George Raymond Richard Martin[1] (bornGeorge Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948)[2] also known by the initialsG.R.R.M.[3] is an American author, television writer, and television producer. He is best known as the author of the series ofepic fantasy novelsA Song of Ice and Fire, which were adapted into thePrimetime Emmy Award–winning television seriesGame of Thrones (2011–2019) and its prequel seriesHouse of the Dragon (2022–present). He also helped create theWild Cards anthology series and contributedworldbuilding for the video gameElden Ring (2022).
George Raymond Martin (he adopted theconfirmation nameRichard at 13 years old)[2] was born on September 20, 1948,[14] inBayonne, New Jersey,[15] the son oflongshoreman Raymond Collins Martin and Margaret Brady Martin. His mother's family had once been wealthy, owning a successful construction business, but lost it all in theGreat Depression, something Martin was reminded about every day when he passed what used to be his family's dock and house.[16] He has two younger sisters, Darleen and Jane. He is predominantly ofIrish descent;[17] a DNA test on the seriesFinding Your Roots showed him to be 53.6% "British and Irish", 22.4%Ashkenazi Jewish, and 15.6% "Broadly Northwestern European".[18][19]
The family first lived in a house on Broadway belonging to Martin's great-grandmother. In 1953, they moved to a federalhousing project near theBayonne docks.[20] During Martin's childhood, his world consisted predominantly of "First Street to Fifth Street", between his grade school and his home. This limited world made him want to travel and experience other places, but the only way of doing so was through his imagination, and he became a voracious reader.[21]
Martin began writing and selling monster stories for pennies to other neighborhood children, dramatic readings included. He had to stop once a customer's mother complained about her child's nightmares.[22] He also wrote stories about a mythical kingdom populated by his pet turtles — the turtles died frequently in their toy castle, so he decided they were killing each other off in "sinister plots".[23] Martin had a habit of starting "endless stories" that he never completed, as they did not turn out as well on paper as he had imagined them.[24]
Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and laterMarist High School. While there, he became an avid comic-book fan, developing a strong interest in the superheroes being published byMarvel Comics,[25] and later creditedStan Lee for being one of his greatest literary influences; "Maybe Stan Lee is the greatest literary influence on me, even more than Shakespeare or Tolkien."[26] A letter Martin wrote to the editor ofFantastic Four was printed in issue #20 (November 1963); it was the first of many sent, e.g.,Fantastic Four #32, #34, and others. Fans who read his letters wrote him letters in turn, and through such contacts, Martin joined the fledgling comicsfandom of the era, writing fiction for variousfanzines;[27] he bought the first ticket to the world's firstComic-Con, held in New York in 1964.[28][29] In 1965, Martin won comic fandom'sAlley Award for Best Fan Fiction for his prose superhero story "Powerman vs. The Blue Barrier".[30]
Martin began selling science fictionshort stories professionally in 1970, at age 21. His first sale was "The Hero", sold toGalaxy magazine and published in its February 1971 issue; other sales soon followed. His first story to be nominated for theHugo Award[33] andNebula Awards was "With Morning Comes Mistfall", published in 1973 inAnalog magazine. In 1975 his story "...for a single yesterday" about a post-apocalyptic timetripper was selected for inclusion inEpoch, a science fiction anthology edited by Roger Elwood and Robert Silverberg. His first novel,Dying of the Light, was completed in 1976 right before he moved to Dubuque and published in 1977. That same year the enormous success ofStar Wars had a huge impact on the publishing industry and science fiction, and he sold the novel for the same amount he would make in three years of teaching.[34]
The short stories he was able to sell in his early 20s gave him some profit but not enough to pay his bills, which prevented him from becoming the full-time writer he wanted to be. The need for a day job occurred simultaneously with the American chess craze which followedBobby Fischer's victory in the1972 world chess championship. Martin's own chess skills and experience allowed him to be hired as a tournament director for the Continental Chess Association, which ran chess tournaments on the weekends. This gave him a sufficient income, and because the tournaments only ran on Saturdays and Sundays, it allowed him to work as a writer five days a week from 1973 to 1976. By the time the chess craze subsided and no longer provided an income, he had become much better established as a writer.[35][36]
In the mid-1970s, Martin met English professorGeorge Guthridge fromDubuque, Iowa, at ascience fiction convention inMilwaukee. Martin persuaded Guthridge (who later said that at that time he despisedscience fiction andfantasy) not only to givespeculative fiction a second look, but also to write in the field himself. Guthridge has since been a finalist for the Hugo Award and twice for theNebula Award for science fiction and fantasy. In 1998, Guthridge and Janet Berliner won theBram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in the Novel for theirChildren of the Dusk.[37]
In turn, Guthridge helped Martin in finding a job atClarke University (then Clarke College). Martin "wasn't making enough money to stay alive" from writing and the chess tournaments, said Guthridge.[38] From 1976 to 1978, Martin was an English and journalism instructor at Clarke, and he became Writer In Residence at the college from 1978 to 1979.[39]
While he enjoyed teaching, the sudden death of friend and fellow authorTom Reamy in late 1977 made Martin reevaluate his own life, and he eventually decided to try to become a full-time writer. In 1979 he resigned from his job and moved from Dubuque toSanta Fe, New Mexico at the end of the year.[40][41] There he would live alone for almost three years, a period he described as tremendously productive in regard to writing.[42]
Martin is a member of theScience Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA); he served as the organization's Southwest Regional Director from 1977 to 1979, and as its vice-president from 1996 to 1998.[43] In 1976, for Kansas City'sMidAmeriCon, the34th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), Martin and his friend and fellow writer-editorGardner Dozois conceived of and organized the first Hugo Losers' Party for the benefit of all past and present Hugo-losing writers on the evening following the convention's Hugo Awards ceremony. Martin was nominated for two Hugos that year but lost both awards, for the novelette "...and Seven Times Never Kill Man" and the novellaThe Storms of Windhaven, co-written withLisa Tuttle.[44] Although Martin often writes fantasy or horror, a number of his earlier works are science fiction tales occurring in a loosely definedfuture history, known informally as "The Thousand Worlds" or "The Manrealm".
In 2017, Martin recalled that he had started writing science fiction-horror hybrids in the late 1970s to disprove a statement from a critic claiming that science fiction and horror were opposites and therefore incompatible. Martin consideredSandkings (1979) the best known of these. Another was the novellaNightflyers (1980), whose screen and television rights were purchased by Vista in 1984, which produced a 1987 film adaptation,Nightflyers, with a screenplay co-written by Martin.[45] Martin was unhappy about having to cut plot elements in order to accommodate the film's small budget.[46] While not a hit at theatres, Martin believes that the film saved his career, and that everything he has written since exists in large part because of it.[47] He has also written at least one piece of political-military fiction, "Night of the Vampyres", collected inHarry Turtledove's anthologyThe Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century (2001).[48]
In 1982, Martin published a vampire novel titledFevre Dream set in the 19th century on the Mississippi River, in the heyday of the great paddle steamers. Unlike traditional vampire novels, inFevre Dream vampires are not supernatural creatures, but are rather a different species related to humans created by evolution with superhuman powers. Critic Don D'Amassa has praisedFevre Dream for its strong 19th-century atmosphere and wrote: "This is without question one of the greatest vampire novels of all time".[49] Martin followed upFevre Dream with anotherhorror novel,The Armageddon Rag (1983). The unexpected commercial failure ofThe Armageddon Rag "essentially destroyed my career as a novelist at the time", he recalled, and made him consider going intoreal estate instead.[50]
In 1984, the new editor of Baen Books, Betsy Mitchell, called Martin to ask him if he had considered doing a collection of Haviland Tuf adventures. Martin, who had several favorite series characters likeSolomon Kane,Elric,Nicholas van Rijn and Magnus Ridolph, had made an attempt to create such a character on his own in the 1970s with his Tuf stories. He was interested, but was too occupied with the writing of his next book, the never-completed novelBlack and White and Red All Over, which occupied most of his writing time the same year. But after the failure ofThe Armageddon Rag, all editors rejected his upcoming novel, and desperate for money, he accepted Mitchell's offer and wrote some more Tuf stories which were collected inTuf Voyaging, which sold well enough for Mitchell to suggest a sequel. Martin was willing and agreed to do it, but before he got started he got an offer from Hollywood, where producer Philip DeGuere Jr. wanted to adaptThe Armageddon Rag into a film. The film adaptation did not happen, but they stayed in touch, and when DeGuere became the producer for the revival ofThe Twilight Zone, Martin was offered a job as a writer. Working for television paid a lot better than writing literature, so he decided to move to Hollywood to seek a new career.[23][51][52] At first he worked as staff writer for the show, and then as an executive story consultant.
After theCBS series was cancelled, Martin migrated over to the already-underway satirical science fiction seriesMax Headroom. He worked on scripts and created the show's "Ped Xing" character. However, before his scripts could go into production, theABC show was cancelled in the middle of its second season. Martin was hired as a writer-producer on the new dramatic fantasy seriesBeauty and the Beast; in 1989, he became the show's co-supervising producer and wrote 14 of its episodes.
In 1987, Martin published a collection of short horror stories inPortraits of His Children. During this same period, Martin continued working in print media as a book-series editor, this time overseeing the development of the multi-authorWild Cards book series, which takes place in ashared universe in which a small slice of post–World War II humanity gains superpowers after the release of an alien-engineered virus; new titles are published in the ongoing series fromTor Books. InSecond Person, Martin "gives a personal account of the close-knitrole-playing game (RPG) culture that gave rise to hisWild Cards shared-world anthologies".[53] An important element in the creation of the multiple-author series was a campaign ofChaosium's role-playing gameSuperworld (1983) that Martin ran inAlbuquerque.[54] Admitting he became completely obsessed with the game, he stopped writing literature for most of 1983, which he refers to as his "lost year", but his shrinking bank accounts made him realize he had to come up with something, and got the idea that perhaps the stories and characters created inSuperworld could somehow become profitable.[55] Martin's own contributions toWild Cards have included Thomas Tudbury, "The Great and Powerful Turtle", a powerfulpsychokinetic whose flying "shell" consisted of an armoredVW Beetle. As of June 2011[update], 21Wild Cards volumes had been published in the series; earlier that same year, Martin signed the contract for the 22nd volume,Low Ball (2014), published byTor Books. In early 2012, Martin signed another Tor contract for the 23rdWild Cards volume,High Stakes, which was released in August 2016.[56]
In August 2016, Martin announced thatUniversal Cable Productions had acquired the rights to adapt theWild Cards novels into a television series.[57] He noted that he himself would not write for the adaptation due to focusing onA Song of Ice and Fire.[57]
In 1991, Martin briefly returned to writing novels. He had grown frustrated that his TV pilots and screenplays were not getting made[59] and that TV-related production limitations like budgets and episode lengths were forcing him to cut characters and trim battle scenes.[60] This pushed Martin back towards writing books, where he did not have to worry about compromising his imagination.[59] Admiring the works ofJ. R. R. Tolkien in his childhood, he wanted to write an epic fantasy, though he did not have any specific ideas.[61]
In 2012,A Dance with Dragons made the final ballot for science fiction and fantasy's Hugo Award,[66] World Fantasy Award,[67] Locus Poll Award, and the British Fantasy Award;[68] the novel went on to win the Locus Poll Award for Best Fantasy Novel.[69] Two more novels are planned in the series:The Winds of Winter and the final volumeA Dream of Spring.
On April 25, 2018, Martin announced the release date of his new book,Fire & Blood, dealing with the history of House Targaryen, which was released on November 20, 2018.[70] Should Martin die before finishing theA Song of Ice and Fire series, former collaborators have said that they will not conclude the series for him.[71]
HBO Productions purchased the television rights for theA Song of Ice and Fire series in 2007. Although busy completingA Dance with Dragons and other projects, George R. R. Martin was heavily involved in the production of the television series adaptation of his books. Martin's involvement included the selection of a production team and participation in scriptwriting; the opening credits list him as a co-executive producer of the series. The original pilot was shot between October 24 and November 19, 2009, on location in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Morocco.[72] It was received so poorly by HBO executives that they did not make a decision for four months after the pilot was delivered.[73] In March 2010, HBO's decision to greenlight the series was announced,[74] with the production of the series scheduled to start June 2010.[75] HBO however demanded the first episode be reshot, and wanted all the scenes from Morocco scrapped.[76] The first episode ("Winter Is Coming") premiered on HBO in the United States and Canada on April 17, 2011. It was seen initially by 2.2 million viewers. The first season was nominated for 13Emmy Awards, ultimately winning two: one for itsopening title credits, and one forPeter Dinklage as Best Supporting Actor.[77]
HBO ordered a second season ofGame of Thrones on April 19, 2011, two days after the series premiere.[78] The second season obtained a 15% increase in budget in order to be able to stage the war's most important battle,[79] the Battle of the Blackwater, in episode nine which was written by George R. R. Martin. Filming took place during 106 shooting days. During three-quarters of those, two crews ("Dragon" and "Wolf") were working simultaneously in different locations.[80]Alan Taylor was promoted to co-executive producer and directed four episodes, including the season premiere and finale.David Petrarca andDavid Nutter each directed two episodes, while series cinematographerAlik Sakharov and filmmakerNeil Marshall directed the remaining two. The second season premiered in the United States onHBO on April 1, 2012, and concluded on June 3, 2012. U.S. viewership rose by approximately 8% over the course of the season, from 3.9 million to 4.2 million by the season finale. The second season won six of the twelveEmmy Awards for which it was nominated.[77]
Game of Thrones rapidly became a critical and commercial success after the second season. HBO renewed the series for athird season on April 10, 2012, nine days after thesecond season's premiere. Production began in July 2012[81] and concluded with thewrap of the unit filming in Iceland on November 24, 2012. The third season is based on the first half of the novelA Storm of Swords. Benioff had previously said thatA Storm of Swords would need to be adapted in two seasons on account of its length. Benioff and Weiss also noted that they thought ofGame of Thrones as an adaptation of the series as a whole, rather than of individual novels, which gave them the liberty to move scenes back and forth across novels according to the requirements of the screen adaptation.[82] Season 3 saw the first significant use of theValyrian languages, spoken in doomedValyria and its former colonies inEssos. Theconstructed languages were developed by conlangerDavid J. Peterson based on the few words Martin invented for the novels. Peterson had previously developed theDothraki language, used principally in season 1.[83] The third season premiered onHBO on March 31, 2013, and concluded on June 9, 2013. The third season was seen by 14.2 million viewers.[84] It won 2 of the 16Emmy Awards for which it was nominated.[77]
Two days after third-season premiere, HBO ordered the fourth season on April 2, 2013, which began filming in July 2013.[85] The season is adapted primarily from the second half ofA Storm of Swords, along with elements ofA Feast for Crows andA Dance with Dragons.ShowrunnersDavid Benioff andD. B. Weiss co-wrote seven out of ten episodes. The remaining three episodes were written byBryan Cogman (two episodes), and George R. R. Martin (one episode). For this season, the filming lasted 136 days and was completed on November 21, 2013.[86] Thefourth season premiered in the United States onHBO on April 6, 2014, and concluded on June 15, 2014. The season was met with largely positive reviews. It won 4 of the 19Emmy Awards for which it was nominated.[77] With its fourth season,Game of Thrones has become the most-watched HBO series in history (surpassing the fourth season ofThe Sopranos which had a gross audience of 18.2 million viewers), averaging 18.4 million viewers across multiple platforms, including live viewing, encores, DVR views, HBO GO and On Demand views.[87]
Up until the fourth season, Martin wrote one episode for each season. In 2022, Martin said that he had been estranged from the show during the production process of the last 4 seasons (starting with season 5).[88] In the early seasons, Martin wrote and read scripts, consulted on casting decisions and visited sets. Over time, however, he stepped back to focus on his long-delayed next "Thrones" novel,The Winds of Winter.[88] Following the gargantuan success of the fourth season, HBO ordered the fifth season on April 8, 2014, together with thesixth season, which began filming in July 2014. The season primarily adapts the storylines fromA Feast for Crows andA Dance with Dragons, also with original content not found in Martin's novels. This season set aGuinness World Record for winning the highest number ofEmmy Awards for a series in a single season and year, winning 12 out of 24 nominations, includingOutstanding Drama Series.[89]
With a budget over $100 million for the whole season, filming for the sixth season began in July 2015 and ended on December. The season filmed in five different countries:Northern Ireland,Spain,Croatia,Iceland, andCanada. This season saw the overall plot of the show diverging from the source material. Some of the season's storyline is derived from content not yet published in Martin'sA Song of Ice and Fire series, although a significant amount of material fromA Feast for Crows,A Dance with Dragons and the upcoming sixth novelThe Winds of Winter, which Martin previously outlined toshowrunnersDavid Benioff andD.B. Weiss, was used.[90] The season was largely met with positive reviews.[91] The "Battle of the Bastards" episode received immense critical acclaim, with many calling it one of the best television episodes of all time.[92] U.S. viewership rose compared to the previous season, and by approximately 13 percent over its course, from 7.9 million to 8.9 million by the finale. The season won 12 of the 23Emmy Awards for which it was nominated.[77]
Three days before the premiere of the episode "The Red Woman", HBO ordered the seventh season. Due to necessary weather conditions required for filming, the production of the penultimate season of the show was delayed that year.[93] Filming began only on August 31, 2016, at Titanic Studios in Belfast,[94] and ended in February 2017.[95] Unlike previous seasons, the seventh and eighth seasons largely consisted of original content not found in the source material. This season comprised only seven episodes. The showrunners stated that they were unable to produce 10 episodes in the show's usual 12 to 14 month time frame, as Weiss said "It's crossing out of a television schedule into more of a mid-range movie schedule".[96] The average runtime of an episode in this season was approximately 63 minutes. The series received 22 nominations for the70th Primetime Emmy Awards and won 9 of them, including "Outstanding Drama Series".[97]
Unlike its prior seasons, the final one took a year gap for its production and filming. The eighth season consisted of only six episodes, though the average runtime of an episode was 68 minutes, the longest of all seasons, with"The Long Night" consisting of 81 minutes. The season was met with mixed reviews from critics. While the performances, production values and music score were praised, criticism was mainly directed at the shorter runtime of the season as well as numerous creative decisions made by the showrunners. Many commentators deemed it to be a disappointing conclusion to the series. Despite this, the season received 32 nominations at the71st Primetime Emmy Awards, the most for a single season of television in history, and won twelve, includingOutstanding Drama Series andOutstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series forPeter Dinklage.[98]
Three years after the show ended, aprequel series,House of the Dragon, premiered on HBO on August 21, 2022. Based on parts of the novelFire & Blood, the series is set about 200 years before the events ofGame of Thrones.Ryan Condal andMiguel Sapochnik served as theshowrunners for the first season. Five days after its premiere, theseries was renewed for a second season byHBO. On September 1, Sapochnik departed as showrunner,[99] with another veteranGame of Thrones directorAlan Taylor replacing him as the co-showrunner for the upcoming second season.[100]
In June 2022, it was reported that a Jon Snowsequel series withKit Harington to reprise his role was in early development at HBO.[101] Theworking title isSnow and Martin confirmed his involvement with the project and that Harington initiated the idea.[102] Also in June, Martin said there were still three otherlive-action series in development:10,000 Ships (written by Amanda Segal),9 Voyages akaSea Snake (written byBruno Heller), and theDunk & Eggprequel series (written bySteven Conrad), tentatively titled eitherThe Hedge Knight orKnight of the Seven Kingdoms.[102]
In January 2021, an animated drama series was announced as in development atHBO Max.[103] In July 2021, two more animated series were in development at HBO Max, with one being set in Yi Ti, a nation inEssos loosely based onImperial China.[104]
Martin's work has been described as having "complex story lines, fascinating characters, great dialogue, perfect pacing" by literary criticJeff VanderMeer.[105]Dana Jennings of theNew York Times described Martin's work as "fantasy for grown ups"[106] andLev Grossman wrote that it was dark and cynical.[107] Martin's first novel,Dying of the Light, set the tone for some of his future work; it unfolds on a mostly abandoned planet that is slowly becoming uninhabitable as it moves away from its sun. This story has a strong sense ofmelancholy. His characters are often unhappy or, at least, unsatisfied, in many cases holding on toidealisms in spite of an otherwise chaotic and ruthless world, and often troubled by their own self-seeking or violent actions, even as they undertake them. Many have elements oftragic heroes orantiheroes in them; reviewer T. M. Wagner writes: "Let it never be said Martin doesn't share Shakespeare's fondness for the senselessly tragic."[108]
Martin in November 2016
The overall gloominess ofA Song of Ice and Fire can be an obstacle for some readers; the Inchoatus Group writes that, "If this absence of joy is going to trouble you, or you're looking for something more affirming, then you should probably seek elsewhere."[109] However, for many fans, it is precisely this level of "realness" and "completeness" – including many characters' imperfections, moral and ethical ambiguity, and (often sudden)consequential plot twists that is endearing about Martin's work. Many find that this is what makes the series' story arcs compelling enough to keep following despite its sheer brutality and intricately messy and interwoven plotlines; as TM Wagner points out:
There's great tragedy here, but there's also excitement, humor, heroism even in weaklings, nobility even in villains, and, now and then, a taste of justice after all. It's a rare gift when a writer can invest his story with that much humanity.[108]
Martin's characters are multifaceted, each with intricate pasts, aspirations, and ambitions.Publishers Weekly writes of his ongoing epic fantasyA Song of Ice and Fire: "The complexity of characters such asDaenerys,Arya andthe Kingslayer will keep readers turning even the vast number of pages contained in this volume, for the author, likeTolkien orJordan, makes us care about their fates."[110] Misfortune, injury, and death (including false death and reanimation) often befall major or minor characters, no matter how attached the reader has become. Martin has described his penchant for killing off important characters as being necessary for the story's depth: "when my characters are in danger, I want you to be afraid to turn the page, (so) you need to show right from the beginning that you're playing for keeps".[111]
In distinguishing his work from others, Martin makes a point of emphasizing realism and plausible social dynamics above an over-reliance on magic and a simplistic "good versus evil" dichotomy, for which contemporary fantasy writing is often criticized. Notably, Martin's work makes a sharp departure from the prevalent "heroic knights and chivalry" schema that has become a mainstay in fantasy as derived fromJ. R. R. Tolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings. He specifically critiques the oversimplification of Tolkien's themes and devices by imitators in ways that he has humorously described as "Disneyland Middle Ages",[112] which gloss over or ignore major differences between medieval and modern societies, particularly social structures, ways of living, and political arrangements. Martin has been described as "the American Tolkien" by literary critics.[113] While Martin finds inspiration in Tolkien's legacy,[114] he aims to go beyond what he sees as Tolkien's "medieval philosophy" of "if the king was a good man, the land would prosper" to delve into the complexities, ambiguities, and vagaries of real-life power: "We look at real history and it's not that simple... Just having good intentions doesn't make you a wise king."[115] Per this fact Martin has been credited with the rise ofgrimdark fantasy, a modern form of an "anti-Tolkien" approach to fantasy writing which,[116] according to British science fiction and fantasy novelistAdam Roberts, is characterized by its reaction to Tolkien's idealism even though it owes a lot to Tolkien's work.[117][118] The Canadian fantasy writerR. Scott Bakker "says he wouldn't have been able to publish his fantasy novels without the success George R. R. Martin achieved first".[119] Similarly,Mark Lawrence, author ofPrince of Thorns, was inspired by Martin and impressed by his Red Wedding scene.[120]
The author makes a point of grounding his work on a foundation ofhistorical fiction, which he channels to evoke important social and political elements of primarily theEuropean medieval era that differ markedly from elements of modern times, including the multigenerational, rigid, and often brutally consequential nature of the hierarchicalclass system offeudal societies[121] that is in many cases overlooked in fantasy writing. Even asA Song of Ice and Fire is a fantasy series that employs magic and the surreal as central to the genre, Martin is keen to ensure that magic is merely one element of many that moves his work forward,[122] not a genericdeus ex machina that is itself the focus of his stories, which is something he has been very conscious about since reading Tolkien; "If you look atThe Lord of the Rings, what strikes you, it certainly struck me, is that although the world is infused with this great sense of magic, there is very little onstage magic. So you have a sense of magic, but it's kept under very tight control, and I really took that to heart when I was starting my own series."[123] Martin's ultimate aim is an exploration of theinternal conflicts that define thehuman condition, which, in deriving inspiration fromWilliam Faulkner,[124] he ultimately describes as the only reason to read any literature, regardless of genre.[125]
In 2017, Martin confirmed he would serve as anexecutive producer of theHBO television series adaptation of the 2010 science fantasy novelWho Fears Death byNnedi Okorafor.[127] Martin also contributed to the 2022 video game titledElden Ring, writing theworldbuilding aspects for it.[128][129] In February 2021, it was reported that Martin andKalinda Vazquez were developing a TV adaptation ofRoadmarks byRoger Zelazny, which Martin pitched to HBO in 2020. Martin will be an executive producer, Vazquez the showrunner, writer and executive producer.[130] In March 2021, he signed an overall deal with HBO.[131] Martin will serve as an executive producer of thePeacock TV adaptation in development of hisWild Cards book series, together withMelinda M. Snodgrass and Vince Gerardis, Martin's manager.[132] He serves as an executive producer of theAMC seriesDark Winds based onTony Hillerman's Leaphorn & Chee books.[133] In 2021, Martin served as one of the producers of the short filmNight of the Cooters based on the eponymous short story byHoward Waldrop.[134][135]
Martin signing books in a bookstore inLjubljana, Slovenia (June 2011)
Martin actively contributes to his blog,Not a Blog; in April 2018, he moved his blog fromLivejournal to his own website.[136]
Martin's official fan club is the "Brotherhood Without Banners", which has a regular posting board at the Forum of the website westeros.org, which is focused on hisA Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series. At the annualWorld Science Fiction Convention every year, the Brotherhood Without Banners hosts a large, on-going hospitality suite that is open to all members of the Worldcon.[137]
Martin is known for his regular attendance atscience fiction conventions and comics conventions, and his accessibility to fans. In the early 1980s, critic and writerThomas Disch identified Martin as a member of the "Labor Day Group", writers who regularly congregated at the annualWorldcon, usually held on or around theLabor Day weekend. Since the early 1970s, he has also attended regional science fiction conventions; further, since 1986, Martin has participated annually inAlbuquerque's smaller regional conventionBubonicon, near hisNew Mexico home.[140][141] He was the Guest of Honor at the61st World Science Fiction Convention in Toronto, held in 2003.[142][143]
In 2020, Martin fulfilled his duties as "toastmaster" of theHugo Awards. During the event, he mispronounced several names, including that ofR. F. Kuang, which she considered amicroaggression. Martin later apologized for mispronouncing the names.[145][146]
Martin has been criticized by some of his readers for the long periods between books in theA Song of Ice and Fire series, notably the six-year gap between the fourth volume,A Feast for Crows (2005), and the fifth volume,A Dance with Dragons (2011), and the fact thatThe Winds of Winter, the next volume in the series, is still unpublished as of May 2025.[147][148][149] In 2010, Martin had responded to fan criticisms by saying he was unwilling to write only hisA Song of Ice and Fire series, noting that working on other prose and compiling and editing different book projects have always been part of his working process.[150]
In the early 1970s, Martin was in a relationship with fellow science fiction/fantasy authorLisa Tuttle, with whom he co-wroteWindhaven.[151]
While attending an East Coast science fiction convention he met his first wife, Gale Burnick; they were married in 1975 and moved from their Chicago apartment and into a house in Dubuque in 1976. Both of them grew tired of the hard winters there, and when she graduated fromClarke University in June 1979, he resigned from his job and they decided to move to New Mexico. The year before they had "fallen in love" with Santa Fe on their way to the36th World Science Fiction Convention which was being held in Phoenix. His wife went down and bought a house while Martin stayed behind to sell their home and finish the semester. The marriage ended in divorce in 1979,[152] before they could be reunited in Santa Fe. Instead he settled there alone from December that same year until September 1981, when what would be his longtime partner Parris McBride moved in with him.[153][154][42] On February 15, 2011, Martin married McBride during a small ceremony at theirSanta Fe home. On August 19, 2011, they held a larger wedding ceremony and reception at Renovation, the69th World Science Fiction Convention.[155] They have no children.
He and McBride are supporters of theWild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary in New Mexico.[156] In early 2013, he purchased Santa Fe'sJean Cocteau Cinema and Coffee House, which had been closed since 2006. He had the property completely restored, including both its original 35mm capability to which was added digital projection and sound; the Cocteau officially reopened for business on August 9, 2013.[157] In 2019, he opened a bookstore named Beastly Books, after Beauty and the Beast, next to Jean Cocteau.[158] Martin has also supportedMeow Wolf, an arts collective in Santa Fe, having pledged $2.7 million toward a new art space in January 2015.[159][160]
In response to a question on his religious views, Martin replied: "I suppose I'm alapsed Catholic. You would consider me anatheist oragnostic. I find religion and spirituality fascinating. I would like to believe this isn't the end and there's something more, but I can't convince the rational part of me that makes any sense whatsoever."[161]
Martin made a guest appearance as himself in an episode, "El Skeletorito", of theAdult Swim showRobot Chicken.[166] He appeared inSyFy'sZ Nation as a zombie version of himself in season two's "The Collector", where he is still signing copies of his new novel.[167][168] InSharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, he is killed when watching a movie at the theatre.[169] InAMC's TV show, "Dark Winds" Season 3, Episode 1, he appears as "George", opposite co-executive producerRobert Redford, playing chess in a Navajo jail cell.[170]
In 2014, Martin launched a campaign onPrizeo to raise funds forWild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary and the Food Depot of Santa Fe. As part of the campaign, Martin offered one donor the chance to accompany him on a trip to the wolf sanctuary, including a helicopter ride and dinner. Martin also offered those donating $20,000 or more the opportunity to have a character named after them and "killed off" in an upcomingSong of Ice and Fire novel. The campaign garnered media attention and raised a total of $502,549.[171][172]
In 2017, Martin announced that he was funding The Miskatonic Scholarship. The Miskatonic Scholarship allows a writer of Lovecraftian cosmic horror to attend theOdyssey Writing Workshop, a six-week writing workshop held at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire.[173][174]
While he did not endorseBarack Obama in 2008, Martin endorsed him for re-election in 2012 calling Obama the most intelligent president sinceJimmy Carter.[176] In2014, Martin endorsed Democratic SenatorTom Udall of New Mexico.[177]
In the midst of pressure to pull the 2014 feature filmThe Interview from theaters, theJean Cocteau Cinema inSanta Fe, New Mexico, which has been owned by Martin since 2013, decided to show the film. Theater manager Jon Bowman told theSanta Fe New Mexican, "Martin feels strongly about the First Amendment and the idea of artists having the ability to speak their minds and not having to worry about being targets."[178]
Immediately followingBernie Sanders' defeat in theU.S. Democratic primary elections, he supported Democratic nomineeHillary Clinton in the general2016 United States presidential election, and criticizedDonald Trump during the election and following her defeat, commenting that Trump would "become the worst president in American history".[179][180][181] In response to fans of Martin who compared Trump favorably to characters fromA Song of Ice and Fire, Martin doubled-down on his criticism of Trump by making the case to his fans that Trump shares many personality traits in common withKing Joffrey, a near-universally hated character from the series, concluding that "Trump is a Grown-Up Joffrey."[182][183]
Tuf Voyaging (1986), fix-up novel of 7 novellas/novelettes:
"The Plague Star" (novella), "Loaves and Fishes" (novella), "Guardians" (novelette), "Second Helpings" (novelette), "A Beast for Norn" (novelette), "Call Him Moses" (novelette), "Manna from Heaven" (novella)
A Song for Lya, orA Song for Lya and Other Stories (1976), collection of 8 short stories and 2 novellas/novelettes:
"With Morning Comes Mistfall", "The Second Kind of Loneliness", "Override" (novelette), "Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels", "The Hero", "FTA", "Run to Starlight", "The Exit to San Breta", "Slide Show", "A Song for Lya" (novella)
"This Tower of Ashes", "Patrick Henry, Jupiter, and the Little Red Brick Spaceship", "Men of Greywater Station", "The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr", "Night of the Vampyres", "The Runners", "Night Shift", "...For a Single Yesterday", "And Seven Times Never Kill Man" (novelette)
Sandkings (1981), collection of 3 short stories and 4 novelettes:
"The Way of Cross and Dragon" (novelette), "Bitterblooms" (novelette), "In the House of the Worm", "Fast-Friend", "The Stone City" (novelette), "Starlady", "Sandkings" (novelette)
"The Monkey Treatment" (novelette), "...For a Single Yesterday", "In the House of the Worm", "The Needle Men", "Meathouse Man" (novelette), "Sandkings" (novelette), "This Tower of Ashes", "Nightflyers" (novella), "Remembering Melody"
Nightflyers, orNightflyers and Other Stories (1985), collection of 6 novelettes/novellas:
"Nightflyers" (novella), "Override" (novelette), "Weekend in a War Zone" (novelette), "And Seven Times Never Kill Man" (novelette), "Nor the Many-Colored Fires of a Star Ring" (novelette), "A Song for Lya" (novella)
"With Morning Comes Mistfall", "The Second Kind of Loneliness", "The Last Super Bowl" (novelette), "The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr", "The Ice Dragon" (novelette), "In the Lost Lands", "Unsound Variations" (novella), "Closing Time", "Under Siege" (novelette), "The Glass Flower" (novelette), "Portraits of His Children" (novelette)
Quartet (2001), collection of 1 short story and 3 novellas:
"Blood of the Dragon" (novella part ofA Game of Thrones), "Black and White and Red All Over", "Starport" (novella), "Skin Trade" (novella)
Dreamsongs: A RRetrospective, orGRRM: A RRetrospective (2003), collection of 11 short stories, 21 novelettes/novellas and 2 screenplays:
A Four-Color Fanboy: "Only Kids Are Afraid of the Dark", "The Fortress", "And Death His Legacy"
The Filthy Pro: "The Hero", "The Exit to San Breta", "The Second Kind of Loneliness", "With Morning Comes Mistfall"
The Light of Distant Stars: "A Song for Lya" (novella), "This Tower of Ashes", "And Seven Times Never Kill Man" (novelette), "The Stone City" (novelette), "Bitterblooms" (novelette), "The Way of Cross and Dragon" (novelette)
The Heirs of Turtle Castle: "The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr", "The Ice Dragon" (novelette), "In the Lost Lands"
Hybrids and Horrors: "Meathouse Man" (novelette), "Remembering Melody", "Sandkings" (novelette), "Nightflyers" (novella), "The Monkey Treatment" (novelette), "The Pear-Shaped Man" (novelette)
A Taste of Tuf: "A Beast for Norn" (novelette part ofTuf Voyaging), "Guardians" (novelette part ofTuf Voyaging)
The Siren Song of Hollywood: "The Road Less Traveled" (screenplay), "Doorways" (screenplay)
Doing the Wild Card Shuffle: "Shell Games" (novelette), "From the Journal of Xavier Desmond" (novella)
The Heart in Conflict: "Under Siege" (novelette), "The Skin Trade" (novella), "Unsound Variations" (novella), "The Glass Flower" (novelette), "The Hedge Knight" (novella; seriesA Knight of the Seven Kingdoms #1), "Portraits of His Children" (novelette)
Uncollected short stories:
Captain Weird: The Sword and the Spider (1970) (with Howard Keltner & Jim Starlin)
New Voices in Science Fiction 2 (1979: more new stories by theJohn W. Campbell Award winners)
New Voices in Science Fiction 3 (1980: more new stories by theJohn W. Campbell Award winners)
New Voices in Science Fiction 4 (1981: more new stories by theJohn W. Campbell Award winners)
The Science Fiction Weight Loss Book (1983) edited withIsaac Asimov andMartin H. Greenberg ("Stories by the Great Science Fiction Writers on Fat, Thin, and Everything in Between")
The John W. Campbell Awards, Volume 5 (1984, continuation of theNew Voices in Science Fiction series)
Night Visions 3 (1986)
Wild Cards series editor (also contributor to many volumes)
Warriors (2010; a cross-genre anthology featuring stories about war and warriors; winner of the 2011 Locus Poll Award for Best Original Anthology)
Songs of Love and Death (2010; a cross-genre anthology featuring stories of romance in fantasy and science fiction settings, originally entitledStar Crossed Lovers)
Down These Strange Streets (2011; a cross-genre anthology that blends classic detective stories with fantasy and science fiction)
Old Mars (2013; a science fiction anthology featuring all new, retro-themed stories about theRed Planet)[212]
Dangerous Women (2013;[213] a cross-genre anthology focusing on women warriors and strong female characters, originally titledFemmes Fatale)[214]
Rogues (2014; a cross-genre anthology featuring new stories about assorted rogues)[212]
Old Venus (2015 publication; an anthology of all new, retro-themedVenus science fiction stories)[212][215]
^Martin, George R. R. (September 10, 2016)."A Salute to Immigrants".Not A Blog. Archived fromthe original on September 11, 2016. RetrievedSeptember 11, 2016.
^Rutkoff, Aaron (July 8, 2011)."Garden State Tolkien: Q&A With George R.R. Martin".The Wall Street Journal. "Mr. Martin, 62 years old, says that he grew up in a federal housing project in Bayonne, which is situated on a peninsula... "My four years at Marist High School were not the happiest of my life," the author admits, although his growing enthusiasm for writing comics and superhero stories first emerged during this period."
^abD'Mmassa, Don "Martin, George" pages 388-390 fromSt. James Guide to Horror, Ghost and Gothic Writers edited by David Pringle, Detroit: St. James Press, 19978 page 388.
^Martin, George R.R. (May 2001). Turtledove, Harry; Greenberg, Martin H. (eds.). "Night of the Vampyres".The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century. New York: Ballantine. pp. 279–306.
^D'Amassa, Don "Martin, George" pages 388-390 fromSt. James Guide to Horror, Ghost and Gothic Writers edited by David Pringle, Detroit: St. James Press, 1997 page 390.
^"25+ Grimdark Books to Add Some Grit to Your Reading List".reedsy.com. RetrievedAugust 25, 2021.Lawrence himself is a professed admirer of George R.R. Martin, in particular, citing the Red Wedding as a crucial inspiration in his work. ""I was impressed by how ruthless he was with characters we were invested in and how exciting that made reading the series."
^Disch, Thomas M. (2005)."The Labor Day Group"(PDF).The University of Michigan Press.Archived(PDF) from the original on June 23, 2010. RetrievedJuly 8, 2014.
^"Worldcon GoH Speech".asimovs.com. 2003. Archived from the original on March 23, 2015. RetrievedSeptember 9, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^D'Amassa, Don "Martin, George" pages 388-390 fromSt. James Guide to Horror, Ghost and Gothic Writers edited by David Pringle, Detroit: St. James Press, 1997 page 388.
^Cornell, Paul (September 12, 2011)."Worldcon: A Love Story".paulcornell.com. RetrievedJuly 8, 2014.
^Martin, George R.R. (June 16, 2014)."Not A Blog: Wolves".grrm.livejournal.com. Archived fromthe original on November 30, 2012. RetrievedJuly 8, 2014.
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