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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bob Aberton" data-source="post: 631318" data-attributes="member: 1518">In my opinion, the basic problem that many people (not me...) have with GRRM's books is that his world is too realistic.By that I mean that, in GRRM's books, just like in real life, THE HEROES DIE.  Most people can't get used to a fantasy book in which the hero dies, or the hero fails miserably.Look at Eddard Stark...SPOILERS POSSIBLEI WARNED YOUI mean, seriously, look at Eddard Stark.  He was brave, honest, truthful, kind, etc.  In short, he was the hero.  He had all the other heroic qualities.Now, in any ordinary fantasy book, he would have succeeded in his bid to bring order to the kingdom and keep Cersei and her children away from the throne, there would have been a happy ending.In Game of Thrones, as most of you know, he failed.  Miserably.  He was too trusting and goodhearted, and he was betrayed by his "friends" and stabbed in the back by those he trusted.  And he was killed.  And the kingdom erupted to war and bloody violence.  See what I mean by being too realistic?  What do you think would happen to and honest, trusting politician in RL?  Probably the same sort of thing that happened to Eddard Stark, although there wouldn't be any executions or imprisonment, just a severe loss of face and office...And a lot of people say to themselves, "this book sucks!  The hero just got killed off, and the bad guys won!  I want my escapism back."I know I have a hard time reading it, because I tend to get attached to the characters in the books.  And, of course, the ones that get attached to are always the ones that get killed off.Except for Tyrion Lannister.  He's cool, and we all know he's too smart to let himself get killed off, right...?</blockquote>

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