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Winter is Coming

By The Disfactor
I totally agree that George R.R. Martin is as stated by Time magazine "The American Tolkien" . Being a fan of pseudo-historical stories, novels and plays ranging from Tolkien's" Lord Of The Rings" to Chaucer's  Canterbury Tales,  I would have to place Martin among the top creators of medieval fantasy and pseudo-history. It is obvious through numerous details existing within the teleplay version of "Game Of Thrones" that Martin is an ardent observer of Europe's Medieval era and folklore. "Game Of Thrones" is probably the greatest television phenomenon since Buffy, Star Trek or Xena.

What is remarkable about Martin's attention to history is that even throughout his creation of pseudo-history, he mentions various  geographic locations such as  "The Land Of The Nazarenes' " during Daney's trek through the "The Red Waste", people of color being presented as nobles and nomadic lords as oppose to slaves or fools. In short, what makes Martin's so powerful is that he acknowledges the significance of people of color as kingdoms to be feared and respected who possessed no European influences during the time of their existence. What also makes his creation of pseudo-history effective is the emphasis upon lineages and  the intrigues that surrounded them during the period of medieval Europe which included not only patricide, but genocide and ruling psychopaths.

It is this attention to detail and carefully laid multiple plot lines that strengthens and invigorates "Game Of Thrones" as an intense fantasy narrative that secretly portrays the history of Europe and the Middle East as it snatches and drags viewers into its passionate, colorful depths.

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