It’s been a big year for fans of fantasy novels and their adaptations – including author George R.R. Martin himself. While Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series dominates the fantasy landscape today, he himself has been reading the genre for over half a century. As Hollywood looks for more promising books to adapt, Martin has shared some of his favorites.
Martin’s books were adapted into Game of Thrones, and are now being expanded in spinoffs including House of the Dragon. Meanwhile, Martin has also shared his thoughts and commentary on other adaptations in the genre – particularly Amazon’s new Lord of the Rings spinoff Rings of Power. In a blog post back in June, he addressed the speculation that he was rooting for Rings of Power to fail, leaving more room for House of the Dragon to succeed. He assured fans that that’s not the case.
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“Let me clarify. I have a competitive nature, sure… I try to keep this all in proportion,” he wrote. “I expect I will be watching RINGS OF POWER when it premieres. I want it to be great… I want both shows to find an appreciative audience, and give them great television. Great fantasy. The more fantasy hits we have, the more great fantasy we are likely to get.”
Like other fans, Martin is excited by the current surge in popularity of the fantasy genre and is hoping to see some of his favorite books rendered on screen. Here is a breakdown of the books he named so you can add them to your reading list.
‘Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser’ by Fritz Leiber
Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are a fantasy duo created by author Fritz Leiber, appearing in stories from 1970 to 1988. It’s no surprise that Martin loves this pair, as they share some stylistic aspects in common with Martin’s own work. Having grown up reading fantasy stories like Tarzan and Conan the Barbarian, Leiber once wrote that he intended his own heroes to be closer to true human nature than legend.
The stories are set in a brutal secondary fantasy world. Fafhrd is a barbarian from the north – a massive warrior with a big heart who loves to sing and wax poetic. the Mouser is smaller and more a rogue, as well as an under-trained magician. Throughout the stories, they travel throughout the world taking work as mercenaries wherever they can find it.
‘Conan the Barbarian’ by Robert E. Howard
Conan the Barbarian has already made it to the screen a couple of times, but there is always more that could be done with this character. He was created by Robert E. Howard, and in his book Dreamsongs, Martin holds him up as the biggest example of “Heroic Fantasy” rather than “Epic Fantasy.” Back in June, Martin wrote that he specifically wants “someone to film that Conan pilot that Ryan Condal wrote.“
‘Dying Earth’ by Jack Vance
Dying Earth is a loosely-connected series by Jack Vance, published sporadically between 1950 and 1984. It is often held up as an example of how fantasy and science fiction can be combined – these stories are set in the distant future when the sun has nearly burned out. Something about this celestial confusion has given rise to magic like never before, and the post-apocalyptic civilizations of earth are gripped by religious fanaticism.
‘Nine Princes in Amber’ by Roger Zelazny
Martin called out Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber in both of his blog posts on this topic. This week, he wrote: “Most of all, I want Roger Zelazny’s NINE PRINCES IN AMBER. I will never understand why Corwin and his siblings are not starring in their own show. And hey, if epic fantasy continues to do well, maybe we will finally get that. A boy can dream.”
Nine Princes in Amber was published in 1970 and is the first book in a series of 10. It is a heady, existential story that begins in a version of our real world, but quickly draws that setting into a broader multiverse. If Martin can exert his influence as an executive producer, we just might get to see this story on TV someday.
‘Jirel of Joiry’ by C.L. Moore
C.L. Moore’s Jirel of Joiry is another nod to the days when the fantasy genre thrived in the form of short stories, published in magazines. This character appeared in five stories between 1934 and 1939, though Martin likely encountered them in the collected edition published later in 1969. Jirel is the ruler of a kingdom somewhere in France in a distant past, and she finds herself investigating and combatting the supernatural forces that threaten her realm.
‘Memory, Sorrow and Thorn’ by Tad Williams
Many of Martin’s mega-fans have also read Tad Williams’ Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series because it has been named as a major influence on Martin so often. The series is written in a similar style to A Song of Ice and Fire – using many point-of-view characters to tell a broad story. However, Williams is a contemporary of Martin’s, and this series began only a few short years before A Game of Thrones was published. It just wrapped up in 2017, and so far there is no word of a licensing deal or adaptation in the works.
Joe Abercrombie
Martin mentioned that he wants to see adaptations of work by author Joe Abercrombie, which could refer to Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy (2006 to 2008) or his Age of Madness trilogy (2019 to 2021). Abercrombie has also published three stand-alone novels. Whatever the case, Martin clearly isn’t alone in wishing for this TV adaptation.
Patrick Rothfuss
Martin also named author Patrick Rothfuss without specifying which book he wanted to see adapted. Most likely, he was referring to Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicle series, a collection of two novels with a third on the way. Rothfuss and Martin are often compared to one another since Rothfuss has been promising the third installment of The Kingkiller Chronicle since 2011. In the meantime, he was written other works and has added two short stories and two novellas to this series.
‘Earthsea’ by Ursula K. LeGuin
In his blog post, Martin wrote: “I want a good adaptation of LeGuin’s Earthsea books.” That’s because LeGuin’s Earthsea Cycle has actually been adapted to the screen twice before. In 2004, The Sci Fi Channel aired a miniseries adaptation of the first book that was not well received by fans. In 2006, Studio Ghibli released an animated film loosely based on LeGuin’s fictional world as well. This was not much of an adaptation either, leaving fans hungry for more.
In 2018, producer Jennifer Fox acquired the rights to adapt Earthsea, and in 2019 she partnered with A24 to make it into a TV show. There has been no news on that project since, but hopefully, Martin and other fans will get their way eventually.
Alan Garner
Again, Martin mentioned author Alan Garner without calling out a specific book, and there are many to choose from. Garner is best known for writing children’s fantasy books, but he also wrote many “low fantasy” books for a more mature audience. His books were adapted into radio plays in the 1960s and 1970s, and later into some TV shows and episodes. However, Martin clearly wants to see them get the more grandiose prestige TV treatment.
Robin Hobb
Finally, author Robin Hobb is another contemporary of Martin, and the two have appeared at some public events together. Hobb has a long bibliography, but her fantasy series Realm of the Elderlings is the one most often compared with Martin’s work. That includes numerous series set in a rich secondary fantasy world. There has been no public news of an adaptation of Hobb’s work, but many fans are hopeful that it is coming.
