Outside of never being finished, I found ASOIAF to be kinda pointless, on the whole. I read the first 4 books and enjoyed the TV series much more - it felt like the editor GRRM sorely needed.
What else to read? Maybe Way of Kings by Sanderson, but it also struggles with pacing IMO. NK Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy are fantastic, but not medieval fantasy. Wheel of Time?
Thanks for the reminder, time for a reread!
Same on both counts. I tapped out at the second long slave caravan story. Like my god, out your characters through suffering? Fine. Put separate characters through the same suffering angle for entire books? Get stuffed, slave caravans are not that interesting.
I think the reaction you are having is important. ‘Good art’ leaves an impression in us, and even when you don’t understand why, it’s important.
The topics in this book are massively important, sadly as much so today as in the past. It’s not a happy book. It’s not a book where the ‘good guy’ wins. There are no good guys. The book is about the dehumanising nature of fascism, and the horrific abuse of and hunger for power in these systems.
What you will probably find, now that you’ve read it, is a disturbing number of parallels to current political leaders and systems. That’s why it’s such an important book. It’s a small book, but it’s the best characterisation and critique of fascism I’ve ever come across - it’s both easy to understand and utterly devastating from the reader’s perspective.
You may or may not choose to read it again, personally I try to reread or watch things that make me feel something and I don’t know why, but I do suggest you think about it a little bit. What did you find repulsive, and why?
Dune or Lord of the Rings.