I know this post is from ages and ages ago, but I totally agree. The first time I read the books, I had just come of a huge Ursula K. LeGuin binge. (Basically I hold up her, Tolken and GRRM as the shining standards of what fantasy can and should be.) I was looking for some substantial and good fantasy that I hadn't read a million times already (a hard combo to find!) to read, and a friend recommended ASoIaF. I remember being TOTALLY struck by the similarity to the world in Planet of Exile. I also completely agree about LeGuin and Martin's talents with creating real characters. The tiny shout-out that strikes me every time I see his name is Hosteen Frey. There is a very minor character in Dan Simmons' Hyperion series called Ket Hosteen.
