George R.R. Martin on 'The World of Ice & Fire'

[@TheErebusGaming]

I could listen to George all day long. He is a born storyteller. You can tell by the fact that every answer of his is long and convoluted, in a good way. He never seems to want to stop telling people things, and for what it's worth, I hope he never stops.

[@TheRamsesII]

hear, hear!

[@TheErebusGaming]

TheRamsesII Now, this is completely unrelated but I'm going to say it anyways. You were probably going for the great Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt with that username, but all I could think of was a 'Ramsell in distress.'

[@TheRamsesII]

TheErebusGaming LOL! okay. I lived in Cairo for 3 years and got the benefit of experiencing much of the history there - ancient and current. My first YT handle was simply "RamsesII" (no one else ever thought of it) then I couldn't sign on once for some reason, tried to renew and they said, 'that user name is already taken'! ah, well...so now I am "THE" Ramses II...

[@TheErebusGaming]

TheRamsesII I guess Egypt is technically in Africa, but I lived in the Middle East too, and got similarly hooked on some of the history. Also, I'm pretty sure I've seen a semi-well-known youtuber called Ramses or something, so maybe that was the issue.

[@TheRamsesII]

TheErebusGaming the first handle was at least 5 or 6 years ago, so perhaps someone else did a variation on it. Egypt considers itself part of the Mid-East, although it is in North Africa. Even in three years I barely scratched the surface of all the cool stuff to see in Egypt - and it's not all historical. Had a tour of Jordan with the same guide (one-on-one) who took Bill Clinton and Kofi Anan on similar tours. Took some trips to Sub-Sarharan Africa, too. I am hooked on it, and have other "bucket list" trips planned for Africa, but just don't have the time or the means at the moment.

[@JaySymonLee]

I just want to hug this man and talk about everything over hot cocoa.

[@ladyteh]

Same

[@David-se5ph]

I want to sit on his lap and fall asleep while he talks about his various creations

[@QueenDaenerysTargaryen]

Tell me a story GRRM.

[@MoonTone]

I like G.R.R.M very intelligible, down to earth and a good sense of humor

[@cllgscreative]

R.R. Martin gives such great interviews. Always the polite gentlemen. Even his answer about race in Fantasy/Sci-fi was level headed and honest. Bravo sir.

[@angusbuttler]

I want George RR Martin to read me stories all the time. He is a joy to listen to.

[@ricoco7891]

I swear to God, this guy is one of the nicest people ever. You can see it in his eyes.

[@spatzhawk]

epic fail at the introduction. Ser George of the House Martin, King of the Andals and the First Men. Father of Dragons. Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm.

[@BrunoCarnos]

I think you mean... ...George, of House Martin, First of His Name, The Immortal Storyteller, Creator of Ice and Fire, Father of Fantasy, The Tolkien of Our Time, Admirer of Shakespeare and Stan Lee, The True Azor Ahai, Khal of the Great Grass Sea, the Supreme Emperor of Westeros and Essos, Savior of HBO, The Terror of Weddings and Cheeseburgers, Master of Ships, Master of Coin, Master of Whispers, High Septon, Sealord of Braavos, Archmaester of the Citadel, Lord Commander of the Martinguard, Warden of the World, The Final Winner of the Game of Thrones, King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the Valyrians and the Ghiscari and the Asshai'i and the Giants and the Children and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Beyond, and Protector of the Realm

[@niema]

Jax Martell Fist of His Name?

[@BrunoCarnos]

Yep

[@Goliath1337]

Jax Martell You forgot Sealord of Braavos

[@Norsztec]

Jax Martell minus savior of hbo. i think they've helped each other equally.

[@TheRedname]

Chill guys. Sure the multicultural question was dumb, but the interviewer was good over all. He asked some very interesting questions which no one has really thought to pose to George before. Props to him.

[@mg2001o]

European fantasy is actually very rich and diverse. The host should have used the term monoracial instead of monocultural, and the response is obvious: this is heavily inspired by *european* myths and traditions.

[@H41030v3rki110ny0u]

Good point. To add, it's as if people believe that all Europeans drew from all of the same cultures... as if they equate the French, English, Italians, and Scandavians as having the same culture. They are all so different, it's a bit strange people go this "monocultural" route. People say white culture is not diverse... I disagree tremendously so. They are just uninformed and stubborn.

[@sagebias2251]

I wouldn't even call it monoracial because European isn't a race. The best word I could think of is western. It all derives from the proto indo-European religion.

[@syrkon27]

@@H41030v3rki110ny0u it’s a very american way of viewing the world. In Europe we aren’t grouping ourselves based on skin color as is done in the US. The different cultures are way more dividing than just what race you are. The US doesn’t really have these big cultural differences between groups of similar ethnic backgrounds because it’s a very young country.

[@FMSkyLoL]

Funny to hear him say video games are no art and now, 8 years later, he built the world of the monst fantasy looking video game and it's pure art. This man is so amazing

[@aaronfarrell811]

I love how he spoke of the mass demonisation of comics when he was young. Sure it's not as bad anymore but as a grown man I can still get sniggered at for reading comics openly on a train or whatnot. I know that comes down to ignorant people putting labels on everything as that fits their limited world view but it's inspiring that Martin faced that being an "intelligent boy" (what his teacher said) and going on to write the most definitive piece of fantasy since LOTR. George you are a hero.

[@UltimateZephead]

Westeros and Essos both have ethnic appearances to people, very similar to that of medieval/ancient Earth. Westeros is mostly white because it's based on medieval Europe, with the Dornish having darker complexions like the people of Spain, or the Mediterranean countries. Essos is based on some African cultures, some Middle Eastern cultures, and even some Native American cultures, which is shown in the darker complexions of the people (black, brown, etc.) and the overall higher amount of people of color. There are a lot less white people in Essos because people in medieval times rarely migrated. Especially across the world. Same goes for Westeros and people of color.

[@JDVmusicSound]

Edge Master You are 100% wrong and George is on record setting this issue straight. It’s on KZbin.. It all comes down to the extras they hired for the locations they filmed, and nothing more. Read the books and find that interview from 2016 ... no racism at all ;)

[@proudsaiyanprince2651]

Most of northern essos is white. The Andals migrated to westeros from the Axe (nothern essos) They're basically Saxons.

[@brandendierker5873]

Its probably so cringey when most white people try to write a pov from a "minority". That being said i dont even recall any kind of particular racial issues in ASOIAF that arent directly cultural/geographical. So if there was a POV of a Summerislander it wouldnt neccesarily be expected of them to face racism or adversity based on their skin color in the world of asoiaf.

[@exploravision90000]

I could listen to him all day.

[@darthbricksempire3606]

They said *George R R Martin.* *"Game of Thrones" Author* He is the author of, *A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE*

[@Sam-jx8tv]

I don't see what the problem is with asking the question about color in fantasy? Its a fair question and George gave a good answer. Some of you seem really offended by the question calm the fuck down.

[@-BlazeK-]

If you watch GoT interviews you always have poeple who try to complain about the books/the show not being PC enough. Wannabe femenists bitching about that rape is bad therfore it shouldnt be in the shows/books. Other want more colored poeple, others complain that the slaves are colored poeple etc. Its not that wierd at this point for poeple to immidiatly have a defensive reaction to this stuff

[@SuperGreenscout]

The problem isn't that he asked, the problem is how he asked. The interviewer is insinuating that Martin perpetuates "white privilege".

[@Sam-jx8tv]

I didn't get any of that I think it was a fair question and Martin gave a fair answer. Some of you guys are to sensitive.

[@-BlazeK-]

John Smith he has dozens of interviews like these and there is always one or few poeple who pull this shit.

[@Sam-jx8tv]

Blazekingz so?

[@FLPman]

He's such a great speaker too. I could listen to this guy talk on this stuff all day

[@Deathshuck]

Beg your pardon George, but how are video games _not_ art? A video game consists of a written script, dialogue, music, handpainted images,, 3d models and more. Any of those things are considered an art in itself. If anything, video games are the ultimate art form, because they bring together all these different disciplines.

[@Deathshuck]

***** Games are art, period. Who are you to make the distinction which ones are and which aren't? If you go to modern art galleries, there are some stupid stuff on display there. Sculptures of men sucking themselves off, crude and poorly drawn pictures of vaginas etc. but still they're called art and are on display. Why are they art and video games are not? Where do you draw the line?

[@Deathshuck]

***** A game like Candy Crush might not have any appeal to you, but it's still created out of art assets, sounds and graphics which are handcrafted and put together by people. It's the creative process that's the key defining factor here instead of the actual content. Entertainment and art aren't mutually exclusive. Witcher is just as much created for entertainment as Candy Crush is. I personally don't like games like Candy Crush either, but I wouldn't undermine the creative process just because it looks simplistic.

[@isaturnine980]

Deathshuck If we are not to define every creative process as art, we have to draw the line somewhere. Subjectively. This is just like.. your opinion, man. Some would say art is in the process, not the product. Your reasoning is solid, but it is yours. Seven blessings on you, Ser!

[@Deathshuck]

I Saturnine Objectively though, games should be regarded as an art form. Just because there exists a couple of "bad eggs" it doesn't diminish the medium's artistic value as a whole. The definition should derive from the highest point, not the lowest. That applies to just about every form of art there is. Everyone has heard bad music, seen bad paintings or read a terrible book. Do those examples cease the medium from being considered as art? Of course not. Seven blessings!

[@isaturnine980]

I do not disagree with you on that. The art lies not in the quality of the product, but in the sincerity of the creative process. 'Apply yourself'. It does however remain a question of definition. To define art and even creativity is not done easily. The limits are not defined clearly. A knife can be art, or utility, or both, depending on who you ask, and when. :)

[@LordDarkwater]

George Raymond Richard Martin, first of his name, the unscheduled, breaker of pens, father of dragons, lord of the seven books, protector of the ending, the plot and the genre.

[@Aroden0x]

I wonder if he's ever heard of or played Skyrim. The story isn't amazing, but the world is beautiful. Some of the artwork in TWOIF reminds me of the world of Skyrim.

[@MikeThomas84]

Bethesda were offered the chance to make a ASOIAF open-world game, but they chose to work on Skyrim instead. There's definitely a lot of ASOIAF (and other fantasy) influences which bled over into Skyrim.

[@lem0nPlays13]

Windhelm is really Stark like, and Solitude is really similar to the Lannisters for example.

[@benhadaway3322]

Agus Tin Pretty sure the books were written long before Skyrim ever came out. A good decade at least. That being said as George often says....if your going to steal, steal from the best.

[@lem0nPlays13]

Well what I'm saying is that Windhelm is inspired in Winterfell and Solitude is inspired in Casterly Rock, and I can continue naming comparisons. The developers said that they based most of their world in asoiaf stuff.

[@lem0nPlays13]

Skyrim*, not the Elder Scrolls, I didn't play all the games I can only talk about Skyrim.

[@pranavpatil4789]

I haven't read any books, just love the show but his every interview is enjoyable and Insightful

[@8mmkyle865]

Have you read the books yet?

[@dcworld4349]

@@8mmkyle865 Why would he since the man is never going to finish them? After the first season of the show I went back and read it, decided to do the same thing for season 2 since I hate when I watch something and I keep thinking the book is better. Read the second book, but then when I was going to read the third one, I was told by a friend "just so you know the man is not going to finish, he's written himself into a corner and the fifth book was a miracle it didn't take longer because of how long he was stuck rewriting a major plot points by writing 1 chapter from several POVs perspective and he doesn't even write a chapter a month anymore, I can't tell you more without spoiling". Turns out my friend was right.

[@Celtic_Blade]

anyone else want a series set in old Valeria?

[@1911odisea]

Try Elric of Melniboné. :D

[@Celtic_Blade]

+1911Odyssey thanks I will!

[@dekuuchiha9990]

YES!

[@zeriyx]

i always wished HBO would do a robert's rebellion film. perhaps maybe even a volume 1 and 2. i don't feel it's so complicated to need an entire television season.

[@gingerbill128]

I thought the interviewer did a good job of giving Mr Martin the time to answer the questions at length. Knowing when to shut up is a rare talent :)

[@T0mF0rd]

GRRM said he has a long history of losing awards. MJ23 said he's missed more shots than he's made. Thank you GRRM for reassuring me to never give up

[@Major98]

George breaking down the Wonder Man storyline makes me want to see the character in the MCU now. Sounds like a great character arc

[@TheGamingCathedral]

Wonder what George would think of video games like Dear Esther, BioShock, BioShock: Infinite, Gone Home, The Witcher 2, Dragon Age: Origins, The Last of Us, or even Ori and the Blind Forest. If those aren't art, I don't know what is.

[@gunnargunnarson1465]

You gorgot the most important, Elder Scrolls

[@SomeNiceMovies]

FreakLPer Game of Thrones - A Telltale Game too :P

[@gunnargunnarson1465]

SomeNiceMovies i He most likely know about the telltale game and have seen it. Maybe he even helped making it.

[@justinstark5732]

He is a baby boomer in his defense

[@surr3al305]

Why are you guys hating on the messenger boy? He is likely just delivering a question that originated from a pool of people, or what WSJ thought would be a good question. Besides, he presented a good opportunity for George to give a great answer.

[@lemire86]

Actually, for the record, there are people of colour in Westeros and the GoT storyline i.e. Essos, Dorne, etc... If the question is about why there aren't more people of colour or whether there will be more main characters of colour in the future is a very relevant and fair question, and Martin made a clear honest response. Some storytellers prefer a pre-modern approach to their fantasy whereby their intent is to immerse the reader in a particular folklore/culture/historical context and allude to a certain era such as the medieval one where societies were rather isolated in contrast to nowadays, i.e. LOTR. Other writers prefer to adopt a modern or post-modern approach where people are more mixed, i.e. Harry Potter. I guess ultimately it is the fantasy writer's decision to pick one of these two, but in either case, it shouldn't be a matter of controversy. And anyway, it's just fiction and fantasy, so it's not like Tolkien and Martin are actually portraying a hyper-realistic image of European folk.

[@danielitoalcazar]

Video Games are definitely art. They encompass various art forms into one. Graphic design, music, storytelling, etc.

[@dcworld4349]

In one interview the last game he played as a NES game, can't remember which, can't blame a guy who has literally no idea what games have become, is 70+ years old and have not kept up to date except being paid a lot of money to write the pre-pre story for Elden ring. Maybe that gave him a tiny more insight than before he had this interview. But teaming up with From Software is not the right move if you wanted him to understand video games. Sure it was good for him getting paid, and it was good for From Software who managed to get people who have no idea how to play Souls games to buy it. But they didn't really use much of what he wrote. Essentially what they did was hire him to write some lore, plaster his name all over it, and then just do what they always do. Act is it there is a story there that more than 2% of gamers are going to understand while the rest just play and then look up Wikis and videos to understand what it was they just did to who. It's actually too bad, I would have loved since their next game is going to have to be a hit, that CDPR had gone to him and made a game set in ASOIAF. They could get rid of the clunky gameplay because they would mainly need to create a sword combat system as good or better than Sekiro or Ghost of Tushima, along with being able to use shield, some other weapons, a bow, daggers etc. And then the big mechanic would be flying up and down Westoros on a dragon as your mount while settling disputes between the various houses. I have many friends who didn't play Witcher 1 and 2, and while they had real fun playing it, they did not understand most of what was happening in the game. And the Witcher show season 1 being split into two timelines didn't help when it throws so many things at you are once as if you are supposed to know what they are. Something game of thrones did too but they had spesific characters who functions was your eyes into new areas making the transition easier.

[@specialknees6798]

The video game thing is coming along nicely. Games like rdr2 and GoW this year have absolutely been artful.

[@kilmcm45]

I think final fantasy 7 was a well fleshed out story and world....the story expressed had engaging characters....the world was big enough to explore and find some hidden treats for those willing to sweat out the really had battles....also a very beautiful message that expressed Buddhist views on the transmigration of the soul...and death...and reincarnation and all served up in way that westerners could grasp without hitting sensitive topics that would normally have turned them off to the subject...That is expressing a very complex sophisticated idea like reincarnation....even a game with a simple turn based RPG combat system was able to express a beautiful story.

[@DeathBringer769]

10:49 "I love characters who die." -George R.R. Martin

[@andrewp4805]

Glad my English HS teacher had The Hobbit in the curriculum

[@dxhhhhbk1ify]

a beautiful interview!

[@nicolaemadalinboboc6704]

Why are people so upset he said games aren't art yet, when he also said they will likely become art. He just didn't found the game, but he thinks will reach that stage.

[@EmperorsNewWardrobe]

Should there be more people of colour? No. There could be, yes, but the writer is under no obligation to pander

[@Throku]

Noted how he accused it of being monoculture, like the dothrak and dorn and the wildlings share the same culture.

[@itznoxy7193]

It was awfully presumptuous of him to ask "How can we change that?" without knowing the reasons why it is the way it is and just assuming it was for bad reasons and that superficially adding visible minorities would in any way improve it and not cheapen it. Also hard to not notice the double standard that you never see anyone asking non-whites these questions like in the Afro-futurist genres etc.

[@Semordnilaps]

@@Throku "Noted how he accused it of being monoculture, like the dothrak and dorn and the wildlings share the same culture." How did you note that? He started out by praising The World of Ice & Fire, the book that is, for showing more of the world, specifically places influenced by asia, north africa and the middle east and then asked why fantasy, as in the genre, in general is so monocultural. I mean the guy is clearly familiar with Martins work. Where you see an accusation, I see a question and one that prompted an interesting answer. Thankfully George RR Martin isn't as thin-skinned and paranoid as you are.

[@mitomen2000]

This guy ...or the person responsible for those questions are really stupid if they consider video games a threat to books . I for one as gamer consider video games art ( the decent ones) and I also love books. I think these two things can coexsist perfectly and one wont push out an other from everyday life.

[@davidmcginness6718]

It's strange but if I had the choice of Wind of Winter today or another few GRRM interviews, I'm not sure what I would pick. There's something really captivating about everything he says, from his writing process to struggles in life to just comic books. I can't think of someone who has been an equally capable communicator in writing as they are verbally.

[@judithsochor9755]

David McGinness

[@Earth2Stephen]

Love the quote that began the interview- great job!

[@regemo]

Great interview, great questions!

[@kylewitcher9670]

"Why do you leave the questions unanswered?" THE SERIES ISN'T FINISHED YET

[@judithsochor9755]

Kyle Witcher

[@zachcombs103]

Peace. I actually own that Avengers comic he mentioned. The first appearance of Wonder Man. I believe it's Avengers #4. I haven't really collected comics since I was in my young 20s, but somewhere along the way I picked that one up. It's in my basement but I don't think I ever read it.

[@wordstation]

Great interview of the genius that is George R. R. Martin. The interviewer was fantastic and well read. The question of fantasy "monoculture" was appropriate and very well answered by George R. R. Martin. I accept his answer and am inspired to explore works of fantasy. Those "upset" by the question may have exposed their true character.

[@raphaeltrumpetsound835]

All of my English(I-IV) teachers promoted all forms of literature...thankfully.

[@Merlijn83]

Just ordered this book, checking out the interview 'cuz I can't wait to get it lels

[@robbiecarter9241]

Anyone who says video games are not art hasn't played a video game in a very long time. Look at skyrim or the witcher 3.

[@leonsonstwie4816]

As George R.R. Martin mentioned he hasnt, otherwise he wouldnt say that

[@robbiecarter9241]

I know, but he also outright stated they were art. Even though the nature of art is dependent on those reacting to it. And it has been too long since Martin took a good look at gaming for him to construct a true opinion.

[@Kalenz1234]

We discussed Harry Potter in our introduction to English literature class. I guess thats a start

[@Lex-yu3gr]

No offense to Lord Martin, but, please don't die before you finish the series. His ability to tell stories is stellar. He was born to do this stuff.

[@antuan2564]

29:03 interviewer.exe has stopped working

[@LukasFilms]

the interviewer looks like the "everyone! we have an announcement to make!" kid, but older

[@LemonFlump]

3:25 I actually had to read “the hobbit”as one of my summer reading books for high school. That’s one of the reasons I got into fantasy

[@Nom1fan]

I love George and enjoy listening to him very much. I also agree with him about most things, BUT ! I do not agree that (even in 2014) video games aren't art. They definitely are. I mean why not? I guess George is an old man who recalls mostly very oldschool arcade games. Not much plot, music, voice acting, characters, art design. Mostly pixels and addictive gameplay.. I think video games are definitely art, I would even dare to say the ultimate art, because they're basically multiple forms of art combined (writing, directing, composing, storytelling, artistic designing) plus their own added extras (gameplay, immersion, etc). What do you think?

[@brandendierker5873]

Ive never considered "video games" being art. At the same time ive always had appreciation for the individual arts involved. Theres great musical arts in many games, visual arts, voice acting and various writings. It seems thoughtless to say its not art once considering it even briefly

[@Nom1fan]

@@brandendierker5873 I agree, and I think like any complete work which consists of many parts (like a movie or a series), the entire work should be considered art as even more of just the sum of its parts, since artistic design and thought was devoted to the work in the full context to specifically select and sometimes fully develop those different pieces to fit the design as a whole.

[@San47di]

I would absolutely LUV a sequel to Fevre Dream, as the ending left too much simply hanging, leaving you wondering what really happened, or clambering for more detail. :-)

[@randymasonjr.4815]

Don't be like Kathy bates in the movie misery... lol (if u don't know about that movie, look it up...it's good)

[@San47di]

Randy Mason Jr. You had to be born on another Planet Not to know about Misery. lol

[@findley90]

He was just going along with him it's "A Song of Ice and Fire"

[@LelouchViBr]

Joe Findley I think he was talking about his new book, The World of Ice and Fire, look it up.

[@garykearney416]

is anyone here an aspiring writer

[@Killinemkid]

moi

[@burningmagyk4986]

+gary kearney Yup

[@megamovieman101]

I hate it when they refer to his books as the "Game of Thrones Book Series"... interview killer right off the bat. You can feel George's annoyance from there.

[@61SGman]

Totally agree with his opinion on the spider man movies.

[@benkata]

19:29 Had to pull out the race card - LoLZ

[@September2004]

16:20 They (video games) are not art but they could be art. I read an old blog entry where GRRM mentioned some nice words about Roger Ebert after he died. He said he didn't agree with everything he said but enjoyed reading him. I wondered what things he disagreed about and I see one now. =) (not taking sides).

[@holbvgbbbbkfz]

Man, the journalist is not taking any of his jokes

[@Georgiaboy_]

George should play bioshock!

[@nikolatesla7356]

9:00 It's like you're reading my mind. :) 18:30 I hope so, too.

[@rickriffel6246]

Why does the WSJ Cafe remind me of the Red Room in Twin Peaks?

[@allenrodgers1577]

One More Day killed my comic reading days.

[@Voidy592]

George rr martin: "Revolutionize the fantasy genre? I never asked for this!"

[@wallacelovecraft8942]

Ah yes, I remember this.

[@SomeNiceMovies]

It's so cut everywhere, I'm disappointed. Release the uncut interview, please.

[@spikegilfer1997]

Everybody is so caught on George's comment about videogames.I felt it was pretty easy to shrug off, dipping into a medium hardly makes the man an expert, certainly he knows his stuff about writing if so many re-reads into the books people are still discovering new things.

[@chinessgirl]

im sure if martin ever played final fantasy12 his opinion on games would be very different.

[@abhiraghavan7261]

George really does look like a older Sam

[@mikewazzupski]

He is very wise this George RR martin

[@krumpls]

George should loop up Metal Gear Solid. Many video games are indeed the highest form of art.

[@alectitus4859]

Wow he totally predicted the future of where the Oculus Rift and other VR tech is pretty much at.

[@rasheedqe]

I know this is mean. But does the interviewer remind anyone else of Timmy from south park.

[@kaywop7582]

When does he talk about it again?

[@TheSilas117]

my hero

[@fictionmyth]

I have to disagree with one point GRRM said. I do understand it's not his fault for not knowing this, but I was asked to read The Hobbit for my high school English class. I think my Sophomore year, I can't honestly remember exactly what year it was. This was back in the late 90's, as I graduated in 2000. I can't imagine he heard about the course curriculum of a small school in Kentucky back before the mellinal turn. So, he obviously gets a pass. That is obviously not the norm and The Hobbit is not the Lord of the Rings. Which is what he said wasn't taught. It is a book in the "high fantasy" genre. So, if that is a book on someone's curriculum, that just puts us one step closer to having fantasy taught as a viable form of literature in schools. I can't imagine why anyone thinks that any form of fiction is different from another. Like GRRM himself said, "Sci-fi versus Fantasy is only different furniture." Which I completely agree with. Both are set in places where the imagination of the author is allowed to extend beyond the real world's limitations. Making for a more involved and in depth story at times. When the stakes of a tale are woven into events that are relatable but epic in scale. It adds a new level of excitement. It also allows for the reader to truly experience the "I can't wait to see what happens next. I have no idea what this world is capable of!" Which adds tension and mystery that otherwise wouldn't be there.

[@LostRequiem777]

The Hobbit is the prologue to the Lord of the Rings series, basically. So yes, it's technically a part of the series as a whole.

[@ozjackson9338]

it's 2015, and I'm still being offered a practice account from trading 212?!?

[@adamhawn2523]

Forgot to say first of his name in the Westerosi style introduction.

[@daggerdoom9793]

George R. R. Martin "Game of Thrones" Author? So have you never herd of "A Song of Ice and Fire"? Please fix it.

[@2010chelsearocks]

Well he did actually write a book called game of thrones haha

[@daggerdoom9793]

No, he wrote a book called "A Game Of Thrones".

[@Arian545]

A lot more people see it this way

[@Jimirulz1]

This guy is smart.

[@justcallmpeter]

The new dunk and egg stories will eventually lead to us reading the doom of valyria

[@chrisgsayshello]

Stellar interview but it sucked to hear him say video games aren't "art". Ebert made the same mistake. I don't care what anyone says, games like those of the Final Fantasy franchise and even the worlds/lore of games like Zelda are most definitely art. Otherwise, George is so damn cool...

[@rjvick6908]

The Half-Life series was art

[@rasheedqe]

By the way can we not demonize the interviewer for asking one race question. I thought it was a fair question and I like how George answered it. People in the comments act like he asked George why he was a nazi or something.

[@burningmagyk4986]

+rasheedqe Lmao, yes! Thanks you.

[@rasheedqe]

***** That's funny I don't remember the reporter telling him to shoehorn in blacks. I remember him asking why there were no black character in the book. And again black people are already in the book and Asians and Arabs. I wish one of these damn commentors would pick the damn book up and read it before commented. Old Ghis,The Summer isles and got damn Yi Ti.Old Ghis was were the Arabs live now they living in the free cities. The summer isles are where the black people live there are even pictures in the book . A world of ice and fire read it. And Yi Ti is where the Asians live. They aren't shown in the show much because the show is based in Westeros. Which itself is based off England. Which you would know if you read the damn book. Instead of getting mad about a KZbin comment about something you know nothing about. Please I beg the next person to comment to read the books before they comment.

[@rasheedqe]

***** I'm not saying that everything has to be diverse. My comment was just saying people shouldn't bite the interviewers head off for asking the question. The comment section acts like the interviewer just did a 30 minute Anna Sarkeesian, Zoe Quinn style video trying to force him to put more black characters in the story. When all he did was ask why there weren't more black character. I thought the interviewer asked a fair question and I really like how George answered it. He should be demonized for simply asking the question.

[@rasheedqe]

***** I disagree 1) A person has the right to ask any question. The questions come from the fans. Clearly some people were wondering the same thing. 2) A large portion of his audience in not white and would like to see character that reflect themselves. I do however draw the line at telling him to change the story in any way. Just because SJW act crazy on the internet doesn't mean some of the stuff they say aren't valid. The interviewer didn't imply George was a racist or anything he simply ask a question. And since when is that question an purely SJW topic. I could see if the interviewer demanded more black character to be written into the story. Then I would say yeah that was an SJW thing and the interviewer shouldn't have said that. But just asking how come there aren't more black characters. How is that an SJW thing. Hell even Saturday day night live did a parody video of that called game of thrones in the hood. Is that an SJW thing to?

[@rasheedqe]

***** Depends on the culture japan has black knights all the time in anime. lol But I hear what your saying. You like medieval European fantasy. But first I highly doubt George would ever change the story even if someone asked him to. And if he ever did I believe things like the child raping,child murdering mountain would first to go and if he did add more black character I'm fairly sure they wouldn't be knights. And while I don't really care what color the knights are. It would be weird to see a bunch of black knights show up in this story.

[@Aethuviel]

He's on to something about the nazis being simply "too evil, it's not realistic". I'll give you a clue = history is written by the victors. What if the bad guys won? How would we know?

[@YoavFried]

History is written by anyone with a pen. Neo nazis have tried to prove your point only to fail time and time again. Nobody is silencing them, stormfront still exists, but anyone with anything in their brain can see through the bullshit. History as taught in the US (for example) has a narrative to it that might distort the truth and make the nazis seem so unbelievable but non of what they did was made up.

[@evanrivet5532]

+Luís Vitoriano You are right about the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve. God had created it to live in it, but left and created Heaven, which is like Eden, when Satan deceived them to sin. But we can escape this shadow by accepting Christ as our Saviour and following Him.

[@evanrivet5532]

***** True. But paradise is basically a world where sin is nonexistent. Sin rules our world and makes it like a Matrix by keeping unrepentant people in its grasp. But I found in Jesus, and it says so in the Bible, that through him we can be free. Though we still sin occasionally, it would be paradise if those occasional sins would be cast out entirely. Paradise will be just like Earth, except without sin and decay.

[@Excalibur_86]

Frida Nyberg japan the "poor victim" of the war is known to alter history such as nanking massacre

[@WreckItRolfe]

> Nobody is silencing them, stormfront still exists This didn't age well

[@Gregforeli]

I'm black but I write European style with white characters.

[@mathewdavy2780]

Haha "Catelyn" 11:06

[@modassalvis]

Oh god. If only George would play "Crusader Kings 2" we would not be getting "The Winds Of Winter" anymore

[@mo1sturech1ef]

I imagined this to start like, "a long time from ago."

[@michaeltschuertz]

ar laetty? or how does a native speaker say that name? at 28:30

[@hoggenstein]

Mistitled. Martin barely talks about this new book because this interview is all over the place... The interviewer has prepared questions, none of them are really about this book. Frustrating.

[@DreamVikings]

Better like this. The new book sucks.

[@Cambria358]

DreamVikings No, your opinion does

[@DreamVikings]

Its not an opinion, its a fact.

[@Cambria358]

DreamVikings bye troll

[@DreamVikings]

Why troll? Cant I have an opinion?

[@Schmidteren]

He agrees with me on the SPiderman thing.

[@JetConvoy]

Gee it's not like everybody and their mother thinks that

[@gary_beniford]

George has enough things eating up his time the last things he need to be doing is spending time playing video games. George finish the books and your fans will give you every game known to man and a flat screen TV.

[@ilgoth9393]

***** Who are you to say what he does with his time... Aren't you entitled sack of potatoes?

[@gary_beniford]

Ilgoth sorry if it sounds mean but I want George to finish his masterpiece instead of being the guy who almost finished it.

[@ilgoth9393]

***** it's not like he wouldnt be working on it, but in his age, even writing and working 7 hours a day which is full work time, leaves him couple of hours per day for something else. On top, his success forces him to travel which takes time. And doing scripts for one episode per season on the tv series takes one month away. This was the reason he stopped writing for the tv, so he had more time on books. He is very busy guy. Plus his friend has said the book is prolly out Spring 2016!

[@gary_beniford]

Ilgoth he still had another to go. winds of winter is probably already done it just needs to be edited

[@FishJJFish]

Besides that one dumbass question by the interviewer, this was a great discussion. I just want him to talk about everything

[@chrismarsh1890]

Just going to point out that at 11:00 he has a very odd choice of words. "I dn't make that mistake [bringing characters back from the dead] with most of my characters." most.

[@BigMikeMcBastard]

If you haven't read the books you should probably avoid KZbin comments sections about Game of Thrones. If you haven't read the books, you don't want people who have read them to answer your question and spoil things for you.

[@spikegilfer1997]

I can use an example from the show that works, Beric Dondarrion. Flaming sword, eye-patch, brought back from the dead some six times. The issue George has with bringing people back to life is when they are either the same as they were before or better *Gandalf* So with Beric specifically his memory is in tatters. Each time he is brought back he remembers less, can't even completely remember the face on the woman he was the marry.

[@franciscofranco5133]

10:23 - We know. Now Jon Snow is (possibly) dead too.

[@Daskinor]

i dont know why race is such a huge issue? why not just enjoy the books for what they are Fantasy fiction! i didnt get offended by the questioning just thought it irrelevent!

[@n7275]

Tolkien was born in South Africa.

[@RushPowa]

Which had terrible discriminatory laws against their black citizens up until the 1990s. So that doesn't mean much.

[@boogiestreet594]

Why do we all do that fake little laugh anytime someone says something funny, it's not actually a real laugh, we actually make ourselves make an audible laugh sound, but we're not actually laughing?

[@kaltblut]

so jon snow is really dead. 10:00 to 11:00