybe even because of it, I would highly recommend that you check this series out.