A Song of Ice and Fire is Ruthless!

I wrote a post about George R.R. Martin's series a few months ago.  At that point in time, I had watched the first two seasons of 'Game of Thrones' on HBO and had read only two of the books.  The book series of which 'Game of Thrones' is but the first novel is entitled 'A Song of Ice and Fire'.  I do believe that 'Game of Thrones' however is the title of the television series.  'Television series' sounds wrong in this context.  It really is an ongoing epic film, divided into episodes.

As I read the third book, 'A Storm of Swords', I began to realise how utterly ruthless this particular novelist is.  One by one, characters he has created are mangled, mutilated, abused, defeated and often, finally destroyed.  I do not understand how he is able to create such wonderful characters, to walk in their skins for awhile, as it were, and then force them to bite the dust.  It is difficult for me to read these books now, because I am almost holding my breath waiting for the next tragedy or loss.  Life is not half as brutal to our family and friends as Martin is to his characters...

That having been written, I still think the books are marvelous and I hope that he will continue to write his way through the history of these kingdoms.   His writing is vibrant and he has a gift for description as well as dialogue.  His style is not as literary as Tolkien but he does remind me of Tolkien in many ways, especially in his layers of history and storytelling.  All the tales that are half-told or simply earn a quick mention.  One is conscious of the extraordinary detail in his creation.  Every character has a history that is felt by the reader even if unwritten.

I wish, however, I could resuscitate at least half of the characters who have died since the start of the series.    I wasn't DONE with them by any means.