It is interesting to see the reviews of George R.R. Martin's works, calling him an "American Tolkien".
It is hard to fathom why someone would make this comparison. Both authors wrote very verbose fantasy fiction. That's where the comparison ends, unfortunately for Martin.
Tolkien's books were deep and theological, with profound truths and an underlying spiritual theme that was in harmony with his Catholic faith. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, is certainly large in scope, and features a rich tapestry of characters, but I see no redeeming 'big picture' in his stories. It strikes me as having more in common with the Sopranos TV series than it does Tolkien's Epic. He creates a lot of characters, creates reasons for conflict, and have them start doing each other in. That's Martin's world, a world in which there is very little in the way of true nobility or selflessness.
This doesn't mean I can't enjoy the story that IS there, but the combination of foul language, explicit graphic sex (most of it would be fairly described as rape or prostitution), and lack of any overarching morality simply make this an epic 'adult' soap opera, and not an Epic on par with Lord of the Rings. For this, Tolkien has no peer in ANY nationality. To match Tolkien you need layers, and Martin's story has no layers.
Back to the content for a moment, I tend to skim the more graphic sexual content. It adds little to nothing to the story and seems to be Martin's attempt to kowtow to whatever we call an 'adult' audience. I have to enjoy Martin's works IN SPITE of some of his content, in much the same way as we may enjoy a movie in spite of some scenes we have would rather have not been included.
If nothing else, Martin's works serve to remind us of the base evil inherent in humanity, and there are very few people one could call good, nor do his characters provide any kind of model anyone should want to be like. His storylines are dark and oppressive, and although he is a fine writer, I would never call this an uplifting or inspirational work.
If you want to read the fantasy equivalent of the Sopranos...pick up Song of Ice and Fire and watch the betrayal and murder begin.
And that's my vent.
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