--- title: Game of Thrones Author George R.R. Martin: 'An American Tolkien' description: TIME wrote about the author in 2005 canonical: https://time.com/3774280/george-r-r-martin-tolkien/ author: Lily Rothman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-04-13T00:00:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T05:46:09.123Z article:section: History og:title: Game of Thrones Author George R.R. Martin: 'An American Tolkien' og:description: TIME wrote about the author in 2005 og:url: https://time.com/3774280/george-r-r-martin-tolkien/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8687f212805bbed8/69878705a988ca89c66ad43c/martin.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: George R.R. Martin og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Game of Thrones Author George R.R. Martin: 'An American Tolkien' twitter:description: TIME wrote about the author in 2005 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8687f212805bbed8/69878705a988ca89c66ad43c/martin.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why TIME Declared George R.R. Martin 'An American Tolkien'  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Apr 13, 2015 12:00 AM UTC  George R.R. Martin attends the TIME 100 Gala on April 26, 2011 in New York City. George R.R. Martin attends the TIME 100 Gala on April 26, 2011 in New York City.Stephen Lovekin—Getty Images for Time Warner  by [Lily Rothman](https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Apr 13, 2015 12:00 AM UTC In 2005, when the fourth _A Song of Ice and Fire_ installment, _A Feast for Crows,_ was released, author George R.R. Martin was still mostly unknown except among serious fantasy readers. When TIME’s Lev Grossman reviewed the book and explained to readers who Martin was, he could still frame things by saying that Martin wasn’t the best-known American fantasy writer. _Eragon_ author Christopher Paolini, _Wheel of Time_ author Robert Jordan and Ursula K. LeGuin were all more famous.These days, of course, the[ slightest hint ](http://time.com/3770874/george-rr-martin-game-of-thrones-song-of-ice-and-fire/)that Martin may be typing anything is met with near universal glee from fans of the immensely popular HBO adaptation of his work. But not everything has changed since 2005: though Grossman noted that Martin wasn’t as famous as some of his peers, he also proclaimed that “of those who work in the grand epic-fantasy tradition, Martin is by far the best.” He was good enough, in fact, for the story to be headlined “An American Tolkien.” Here’s why: --- > “” --- Martin’s series may remain unfinished, but his moral complexity returns to television on Sunday, April 12. **_Read the full 2005 story, here in the TIME archives:_** [The American Tolkien](http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1129596,00.html) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3774280/george-r-r-martin-tolkien/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3774280/george-r-r-martin-tolkien/"},"headline":"Why TIME Declared George R.R. 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