In this episode Sridhar and I discuss the upcoming Amazon show, Rings of Power, and the prequel to Game of Thrones - House of the Dragon. The discussion turns to the variant means by which Tolkien and Martin approach morally dubious characters like Gollum, or the Lannisters. Both of us are unrepentent in our bias toward Tolkien, and as I argue throughout the podcast, much of what is said to constitute Martin’ s genius is done better elsewhere, and frequently with much greater nuance. So, if you’re a Martin fan, you will probably find a lot here to argue with.
With that said, we don’t quite *hate* Martin, and there are certainly interesting things he does with some of his characters. But in our opinion his fans often over-egg Martin’s literary/philosophical importance, and in doing so usually seek to diminish Tolkien in the process. Here, we seek to redress the balance and criticise elements of Martin’s fiction that we find unbelievable, incoherent, or less unique than fan-stans claim.
Tolkien, Martin, and morally dubious characters