High fantasy is, at its very core, a genre built around immersing readers in intricately crafted worlds in which the author can add their own spin while also taking inspiration from our own history. One of the earliest figures in modernity in the genre of fantasy was J.R.R. Tolkien, whose book The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings popularized the subgenre of high fantasy and kicked off a trend of authors creating their own worlds. Tolkien’s work established a steady foundational framework for the genre, often portraying a duality type world which is divided between the sides of good and evil. This also applies to characters that typically fall into clear categories: noble heroes who save the world and scheming villains who want to enslave/destroy the world. While this black and white moral structure served its time and purpose in the early age of fantasy, it is, as the term “fantasy” suggests, an idealized version of reality, merely a utopian world where there is a happily ever after.
In contrast, George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones, the first book in his A Song of Ice and Fire series, challenges this traditional fantasy by bringing realism into the world. Martin’s fictional continent of Westeros is not one of clear moral sides, but of moral ambiguity, where most characters exist in shades of gray and have their actions dictated by their own moral code. This nuanced showing of humanity brings more of the real world into the novel, where motivations are often complex and people’s actions do not always dictate their character.
Set in a medieval inspired feudal society, Westeros is a realm marked by political intrigue, shifting alliances based on political marriages, and deep rooted family rivalries. Martin tells his story through a rotating cast of point of view characters, each from prominent noble houses such as the honorable Starks of the North, the ambitious Lannisters of Casterly Rock, and the exiled Targaryens dynasty. Though these houses often clash in pursuit of being the sole power, they all share one common goal: to sit upon the Iron Throne and rule the Seven Kingdoms and to win the so-called Game of thrones.
One of the most distinctive elements of Martin’s storytelling is his commitment to realism in his story, especially when it comes to mortality. Unlike many other fantasy writers Martin adheres to a principle grounded in the unpredictability of life: no character is safe. Whether due to a war, betrayal from a former ally, or something as mundane as infection, death can claim anyone at any time, regardless of their importance to the plot because as the book says “When you play a game of thrones you win or you die.” This is clearly illustrated in the novel when a major point of view character, who initially seems central to the narrative, meets an unexpected and cruel end kicking off the plot of the next book.
This brutal honesty is key to the theme of the series. Martin does not glamorize war, instead, he wishes to expose its consequences, especially for those with the least power in this world. This is particularly shown in a powerful moment when Lord Varys, the Master of Whispers, questions the imprisoned Eddard Stark, who faces execution for refusing to compromise his honor to prevent civil war. Varys asks, “Why is it always the innocents who suffer most, when you high lords play your game of thrones?” This line encapsulates the tragic irony at the heart of the series, on how the many lords fight to sit on a throne while millions of small folk suffer how when a lord may win a castle, a family certainly wins a grave.
A Game of Thrones is not a book for those with a faint of heart. It explores dark themes such as betrayal, violence, descriptions of suffering, and the human cost of political ambition and greed. However, for those who can handle these weighty topics, it can offer a richly described narrative, full of complex and compelling characters, along with an excellently crafted world full of different cultures and religions. It is precisely because of these elements that Martin’s series has earned its place within the fantasy genre.