Eosin Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 This "mission statement" was pointed out on another board. I thought it was insightful. "On Fantasy" by George R. R. Martin The best fantasy is written in the language of dreams. It is alive as dreams are alive, more real than real ... for a moment at least ... that long magic moment before we wake. Fantasy is silver and scarlet, indigo and azure, obsidian veined with gold and lapis lazuli. Reality is plywood and plastic, done up in mud brown and olive drab. Fantasy tastes of habaneros and honey, cinnamon and cloves, rare red meat and wines as sweet as summer. Reality is beans and tofu, and ashes at the end. Reality is the strip malls of Burbank, the smokestacks of Cleveland, a parking garage in Newark. Fantasy is the towers of Minas Tirith, the ancient stones of Gormenghast, the halls of Camelot. Fantasy flies on the wings of Icarus, reality on Southwest Airlines. Why do our dreams become so much smaller when they finally come true? We read fantasy to find the colors again, I think. To taste strong spices and hear the songs the sirens sang. There is something old and true in fantasy that speaks to something deep within us, to the child who dreamt that one day he would hunt the forests of the night, and feast beneath the hollow hills, and find a love to last forever somewhere south of Oz and north of Shangri-La. They can keep their heaven. When I die, I'd sooner go to middle Earth. Direct Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanguard00 Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] They can keep their heaven. When I die, I'd sooner go to middle Earth. Hear hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boomer Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] Martin has become one of my new favorite Authors. I need to get ahold of Feast of Crows....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austenandrews Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] Eloquently put, but I'm equally willing to find magic in smokestacks, parking garages and jet airliners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithcurtis Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] And the Shire had a fair number of smokestacks and mills (for a while). But it's a wonderful sentiment. Unfortunately, I just couldn't find that kind of wonder in AGoT. Susan has read them. I just read the first half of the first one. Keith "On the whole, I'd rather be in Oz" CUrtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austenandrews Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] Solidarity, brother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] The only spoilers to the genre of fantasy are the people who insist it must be set in the past and contain magic ;-p One of my friends who also likes Martin, is also somewhat annoyed with him - for his casual killing of main characters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Long Posted January 31, 2006 Report Share Posted January 31, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] Very nice, but I wish he'd take his own advice and leave out the sex scenes. Even more so than his gratuitous killing-off of characters they ruin the flavor of his SoI&F novels for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] I'm trying to imagine what sex scenes might be bothering you. GRRM does sex pretty tastefully, and generally not gratuitously. They are not graphically described as in the works of Jean Auel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanguard00 Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] They're not as graphic, but I noted an apparent increase in "casual" sexual scenes in Feast of Crows. I don't know if it can be considered gratuitous or not but it detracted a little (granted, only a little) from my overall enjoyment of the most recent book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] ? I count two. No, wait, three. Is that a lot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] No. I would define Laurell K Hamilton as gratuitious, but not Martin - although I've only read the books up to Feast of Crows, and not that one yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Typist Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] It infuriates me how he goes about killing off the WRONG characters! Sheesh. I mean, it is really well done, but I hate him for it to. Sometimes I think he does it just to remain "unpredictable." And yes, Hamilton's sex stuff is kinda annoying. However, the real reason I dislike it is that as the books progrss, the sex seems to have more and more control over Anita's and her actions. Basically, it is getting dangerously close to mind control, which I hate as a general concept, at least when it removes what I think is free will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erkenfresh Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] It is precisely the fact that he kills off characters that I keep reading his books. I read a book called The Briar King (forgot the author) which develops a few heroes. After the first few chapters, I was certain none of these heroes would ever die. The mortality of the characters makes it seem much more real. Feast of Crows is so-so. It's only half of a book Martin admits. The other half may come out this year if we're lucky. The only characters I cared about reading in this one were Jaime and Brienne. The rest were a bit boring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rage Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] Martin has become one of my new favorite Authors. I need to get ahold of Feast of Crows....... So good bt infuriaating, because its only really half a book. You get the next half of the perspective characters later on this year, but you have to wait until 2008 or later to get the next chronological volume. ARRGH! I pray this doesn't turn into Wheel of time. GRR is my main man you see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayapuppies Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] I've only read the first book and that was a few years ago. I just bought it and the second book (still waiting for the second one to arrive). I loved it and couldn't put it down. My fave character, by far, was the dwarf (in the real world term) character. Can't remember his name. In my mind he was an incredibly original creation with an amazing depth of character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted February 1, 2006 Report Share Posted February 1, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] Tyrion. So good bt infuriaating' date=' because its only really half a book. You get the next half of the perspective characters later on this year, but you have to wait until 2008 or later to get the next chronological volume. ARRGH! I pray this doesn't turn into Wheel of time.[/quote'] It could. AFoC shows pretty clearly how the story is getting away from GRRM a little bit; I think he's introduced just a few too many POV characters. However, I suspect that the long hiatus between ASoS and AFoC was at least partly because GRRM had to step back and really map out how the rest of the series is going to go. I'd still expect the series to bloat further than his last estimate of seven books, and wind up at eight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guzalot Posted February 2, 2006 Report Share Posted February 2, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] It is precisely the fact that he kills off characters that I keep reading his books. I read a book called The Briar King (forgot the author) which develops a few heroes. After the first few chapters' date=' I was certain none of these heroes would ever die. The mortality of the characters makes it seem much more real.[/quote'] I agree. The fact that a favorite character can die heightens the suspense factor for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curufea Posted February 2, 2006 Report Share Posted February 2, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] Joss Whedon took notes ;-p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rune Posted February 2, 2006 Report Share Posted February 2, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] I enjoyed A Feast for Crows but not as much as the earlier books in the series. I felt that he overused cliffhanger endings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rage Posted February 2, 2006 Report Share Posted February 2, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] I agree. The fact that a favorite character can die heightens the suspense factor for me. hell, Arya's ending in the latest ending gives me hope. You just don't see that in fantasy. (I love her to bits ofcourse.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Typist Posted February 2, 2006 Report Share Posted February 2, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] hell' date=' Arya's ending in the latest ending gives me hope. You just don't see that in fantasy. (I love her to bits ofcourse.)[/quote'] See, beacuse you have begun to experience hope, Arrya will now die. I haven't read Crows yet, but this is the way of Martin. LONG LIVE THE STARKS! TRUE KINGS OF THE NORTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Posted February 2, 2006 Report Share Posted February 2, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] I think Martin basically knows who it's going to take to get from point A to point B and kills off character indiscrimanately if they're not required for that purpose. I think it keeps the reader on their toes and makes you actually worry if the protagonist is going to make it. Steve made some comments about the explicitness of the sex scenes back in FH and I thought it seemed odd then. We all have different tolerances I guess. I haven't read anything in the books that were even remotely more than standard stuff people do. You need to read some Piers Anthony to get the disturbing sex scenes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erkenfresh Posted February 2, 2006 Report Share Posted February 2, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] See, beacuse you have begun to experience hope, Arrya will now die. I haven't read Crows yet, but this is the way of Martin. LONG LIVE THE STARKS! TRUE KINGS OF THE NORTH! Not true. I mean, Tyrion is still alive (probably) and he's seen the most action and political intrigue of any of the characters. I just wonder what happened to Rickon, he sorta disappeared with that wildling chick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayapuppies Posted February 2, 2006 Report Share Posted February 2, 2006 Re: On Fantasy [G.R.R.M.] Yeah, Tyrion! He is by far (IMHO) the best character. Glad to hear he lives to FoC:celebrate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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