http://dailyuw.com/archive/2014/04/08/a ... 0TxOKKmcQtPower is familiar territory for fantasy epic, but it is not normally examined so unflinchingly. Because fantasy is such an immediate turn-off for so many people, most of the examples that make it out of the nerd ghetto - Lord of the Rings chief among them, of course - have their escape justified by an appeal to the safest kind of story: the triumph of good over evil. This childish tendency was memorably described by the sci-fi writer Michael Moorcock as 'Epic Pooh'. I came to Game of Thrones shortly after seeing the first part of The Hobbit, Peter Jackson's indulgent Tolkien adaptation that hews closely to all the most tiresome tropes of the genre, and, despite HBO's fine track record for making genres dirty, I was ready to dismiss it in the same way.
Most controversial passage in this (for me):
Fiction is a form of escape, and fantasy is perhaps the greatest escape of all, so it may seem silly to criticize “The Lord of the Rings” for lacking in realism and relatability. And while it’s triumphant to see good defeat evil in Tolkien’s trilogy its relevance ends when we return to reality and can’t solve problems by throwing them into a fire. Ultimately it’s easier to escape to something that connects with us and without sacrificing the swords and sorcery that make fantasy so exciting, “A Song of Ice and Fire” is realistic where it counts and strikes at the most internal conflicts that define humanity.
It's interesting that while both LotR and GoT/ASoIaF are set in pseudo mediaeval worlds, GoT is now seen as 'grown-up' fantasy while LotR is for nerds/children (or adults who refuse to grow up and live in the adult fantasy world of GoT.)
Yes, the two secondary worlds are different, and reflect the worlds/values of the authors, but, perhaps due to our own egotism, we feel (or are supposed to feel) that the fantasy created in our time is superior to the one created in the fifties, just as we are 'superior' (more intelligent/advanced) than the innocent/ignorant souls living back then - we know what the world is REALLY like and what REALLY motivates people. The characters in GoT are not shallow, petty-minded, cruel, self obsessed, greedy sociopaths but real human beings who know how things work in the real world. Just like us readers/viewers.
I don't think ASoIaF (the books) is better than dozens of other fantasy series - well, atleast Book 1 isn't. It's fairly typical fantasy fare. The fact it's been picked up by HBO has given it greater significance than it deserves as a fantasy series imo. It's more or less an entertaining read, but not good literature (which LotR is).
All the added sex and violence in the TV-series actually ties their hands as to what they are able to do creatively. And in the end sex and violence become ends in themselves, lose any shock value, and become boring.
But that's only my view, but I am interested if anyone else sees any fair criticism among these after the rise in popularity of GoT?