King of thrones Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 And why do you think so? What is it that makes ASoiaF better or worse than LOTR? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaworth'sShipmate Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Its better because there are more strong female role models and child role models, and seriously addresses the inequities of the time. LOTR kind of did it with Eowyn but not very much at all. There are villains in ASOIAF, but they aren't over the top irredeemable demons such as exist in LOTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorian Martell Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 It is not better, it is different and ASOIAF would not and could not exist with LOTR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonCon's Red Beard Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmnomnomPomelo Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 For me ASOIAF is better. In LOTR there are good and evil side. You know since start that the good side will win for sure. ASOIAF is more "realistic" and don't come up with the typical "evil has to be destroyed, good always win" stuff, you can know the story from different point of views. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Typer of Dorne Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 For me yes, the reason being that I find that ASOIAF explains the reasons behind the actions of the characters more than LOTR, the characters are also not as black and white as LOTR most of the villians have redeeming feature and most of the heroes are flawed in some ways. I love both but ASOIAF wins IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuickReviveGuy Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 IMO ASoIaF is better than LoTR because I find Tolkien utterly humorless. GRRM is way better in this aspect. Tolkien also always has the protagonists making their merry way out of something that would have killed someone in real life. (eucatastrophes?). Martin is totally unpredictable. That's why I like ASoIaF better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nictarion Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 I love them both, but I give ASoIaF a slight edge for having more fleshed out characters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mladen Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 It is not better, it is different and ASOIAF would not and could not exist with LOTR. Good answer... Its better because there are more strong female role models and child role models, and seriously addresses the inequities of the time. LOTR kind of did it with Eowyn but not very much at all. Dorian answered it... There isn't much child role-models in ASOIAF, since ASOIAF isn't children-oriented series. As for female characters, Martin surpasses Tolkien in sheer number, but Eowyn alone have sublimed quite numerous characters of ASOIAF. People speak that Tolkien was sexist but entire Eowyn's storyline contradicts it. I would actually dare to argue that Tolkien was the first ecofeminist ever. So, as far as female characters go, Martin dealt with some other issues, involving misogyny and sexuality, but Tolkien also went, and far enough with Eowyn. At the end, as Dorian answered it... It's different and most of the time, it's just matter of taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aryagonnakill#2 Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Because its written better... I'm sure there are some that will disagree but I don't think lotr was written very well and found it a boring read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rrachel Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Neither is better, it all comes down to a thing of the taste of the reader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePosterThatWasPromised Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Personally I enjoy it far more, but it's hard to really say for sure. A couple of things that I think make it better: -The character development: there is not a single cliched character in this series. Every important character is deep on so many levels and every single one of them has unique aspects that draw different readers to different heroes. -It's not a classic battle of good vs. evil. When it comes to the Game of Thrones aspect; you can have different people cheering for different contenders. There are many different people with legitimate claims to the IT and many more fans cheering for all of them to win it: Stannis, Dany, Jon, Aegon. Also, who can really say who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? Starks and Lannisters and Baratheons and Targaryens and Martells and whatever: there all just families. Adds a level of depth that Lord of the Rings add. -No classic adventure. GRRM has roped in all aspects of literature; the adventure, yes, but there is romance, mystery, more deceit, and comic relief that Tolkien never even touched upon. -Most importantly for me though, is that the world is the most interesting. Between the clashes between families, the many different religions, the fact that he gives us a look at all corners of the world.... it just gets you involved more. But it is just opinion and I'll emphasize what Dorian said: without LOTR we wouldn't have ASOIAF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueOrFalse Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 I think they're both pretty much on the same level, but I much prefer ASOIAF. I just think the characters are better but, as other people have said, it's a matter of taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakeThemBurn Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 I was just forced to watch the last Hobbit movie and I was reminded why I've always disliked fantasy as a genre. All the characters are one-dimensional and then there's always some mysterious evil that comes across the border. Life is not like that. 99% of the evil things in the world are created by people. We are evil. And that is why I love this series because GRRM is just as cynical as I am by showcasing a grey cast and reminding us that the human race is the source of all evil in the world. I hope this series doesn't end up as people vs. the Others as many are suggesting but even if it did, nothing the Others could do at this point could diminish the cruelty his characters have shown so far.Also, one thing that warms my cynical heart is how GRRM writes about animals. I'm very fond of all the wolf dreams going on because of the way he writes from an animal point of view. And the interaction Dany has with Drogon at the end of ADWD underlines the need for men to understand animals instead of whipping them into submission or locking them up in the dark.ASOIAF is an intelligent read with complex and evil characters, whereas LOTR is "just fantasy" to me. Although there was effort behind Gollum, I'll give the author that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliceRose Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Martin doesn't force his own morality upon the reader, in ASOIAF everyone can choose which side he is.I don't like LOTR in so many levels, but more than everything else i hate when someone tells me what is right and what is wrong, i'm capable to form my opinions by myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferocious Veldt Roarer Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 For me ASOIAF is better. In LOTR there are good and evil side. You know since start that the good side will win for sure. ASOIAF is more "realistic" and don't come up with the typical "evil has to be destroyed, good always win" stuff, you can know the story from different point of views. Wanna bet that here we'll get the same kind of ending? The Others will be defeated. House Stark will again rule in Winterfell. Spring will come. Of course there'll be plenty of bitter stuffed around to offset that sweet. Such was the case with LOTR, as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookiesbane Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Better in terms of what?Although both stories are in the same literary genre they were created with completely different ambitions and goals in mind. Tolkien wanted to write a fantasy epic inspired by fairy tales sagas and myths and he succeeded. Martin wanted to write a character story in a fantasy world inspired by medieval history. If want to really compare them in terms of quality you have to see how they managed to reach the goals they set for themselves. Also, criticizing Tolkien for the simplicity of his characters and his plot is like criticizing the inventor of the wheel for not creating the type of wheels and tires you find in modern vehicles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronn Urgandy Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 I am not sure, I've only read Lord of the Rings once though, whereas I am about 4 or 5 re-reads through ASOIAF. When I first typed that out I thought it'd have some meaning, but not really, I've only seen Schindlers list once whereas I've seen the Expendables about 4 or 5 times... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtack Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 One is written in a deliberately mythic style; the other in a gritty, 'real' style. One, as noted, is also one of the primary antecedents to the other. I will note that I think Lord of the Rings is often made out to be a far more saccharine work than it actually is. I was just forced to watch the last Hobbit movie and I was reminded why I've always disliked fantasy as a genre. I was just forced to spend the weekend with my sister and I was reminded why I've always disliked women as a gender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyrhex Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Couldn't get past Bucklebury Ferry... so ASOIAF by a long shot for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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