Jacelynbywater Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Hello fellow Asoiaf fans. I was wondering things like.. What did Martin base Westeros off of?I know I've read that his Asoiaf series is based off the War of the Roses and The Hundred Years War.... But I'm curiousif that basis is just for the theme and settings and reality of the medieval society.. And not for the geography of Westeros and The free cities Etc. So to speak did he just start drawing a continent just from his imagination? (Which might be hard to know without asking him)Or maybe my question is.. Is the medieval 'war of the roses' backdrop just for grasping the.. reality and brutality and greed that long ago existed? compared to his geography and Major and minor houses being made up?Sorry if it seems confusing, I guess I'm wondering what of the series Asoiaf are based off real history, if any, and what parts aren't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howdyphillip Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 A travesty! I just read a list of all of the Hugo award winners, and what books they ran against, and this is one of their smallest slights. I disagreed with the VAST majority of their opinions. Even though the Potter books do not hold a candle to the creativeness and workmanship that goes into ASOIF, they are at least a good ambassador into the world of sci-fi and fantasy. HansE and Richard Rivers 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Stark Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Thanks for this excellent and informative backstory. I am hoping that Book 6 will be easier to write because there won't be any Meereneese knots and re-conceptualizations of the story arc. Fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Alaster Posted July 24, 2011 Share Posted July 24, 2011 Thanks, I didn't know any of this lol I'm still reading AFFC but I can't wait to read a dance with dragons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shahrizai Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 This is an amazing post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Non-Human Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Brilliant post. Very interesting to see how it all developed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SerShakey Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 Thanks for the detailed post (I'm the first one to say that, I know...). Does anyone have any other fun facts about the genesis of characters, places or storylines/theology in the ASoF&I series? (I wonder if Casterly Rock is not an homage to Stephen King's fictional Castle Rock, although I am not sure if the two writers know each other's work or have spoken/written publicly about the other. I wonder if any of GRRM's upbringing or other personal interactions influenced any of the characters in his saga, and if so, how?) He's probably one of the most influential writers and pop culture influencers (w/ the help of the ongoing HBO series) of the latter 20th and 21st century, and if there's any additional information regarding his writing process and the creative origins of his world in this series, it would be much appreciated if anyone could share a web link or scuttlebucket regarding this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boojam Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Long AgoI don't think it would be off topic in 'Long Ago' to mention that George started as a well regarded science fiction writer.Especially in the early 1970's.That he won three HUGOs and a NEBULA between 1975 and 1986, and more awards later.This is how I got to know his work ... as a fine science fiction writer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICE CROW Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 (edited) Now this is interesting. I'd always assumed that both Feast and this upcoming book were planned solely as the "five-year-gap-filler," even if it was no longer five years. Indeed I was wondering questions like "Why is he using the title A Dance of Dragons for a book that is just the second half of A Feast for Crows and not the original Dance of Dragons? And why is he saying it will be seven books when it will clearly be eight?" This explanation now sheds some light. I was hoping GRRM wouldn't be so clueless...Still, wasn't the original plan for A Dance of Dragons to involve Dany's invasion of Westeros and the chaos that would ensue from that? Or am I not remembering that correctly? If that is case, then he hasn't written all of what he originally planned for A Dance of Dragons. So he has...what, two and a half books left?Im new to the ASOIAF fandom but when i was reading alot of other sites when i was first learning about the series i had come across the same thing that ADWD would have been about danys landing with the dragons in westeros.Obviously things have changed and it's gonna take more books for the truth to emerge. And i think 9 books is the magic number. Edited August 17, 2011 by ICE CROW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sphinx The Riddle Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Good read.. Thank you.. Question to everyone.. Are his other books just as good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elenya Westerling Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Good read.. Thank you.. Question to everyone.. Are his other books just as good?Some of his short stories are arguably better. I haven't read Fevre Dream yet, although that's supposed to be quite good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elder Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Excellent post, and makes one understand why so much time was spent on the previous two books. Great job :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted September 8, 2011 Author Share Posted September 8, 2011 Does anyone have any other fun facts about the genesis of characters, places or storylines/theology in the ASoF&I series? GRRM's short story anthology, Dreamsongs (publshed in two volumes in paperback) contains autobiographical essays between each section. In one of these he talks about how R'hllor, Barristan, Dothraki and a few other terms and names originated in fantasy short stories he wrote as a teenager but never finished or published. Gottaluvwolf 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mor2 Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Im new to the ASOIAF fandom but when i was reading alot of other sites when i was first learning about the series i had come across the same thing that ADWD would have been about danys landing with the dragons in westeros. Obviously things have changed and it's gonna take more books for the truth to emerge. And i think 9 books is the magic number.I thought that seven, was the magic number and now you talk of eight and even nine books! *sighs*, why do I star reading all those endless series that hooks you up, like soap operas hooks Housewifes :shocked: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrypticWeirwood Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 (edited) I just read a list of all of the Hugo award winners, and what books they ran against, and this is one of their smallest slights. I disagreed with the VAST majority of their opinions. Even though the Potter books do not hold a candle to the creativeness and workmanship that goes into ASOIF, they are at least a good ambassador into the world of sci-fi and fantasy.There are a lot of people who would disagree with you on the Harry Potter stuff being a good intro to F&SF, but that one I’ll let ago. The important thing to realize is there are three major sets of awards:The Hugo Awards, by the readers (fans)The Nebula Awards, by the writersThe Locus Awards, by the criticsActual details of who gets to vote for what aren’t quite as simple as I’ve made them out ot be, but that’s a reasonable first approximation and general overview. I’m friends with one professional genre critic, and to her the Hugos are just a big and silly popularity contest, one that often says little about the technical quality of the work. She really barely looks at them. In that circle, the Locus Awards are the most important and the Nebulas come in second, with the Hugos hardly worth a mention. Here is how Martin has done in each of those three awards:Hugo: 4 wins out of 16 nominationsNebula: 2 wins out of 12 nominationsLocus: 11 wins out of 54 nominationsOne reason there are so many more Locus nominations is both because there are more categories and because each category there gets more nominations. If you think of Locus as a sort of advisory feeder to Hugo and Nebula, this makes sense. Here is the breakdown first by award and then by year of Martin’s nominations and wins. I think you will see that the works he lost to are more reasonable in the Nebulas and unimpeachable in the Locus Awards.Hugo: 16 nominations, 4 wins Best Novel1989 nomination for Dying of the Light, lost to Gateway by Frederik Pohl2001 nomination for A Storm of Swords, lost to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling2006 nomination for A Feast for Crows, lost to Spin by Robert Charles WilsonBest Novella1975 win for A Song for Lya1976 nomination (with Lisa Tuttle) for The Storms of Windhaven, lost to Home is the Hangman by Roger Zelazny1981 nomination (with Lisa Tuttle) for One-Wing, lost to Lost Dorsai by Gordon R. Dickson1981 nomination for Nightflyers, lost to Lost Dorsai by Gordon R. Dickson1983 nomination for Unsound Variations, lost to Souls by Joanna Russ1997 win for Blood of the DragonBest Novelette1976 nomination for And Seven Times Kill a Man, lost to The Borderland of Sol by Larry Niven1980 win for Sandkings (this also won the Nebula)1982 nomination for Guardians, lost to Roger Zelazny’s Unicorn Variation1984 nomination for The Monkey Treatment, lost to Greg Bear’s Blood Music1986 nomination for Portraits of His Children, lost to Harlan Ellison’s Paladin of the Lost HourBest Short Story1974 nomination for “With Morning Comes Mistfall”, lost to Ursula K. Le Guin’s “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”1980 win for “The Way of Cross and Dragon”John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer1973 nomination, lost to Jerry Pournell Nebula: 12 nominations, 2 wins Best Novel1997 nomination for A Game of Thrones, lost to The Moon and the Sun by Vonda McIntyre1999 nomination for A Clash of Kings, lost to Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler2001 nomination for A Storm of Swords, lost to The Quantum Rose by Catherine AsaroBest Novella1974 nomination for A Song for Lya, lost to Born with the Dead by Robert Silverberg1975 nomination (with Lisa Tuttle) for The Storms of Windhaven, lost to Home is the Hangman by Roger Zelazny1982 nomination for Unsound Variations, lost to Another Orphan by John Kessel1996 nomination for Blood of the Dragon, lost to Da Vinci Rising by Jack DannBest Novelette1977 nomination for The Stone City, lost to The Screwfly Solution by Racoona Sheldon (alias of Alice Sheldon)1979 win for The Sandkings (this also won the Hugo)1985 win for Portraits of Her ChildrenBest Short Story1973 nomination for “With Morning Comes Mistfall”, lost to “Love Is the Plan the Plan Is Death” by James Tiptree, Jr.1979 nomination for “The Way of Cross and Dragon”, lost to “giANTS” by Edward Bryant Locus 54 total nominations (46 in fiction), 11 wins (all in fiction) Here the number in parentheses indicates the final ballot ranking for that non-winning nomination. I’ve only shown whom he lost to for the novels. Fantasy Novel1983 nomination (3) for Fevre Dream, lost to The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe1984 nomination (3) for The Armageddon Rag, lost to The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley1997 win for A Game of Thrones1999 win for A Clash of Kings2001 win for A Storm of Swords2006 nomination (2) for A Feast for Crows, lost to Anansi Boys by Neil GaimanSF Novel1978 nomination (10) for Dying of the Light, lost to Gateway by Frederik Pohl1982 nomination (2) for Windhaven [by GRRM & Lisa Tuttle], lost to The Many-Colored Land by Julian MayNovellete1976 nomination (3) for And Seven Times Never Kill Man1976 nomination (6) for .for a single yesterday1977 nomination (8) for Meathouse Man1980 win for Sandkings1982 win for Guardians1984 win for The Monkey Treatment1986 nomination (3) for Portraits of His Children1986 nomination (6) for Under Siege1987 nomination (3) for The Glass Flower1988 nomination (18) for The Pear-Shaped ManNovella1975 nomination (2) for A Song for Lya1976 win for The Storms of Windhaven [by Lisa Tuttle & GRRM]1981 win for Nightflyers1981 nomination (13) for One-Wing [by Lisa Tuttle & GRRM]1983 nomination (2) for Unsound Variations1986 nomination (4) for The Plague Star1986 nomination (7) for Loaves and Fishes1989 nomination (7) for The Skin Trade1997 nomination (2) for Blood of the Dragon1999 nomination (3) for The Hedge Knight2001 nomination (3) for Path of the Dragon2004 nomination (4) for The Sworn Sword2005 nomination (9) for Shadow Twin [by Gardner Dozois, GRRM & Daniel Abraham]Short Fiction1973 nomination (7) for The Second Kind of Loneliness1974 nomination (8) for With Morning Comes Mistfall1978 nomination (tie for 19) Bitterblooms1978 nomination (7) for The Stone CityShort Story1977 nomination (8) for “This Tower of Ashes”1980 win for “The Way of Cross and Dragon”1982 nomination (3) for “The Needle Men”1982 nomination (5) for “Remembering Melody”Anthology1989 nomination (6) for Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad2010 nomination (3) for Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honor of Jack Vance [GRRM & Gardner Dozois, eds.]1980 nomination (7) for New Voices II1981 nomination (10) for New Voices III1982 nomination (4) for New Voices 41985 nomination (tie for 11) for The John W. Campbell Awards, Volume 51987 nomination (2) for Wild CardsAuthor Collection1977 win for A Song for Lya and Other StoriesCollection1986 nomination (4) for Nightflyers1987 nomination (5) for Tuf Voyaging1988 nomination (6) for Portraits of His Children2002 nomination (15) for Quartet2004 nomination (2) for GRRM: A RRetrospectiveSingle Author Collection1982 win for SandkingsEditor1989 nomination (13) Edited September 18, 2011 by CrypticWeirwood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordManderBlee Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 If you haven't read his short stories you should buy Dreamsongs. I just finished it and it was excellent, reminded me how talented of a writer he is. Sandkings is honestly one of the best short stories I've ever read by far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warlock Vetolgar Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Has anyone read The Armaggedon Rag? I've read the first few pages on Amazon and it hooked me, but it wouldn't be the first book I read that started well and ended up in the rubbish bin, so I'd like to hear what other readers have to say about it. What say you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craven Mummer Posted November 13, 2011 Share Posted November 13, 2011 I started reading the books after watching the HBO series. I powered my way through them back to back. I am worried that either GRRM or I might not make it through the conclusion. At this pace, are we done by 2025? How old us GRRM? Is anyone else concerned? He needs to fo some succession planning because after 1,000s of pages, he can't leave us hanging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werthead Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 I started reading the books after watching the HBO series. I powered my way through them back to back. I am worried that either GRRM or I might not make it through the conclusion. At this pace, are we done by 2025? How old us GRRM? Is anyone else concerned? He needs to fo some succession planning because after 1,000s of pages, he can't leave us hanging.GRRM is 63. Discussions of his mortality on this board, which is frequented by his friends and family, is frowned upon as it is not a pleasant topic to raise. However, GRRM has said that he has given notes on how the series ends to HBO for their planning for the TV series, so an outline (however basic) of the remainder of the story does exist. FanTasy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Nicholls Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 On reading about the collection Legends I was hit by a sudden memory and ran into my old room to check my bookshelf. Sure enough, the book was there, bought by my Dad years ago (he was a huge Terry Pratchett fan). Although I'd never read it I picked it up and looked at it a fair few times, but the name GRRM meant nothing to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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