Author George R. R. Martin Delves Deep Into ‘Game Of Thrones’ Themes

When it comes to the Game of Thrones books, many book fans get angry at the mention of author George R. R. Martin. With a full slate of conventions, other books, and activities, many people just grit their teeth at him and say, “Write the last two books already.”

There likely won’t be an exception when people hear Martin spent 10 hours with someone from Rolling Stone recently. Still, the interview with Martin was a fantastic read, giving people a look into the brilliant mind that has done some of the most insane worldbuilding ever.

Martin was asked about whether he felt his time being a television screenwriter helped prepare him for Game of Thrones, and he agreed. It may even be the reason why George is such a ruthless author when it comes to character deaths. “There were constant limitations. It wore me down,” said Martin. “There were battles over censorship, how sexual things could be, whether a scene was too “politically charged,”

As for where the books were born, Martin says the first chapter with Bran popped into his head one day so vividly that he knew he had to write it. “I sat down to write, and in, like, three days it just came right out of me,” recalled Martin. “Almost in the form you’ve read.”

As for how he goes about with his world-building, George R. R. Martin doesn’t build the world first, then write around it. Instead, he writes the story first and things begin to fill in. He started out with 100 pages written in the summer of 1991. Martin then gave those pages to his agent along with a summary. “My agent got interest all over town – about four publishers bid on it. Suddenly I had an advance and I had a deadline.”

Martin’s inspiration for The Wall actually came from a visit to England, when he went to Hadrian’s Wall. “I stood up there and I tried to imagine what it was like to be a Roman legionary, standing on this wall, looking at these distant hills,” George said. “It was a very profound feeling.”

George also talked about how for years he maintained that a film adaptation was impossible and how the only way it could be done was by HBO.

Talk turned to Martin’s Lannister twins, who have been a hot topic for fans of the show. Martin simply wanted to explore what it takes for people to forgive someone. “One of the things I wanted to explore with Jaime, and with so many of the characters, is the whole issue of redemption. When can we be redeemed? Is redemption even possible? I don’t have an answer.” George goes on to talk about interactions he’s had with fans in which he challenges them to see things from the Lannister perspective.

Martin recently released a chapter called Mercy from the next book The Winds of Winter. No publication date is set.