Only somewhat related, but it also reminded me of two things.
1) My favorite aphorism when trying to categorize sci-fi. I belieeeeeve this was attributed to PKD, though I'm not sure anymore and have had trouble tracking it down: "In science-fiction, the true protagonist of the story is a concept not a character." Obvious disclaimer that need no always be true yada yada, but, personally, I like it haha. Modern comic sci-fi guys like my beloved Grant Morrison often fit this mold, and though I am big on character, I think there is a point to be had here in sci-fi, being "speculative," and all.
2) There was a great video at the EMP/MOPOP whatever it's called now museum in Seattle where Martin was talking about Tolkien. He was recalling the Tolkien boom among U.S. college students in the 60s. He observed that today, the era of the films, people buy posters of their favorite characters, so modern Tolkien fans papered their walls with pictures of Legolas or Aragorn or Gandalf or basically anyone but Gimli because that guy sucks just like all dwarves. Anyway, back in the 60s, this was not the case. He said (and I've later confirmed this with Tolkein fans of the era) that virtually every dorm room was replete with a Tolkien-related poster alright... but it was always a map of Middle Earth. Martin had a certain reverence for this when he spoke about it, an appreciation for what we call "world building," and Tolkien's uncanny and meticulous ability to do it. It inspired him. It inspires me as well, and though buzzwords like "world building" can get tossed around a bit brazenly, the idea that--as a reader--you *just knew* when reading Tolkien that if you had asked him what was just beyond that hill the Fellowship had passed by he would tell you about some ancient rock formation there that had once been used as ceremonial meeting place by nearby villagers, even though it never appeared in the books.
Great read!
Only somewhat related, but it also reminded me of two things.
1) My favorite aphorism when trying to categorize sci-fi. I belieeeeeve this was attributed to PKD, though I'm not sure anymore and have had trouble tracking it down: "In science-fiction, the true protagonist of the story is a concept not a character." Obvious disclaimer that need no always be true yada yada, but, personally, I like it haha. Modern comic sci-fi guys like my beloved Grant Morrison often fit this mold, and though I am big on character, I think there is a point to be had here in sci-fi, being "speculative," and all.
2) There was a great video at the EMP/MOPOP whatever it's called now museum in Seattle where Martin was talking about Tolkien. He was recalling the Tolkien boom among U.S. college students in the 60s. He observed that today, the era of the films, people buy posters of their favorite characters, so modern Tolkien fans papered their walls with pictures of Legolas or Aragorn or Gandalf or basically anyone but Gimli because that guy sucks just like all dwarves. Anyway, back in the 60s, this was not the case. He said (and I've later confirmed this with Tolkein fans of the era) that virtually every dorm room was replete with a Tolkien-related poster alright... but it was always a map of Middle Earth. Martin had a certain reverence for this when he spoke about it, an appreciation for what we call "world building," and Tolkien's uncanny and meticulous ability to do it. It inspired him. It inspires me as well, and though buzzwords like "world building" can get tossed around a bit brazenly, the idea that--as a reader--you *just knew* when reading Tolkien that if you had asked him what was just beyond that hill the Fellowship had passed by he would tell you about some ancient rock formation there that had once been used as ceremonial meeting place by nearby villagers, even though it never appeared in the books.