George Raymond Richard Martin talks about rivalry with ‘The Lord of the Rings’

George Raymond Richard Martin, author of “A Song of Ice and Fire” recently discussed the “competitive” relationship between “Game of Thrones” and “The Lord of the Rings” in an interview.

Martin said: “I don’t understand why people are so obsessed with the comparison between the two, I hope that both shows can be successful, and I hope that these two shows can promote the development of fantasy novels. Of course, I also believe that we have enough competition. I hope we can be more successful.”

“If they can win six Emmy Awards, then we can win seven! That’s good for fantasy anyway, and I love fantasy. I wish there were more fantasy adaptations on TV.”

It’s worth mentioning that HBO’s “Game of Thrones” won a staggering 59 Emmy Awards, making it one of the most famous shows in history, though the ending didn’t get everyone’s approval.

Martin has spoken many times in the past about how the writing of “The Lord of the Rings” author Tolkien influenced and inspired his own writing.

In 2019, he told IGN that he watched “The Lord of the Rings” before writing “A Song of Ice and Fire” and that he credited Tolkien as a great inspiration for his portrayal of the role of magic in warfare .

“I think a lot of fantasy epics have too much magic. While Middle-earth has a magical feel to it, it’s always on the periphery and just used to set the stage. Gandalf is a wizard, but when the orcs attack, he’s still Draw his sword and fight them, he doesn’t just magically make the enemies disappear like in many other stories.”

“House of the Dragon” will premiere on HBO on August 21, and “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” will premiere on Prime Video on September 2.