User blog comment:Savannah Star/Martin and Tolkien/@comment-5670832-20121111045016/@comment-4544974-20121111164154

Political intrigue + intense complications of characters + gritty realism = ''Ice and Fire. ​I used to think that Lord of the Rings ''was the ultimate epic fantasy, tbh. After I read Ice and Fire, I can say that I was absolutely stunned. Tolkien's writings are more of epic journeys there and back again, and Martin delves into everything: politics, complex characters, romance, you name it.