Has ASOIAF changed the way you look at characters in other books?

[King of Winters]

Today in my school, in English Literature, we had to discuss which character in "Macbeth" we empathise with more. Then we had a little argument on my table because some of us picked Macbeth, some Macduff and some Banquo. It then struck me that if I had not read ASOIAF, with all the grey characters, I probably wouldn't like Macbeth as much, or at all.

So my question is have you read a book with a character that some would hate but you like because you can understand where they're coming from because of the grey characters in ASOIAF?

[My Bear so Fair]

Yes

Boromir from LOTR

Jack Torrance from The Shining

[Mladen]

There is a great parallel between Stark siblings, especially the sisters and Brothers Karamazov. I am now doing my reread of Russian novelists, and there is one quote I am particularly fond of:

‘The ladder’s the same. I’m at the bottom step, and you’re above, somewhere about the thirteenth. That’s how I see it. But it’s all the same. Absolutely the same in kind. Anyone on the bottom step is bound to go up to the top one.’

It speaks how we are same. Brothers Karamazov belonged to one family, as Arya and Sansa belong to Starks. they may be different, but at the end, they are flesh and blood... So, now when I read "Karamazovs", I am constantly thinking about Sansa/Arya...

Also, female characters impacted me a lot... I could never look at Eowyn with the same eyes after reading female POVs of ASOIAF.

[Lord Pupo]

Not sure, i've always really liked Macbeth, and felt sorry for him. But now that "My Bear so Fair" mentioned it, i never really cared about Boromir the first time i read it, years and years ago, but i certainly can simphatize more with him now.

[Dragonstoned]

Stannis Baratheon has ruined all other badasses of literature for me.

[SeanF]

I think it's rather the reverse for me. ASOIAF (and Joe Abercrombie) have poisoned the well. I find some virtuous characters hard to believe in. I don't find it credible that Galadriel refused the Ring, for example.

[The Crow]

I dont look at characters the same anymore...they all suck now.

[Zachary Snow]

I have read every single Dune novel. I think the Dune series is the greatest sci fi saga and aSoIaF is the greatest fantasy story. i still enjoy a lot of the characters that Frank Herbert invented but GRRM kind of surpassed it, speaking in terms of overall character depth. so when i look back at the some of the characters, like Baron Harkonnen and his nephews, they kind of seem like paper cut outs from a book of how to write a villain. of course Ramsay is sort of that way but Roose is definitly much deeper than all that

[Jon of the Dead]

For me it's the other way around, I've always prefered reading about grey characters, so when I started asoiaf I was quickly drawn to people others might hate at first glance, like Cersei, Theon, Stannis, etc

[SeanF]

I have read every single Dune novel. I think the Dune series is the greatest sci fi saga and aSoIaF is the greatest fantasy story. i still enjoy a lot of the characters that Frank Herbert invented but GRRM kind of surpassed it, speaking in terms of overall character depth. so when i look back at the some of the characters, like Baron Harkonnen and his nephews, they kind of seem like paper cut outs from a book of how to write a villain. of course Ramsay is sort of that way but Roose is definitly much deeper than all that

I've always appreciated a good villain, but ASOIAF has deepened that appreciation. Who can't admire Roose Bolton?

[King of Winters]

I've always appreciated a good villain, but ASOIAF has deepened that appreciation. Who can't admire Roose Bolton?

Erm, me. I'm blinded by my pure hatred of him :D

I think it's rather the reverse for me. ASOIAF (and Joe Abercrombie) have poisoned the well. I find some virtuous characters hard to believe in. I don't find it credible that Galadriel refused the Ring, for example.

I have read every single Dune novel. I think the Dune series is the greatest sci fi saga and aSoIaF is the greatest fantasy story. i still enjoy a lot of the characters that Frank Herbert invented but GRRM kind of surpassed it, speaking in terms of overall character depth. so when i look back at the some of the characters, like Baron Harkonnen and his nephews, they kind of seem like paper cut outs from a book of how to write a villain. of course Ramsay is sort of that way but Roose is definitly much deeper than all that

Yes, I had the same when I was reading other books, it didn't feel right if a character was shown to be wholly evil or good. I kept thinking there's got to be more to them, but there wasn't.

[illrede]

I think it's rather the reverse for me. ASOIAF (and Joe Abercrombie) have poisoned the well. I find some virtuous characters hard to believe in. I don't find it credible that Galadriel refused the Ring, for example.

I think she got it out of her system during her young kingslaying filibuster days. It's been a few thousand years since then.

[Queen of Whores]

The Malazan Book of the Fallen.

I started reading them immediately after finishing aDwD, as there's a (female) character in the second book I would normally pass off as annoying and bitchy, but soon realized she was incredibly complex and dark. Not Cersei level, of course, as this character I see more in the way of Dany, but with a much quicker moral descent.

[BRANDON GREYSTARK]

No .

[Batbob45]

no really

[CharlesW]

Sure. Most characters in the SciFi genre look incredibly dull now.