George RR Martin

George RR Martin April 13, 2016

“I love Richard III” — GRRM

By

On the Game of Thrones Season 5 DVD’s segment “The Real History Behind Game of Thrones,” George RR Martin admitted something that nibbles at the edge of his stories: he LOVES Richard III. And, Martin admitted his passion with such a nice smile. I’ve wondered for years whether GRRM is a closet Ricardian. After all, some of his storylines present a very kind interpretation of the man formerly known as Gloucester. You see traces of GRRM’s love for Richard III everywhere in…

Read More
George RR Martin July 11, 2015

I couldn’t have said it better myself…

By

In the category of “I couldn’t have said it better myself,” I found this delightful article about Game of Thrones and history from Cinemania in Madrid, “6 lecciones de Historia que has visto en ‘Juego de tronos’ by Yago Garcia. My Spanish is terrible and Google Translate chokes on this article, so here is my very crude translation… The article begins with the most common excuses we hear for not watching GoT or reading ASOIAF – and, boy, do I get…

Read More
smaug-hobbit-drogon
George RR Martin, Polls October 27, 2014

Dragons, The World of Ice and Fire, & Your Thoughts on Fantasy

By

Last night, at his New York chat about his latest book The World of Ice and Fire, George RR Martin said that his dragons, notably Drogon, wouldn’t stand a chance against The Hobbit‘s Smaug. “Drogon could never beat Smaug in a fight… Drogon is a very young dragon,” Martin said. “Not to mention Smaug, like, talks, which would give him an intellectual advantage.” (For the record, Martin also noted that The World of Ice and Fire does not rival Tolkein’s The…

Read More
grrm-burgundy
Armagnac-Burgundian War, George RR Martin July 20, 2014

George RR Martin’s French Interview Translated, His Use of Burgundian History

By

Recently, George RR Martin did a book signing in <gasp> Burgundy. Why is this a reason to get excited? Because he also gave an interview with the French alternative rock station Le Mouv from the burial site of Philip the Bold and John the Fearless, who were key players in the French civil war that inspired so many events A Song of Ice and Fire. Saying I was excited about Martin’s interview when I found it on Nerdalicious is the…

Read More
George RR Martin July 6, 2014

George RR Martin Now Officially on Twitter

By

  In case you haven’t heard, George RR Martin is now on Twitter, as described in this CBC article. His official Twitter handle is @GRRMspeaking. I’ve seen a few media references to the account, but the CBC article is the first article I’ve found that actually confirms it. I mention this in case you’ve been following a fake George RR Martin account (such as the widely followed impersonator, @GeorgeRRMartin).  Although Twitter should restrict the ability to create handles using famous names, it doesn’t. (I don’t want…

Read More
George RR Martin April 29, 2014

George RR Martin: In His Own Words About History, War, and Mortality

By

History Behind Game of Thrones devotes considerable ink to attempting to draw parallels between Game of Thrones and real-life history — generally we are interpreting the stories and trying find similarities to history. When George RR Martin reveals what he used as a historical basis for a character or a scene, we jump on it. The problem is that he rarely discusses his use of history. You can find comments he has made in ancient interviews on Westeros.org. You can also find the odd…

Read More
gameofthrones-names-hard
Game of Thrones, George RR Martin April 23, 2014

Confused By All Those Game of Thrones Characters? Here’s One Reason Why

By

Recently, a good friend of mine in Florida started watching Game of Thrones. During episode one, he sent me a text bemoaning the fact I wasn’t there with him to explain what was going on. Game of Thrones can be really hard to follow – especially for the new or casual viewer. In fact, when Conan O’Brien interviewed George RR Martin, Conan admitted to using a cheat sheet, which is completely understandable. A cast of thousands of characters (hundreds on the…

Read More
George RR Martin April 21, 2014

George RR Martin Interviewed on ABC as the Person of the Week

By

ABC World News interviewed George R.R. Martin last night as their Person of the Week. George reveals he based Joffrey on all the bullies he ever knew in school. George also discusses his strong female characters, which character he would want to play, and who is favorite character is. The interview shows Martin in what appears to be his home in front of lots of tiny figurines of Game of Thrones characters. The interview shows Martin as a little boy,…

Read More
Ancient History, George RR Martin, The Anarchy April 15, 2014

George RR Martin Reveals History Behind Purple Wedding!

By

Yesterday was what could only be described as a day of national rejoicing. Jubilant people tweeted about the #PurpleWedding over 23,000 times. One of my favorites was Stephen King’s tweet: Around the same time, George RR Martin revealed that the Purple Wedding is partially based on the death of King Stephen’s heir, who was one of the principal combatants in the Anarchy. (Think: the Pillars of the Earth war that began with the sinking of the White Ship.) Martin’s exact words…

Read More