George R.R. Martin’s book A Song of Ice and Fire has inspired one of the best TV shows of all time- Game of Thrones, taking the fantasy genre to new heights. The success of the Emmy-winning series has been followed by its spin-off House of the Dragon, drawing inspiration from Martin’s expansive universe in Fire & Blood.
However, the acclaimed author and screenwriter has credited the success of his fantasy novels and the shows that his books inspired to his dear friend and the late author Robert Jordan, renowned for his masterful work on The Wheel of Time series.
George R.R. Martin Reflected on Robert Jordan’s Influence on His Work
In a previous interview, George R.R. Martin acknowledged the profound influence of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time, which spans 14 volumes, on the development of his own expansive series, A Song of Ice and Fire.
He shared that the late author’s work helped to redefine the fantasy genre with much longer and more expansive book series, breaking away from the trilogy format established by The Lord of the Rings author, J.R.R. Tolkien. He told Entertainment Weekly,
“He gave me a blurb when my series was starting out, an endorsement for the cover that got me a lot of readers. And his own work really made my series possible. Jordan essentially broke the trilogy template that Tolkien helped set up.”
He also emphasized that his book series, which has inspired the hit HBO drama, would not have been possible without The Wheel of Time author. “I’ve always wanted to sprawl, and Jordan, to a great extent, made that possible with his series,” he further said.
While Jordan’s work inspired Martin to create a sprawling world, the success of Game of Thrones has since inspired many such shows over the past few years, including a series adaptation of The Wheel of Time, which has been renewed for a third season after two successful seasons.
Robert Jordan Inspired a Character in A Song of Ice and Fire
George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire pays homage to several sci-fi and fantasy novels along with TV and comic shows. And he has also honored his fellow fantasy author by including a character inspired by him in the series.
Lord Trebor of House Jordayne of the Tor, a character mentioned in the fourth and fifth volumes of the book series, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, is believed to be a reference to Robert Jordan.
The resemblance between Jordayne and Jordan, along with the name Trebor being an anagram of Jordan’s first name, suggests the tribute. Along with that, the name of House Jordayne’s seat, Tor, is believed to be a reference to Jordan’s publisher, Tor Books. The character, however, does not appear in the TV series.
As per Dan of Geek, A Feast of Crows mentions an “Archmaester Rigney” who “once wrote that history is a wheel, for the nature of man is fundamentally unchanging,” which is also considered to be a nod to the late author, whose real name was James Oliver Rigney Jr., and his book series The Wheel of Time.
Game of Thrones is available to stream on Max.
The Wheel of Time is available to stream on Prime Video.
