George R. R. Martin Criticizes Star Wars for Lack of Emotional Weight Despite Billions Dying

When we read the books by George R. R. Martin, we never know when or where a character will die. A terrible fate can befall both a side character and the main protagonist who has driven the plot so far. For this reason, accusations have been directed toward the author that he is too fond of such treatment of his characters. According to Martin Star Wars is even worse in this regard (vide STartefacts).

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The author recently appeared on the BANGCAST podcast. During the discussion, the theme of killing off characters came up. Martin said that the number of deaths in his series is no higher than in other popular brands, and unlike in, e.g. Star Wars, in the writer's case these deaths carry an emotional weight:

George R. R. Martin supplemented his answer by saying that fans exaggerate the killing in his books. It's the uncertainty in who will die and the realism of the deaths that builds the right tension. Besides, the author wants there to be emotion in every case, even if readers are presented with the passing of a person who is unequivocally bad.

Anyone who has been in contact with Martin's novels can agree that the deaths of certain characters seemed to be completely random or contradict the popular principle that the main character will always somehow make it through. With the release of The Winds of Winter we will find out if the author can continue to shock readers in this way.

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Zbigniew Woznicki

Zbigniew Woznicki

He began his adventure with journalism and writing on the Allegro website, where he published news related to games, technology, and social media. He soon appeared on Gamepressure and Filmomaniak, writing about news related to the film industry. Despite being a huge fan of various TV series, his heart belongs to games of all kinds. He isn't afraid of any genre, and the adventure with Tibia taught him that sky and music in games are completely unnecessary. Years ago, he shared his experiences, moderating the forum of mmorpg.org.pl. Loves to complain, but of course constructively and in moderation.