Brandon Sanderson Has This One Issue With George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire Books

Over the last two decades, fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson has made a name for himself. He has climbed the ranks and has a bunch of books that would rival any author’s bibliography. And like many people, Sanderson is a fan of George R.R. Martin and his popular A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Before we dive into this topic, it is important to note that Sanderson is a fan of Martin and his work. On Reddit, he said that he has “enormous respect for GRRM and his talent as a storyteller.”

But having respect for someone doesn’t mean you can’t also criticize them. A Song of Ice and Fire series has become one of the most popular works of fantasy literature for good and bad. The storytelling and writing is fantastic but it is also very dark. It is why I don’t like to recommend to other people.

Sanderson finds that Martin’s book are pessimistic and he isn’t wrong. Character die constantly and the ones that don’t go through a lot of a hardships.

“With Ice and Fire, I specifically found Daenerys’s plot too brutal. I’m all for putting characters into terrible situations, and letting horrible things happen. But her plot crossed the line for me,” Sanderson wrote on the comment thread. “There’s a kind of brilliance to the way that plot played out, but when I was done with it, I just felt sick.”

And while Sanderson does say that because he is a Mormon, he isn’t all of the explicit stuff that takes place in the novel. But he is right because a lot of that stuff does go too far and it is why only HBO, known for violence and sex TV Shows, was the only one that could adapt the books.

Daenerys is one of the many characters that goes through hell in the books. The antagonists in the novel are cruel and often times have endless power and reign. We all know that is a recipe for the worst. My take on the book is that Martin was showcasing the cruelty that some people have and if given free rein, would take it to the extreme.

The books are not for everyone and that is fine. If it wasn’t for the popular Game of Thrones TV show, the books would never have been as popular as they are. Martin’s writing style and books are not for everyone.

It is rare for an author to criticize another. J.R.R. Tolkien famously declined to review the Dune novels because he didn’t like them but out of respect for his fellow writer, didn’t review the book.

Sanderson will catch some flack from fans of A Song of Ice and Fire and other authors for his public comments. But he is a fan at the end of the day. And as a fan of fantasy novels, you have to read A Song of Ice and Fire.

What do you make of Sanderson’s comments about A Song of Ice and Fire? Would the novel have been a lot different if they didn’t have all that violence and cruelty? Let us know in the comments below. Happy reading!

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