LotR vs. ASoIaF, which novel series do you prefer?

[Eating My Wings]

ASoIaF by far. LotR is just so very boring!

[Nerolunar]

I prefer ASOIAF because it has so many different characters, which I kind of felt LOTR did not have. It was mostly Good vs Evil, which is good enough, but ASOIAF just does it better plot-wise. I liked the idea of the Ring though. Also, ASOIAF has better character development IMO

[Darryk]

Well ASOIF is at the very least the next best thing, which in itself is a huge compliment.

Personally I find it difficult to pick between them, could prefer one the one day and the other the next. I'd say Tolkien's world wins when it comes to which is more mystical and which inspires a greater sense of wonder and adventure, but ASOIF wins in characters and plot.

[Lord Reaver]

For me, I like ASOIAF just because the hero doesn't always win, or die and then get back up again.

E's either dead, or worse.

Thus far.

Read the Tale of the Children of Hurin and come back and reread that post.

[Hukthagz]

Read the Tale of the Children of Hurin and come back and reread that post.

To be fair, this thread is about LOTR vs ASOIAF.

[King of Winters]

This is a really hard choice for me as I really like both series, but ASOIAF just beats LOTR for me.

They are different stories entirely, one is a big fantasy epic and one is a low key fantasy series that could be part of real life history. The style of writing is different and I think that's what makes my decision, Tolkien writes quite slow in some passages and lingers too long on some stuff. But that's not to say I don't like his works.

[eggs]

I subscribe to the consensus that Tolkien was a fantastic world-builder, but not that great an actual writer.

I read LOTR when I was 12 and couldn't appreciate it. I'm now rereading it and enjoying it a lot more. Which do I prefer? Story: ASoIaF; Setting: LOTR. Tolkein's world is so much...more than Martin's, it's awesome. However Martin's story telling is better (Tolkein is a bit slow) and ASoIaF has Stannis.

What they said.

[HODOR! HODOR!!]

Such a hard question, as they're both incredible in different ways. LOTR was my first love, so to speak, so I will always give it a slight sentimental edge, but ASOIAF is just as enjoyable to read. And for anyone who hasn't done so, you need to read the Silmarillion and Children of Hurin.

[Winterfellian]

Based solely on my personal opinion I prefer ASOIAF over LOTR. I just can get into the LOTR books, and I've tried twice just to give up after some frustrating months. The characters just don't entrance me enough and the fact that there is a severe lack of female characters is a big minus for me.

I do love the Silmarillion though. I prefer this book over the LOTR.

[StarkDragon]

Read the Tale of the Children of Hurin and come back and reread that post.

Thanks for the suggestion.

But as another person posted

To be fair, this thread is about LOTR vs ASOIAF.

[rystine]

50 years from now Tolkien's works on Middle Earth will still be studied as the standard by which all other fantasy works are measured (I should say I'm taking all of Tolkien's writings on Middle Earth into account, not just the LOTR trilogy). GRRM writes a good story with compelling characters, but it is hardly on the scale or significance of Tolkien. . . yet.

This question would probably be better asked in 10 or 15 years when GRRM is done with his story. But as of right now, Tolkien still holds the proverbial crown.

ETA: I think that in the past few years people base their judgement of Tolkien way too much on Peter Jackson's films. And while those are great movies, those films suffer the same thing that all book to film adaptations suffer, which is a simplification of the story and characters in order to be able to fit it on screen.

[Woftis]

ASoIaF any day.....though I've not yet read LotR :leaving:

[Nictarion]

Based solely on my personal opinion I prefer ASOIAF over LOTR. I just can get into the LOTR books, and I've tried twice just to give up after some frustrating months. The characters just don't entrance me enough and the fact that there is a severe lack of female characters is a big minus for me.

I do love the Silmarillion though. I prefer this book over the LOTR.

I think Silmarillion is my favorite Tolkein work as well.

[Moon-Pale Maiden]

I love them both equally. It's not a cop-out answer when you consider how different they truly are. A Song of Ice and Fire isn't finished yet, so its fun to think about the mysteries that haven't been solved. It's more interactive in that way, which is why I'm on a ASOIAF forum and not an LOTR forum.

LOTR, for me, is a sacred and beautiful fantasy world that is not sullied by human frailties, confusing and complex natures, questionable motives. It's pure - evil is evil, good is good. Elves are beautiful and ethereal, Hobbits are endearing, Dwarves are clever, brave and industrious. Its like slipping into an idyllic time that might have existed before modern humans made everything so complicated. Nothing will ever take the place of LOTR in my heart. It's been with me a long time and I can re-read it forever and never get bored with it.

That being said, ASOIAF is more fun, more accessable, more human. The world is more familiar, and so we can see ourselves in it. The characters have flaws that we can identify with. The story shows the dirty stuff - people piss themselves, kill others, good people die, bad people get rewarded. There is sex.

Now, would I want my hobbits having sex, or my elves pissing on themselves? Absolutely not. Would I want my Westeros sanitized and glorified to the point where Ned never loses his head, but instead kills all of the evil Lannisters and becomes king of the world? No. They both excel in the rules they set for themselves.

To sum it all up: I can fall in love with The Lord of the Rings...and have passionate sex with A Song of Ice and Fire, but not the other way around.

[Corvo Attano]

If you include The Children Of Hurin, Tolkien is a lot better. ASOIAF is better than LOTR on its own, but add in Tolkien's other works and he supersedes Martin by a big margin.

Lovecraft > Tolkien > Martin

[gash]

you can't really compare them tbh, totally different. the only thing they have in common is dragons.

[Erudain]

well don't lnow how you can compare them when they are nothing alike...is like asking someone which game do you prefer? Resident Evil or Final Fantasy?

[Stannis Eats No Peaches]

To sum it all up: I can fall in love with The Lord of the Rings...and have passionate sex with A Song of Ice and Fire, but not the other way around.

:lol: Couldn't have said it better myself.

[jons nissa]

i love both of them! i read tlor when i was a wee lass and it might be what hooked me on the fantasy genre for good. i must have been super busy with work for asoiaf to slip by me but now that i've read it, it's hard to read the simpler stuff. the first law trilogy is also good and is often called asoiaf lite because it's shorter not because it's "lighter".

I tried to read LOTR a little while after finishing ASOIAF, but I couldn't get into it. After like 100 pages I was thinking to myself "where is the incest? No crippled children? WTF man! Booooooring."

"where is the incest? No crippled children? WTF man! Booooooring." :lmao: i know, right? but i promise they have their own merit.

Never even read Lotr. Don't judge me

i'm judging, E-Ro. :spank: they are awesome and it isn't for nothing that asoiaf is called the adult version of tlor and grrm is called the american tolkien. i think you'd like them.

[mrunderhill]

I subscribe to the consensus that Tolkien was a fantastic world-builder, but not that great an actual writer. Also I'm not too fond of some of his views, some of which are reflected in pretty strongly in his work (mostly thinking of his stance on science and technology and all that stuff here).

So, I prefer ASOIAF, but I respect LOTR for inspiring GRRM and so many other writers in the first place.

I disagree I think Tolkien was a fantastic story teller and has shown the ability to tell stories in many different styles and from so many different points of view. Trying reading the story of Aldarion and Erendis to see a deep understanding of the relationship between character or The Children of Hurin to see a brilliantly done tragedy. I do agree that his views are reflected in his work, but that is true for every author. You cannot help, but put yourself into a story.

I like Martin's work and think he is very good, but for me Tolkien is at least a level above in both creating a world and story telling.