Saturday, January 24, 2026

Is George R.R. Martin Literal Garbage?

Share This Post

Julia and Kylie tackle the problems of the A Song of Ice and Fire book series, and make a definitive call on whether author George R.R. Martin should be run out of town.

DISCLAIMER: After posting this episode we received a lot of feedback that we sounded quite dismissive of issues, particularly racial representation. We want to be clear all problems discussed ARE problems, and this is just how we tried to engage with or make sense them. However, we are planning follow-up discussions to this podcast specifically, where we will have guests who can speak to these issues with more agency.

Listen below, subscribe/listen on iTunes (the newest episode is updated in the app, even if not on the site yet), subscribe to our RSS feed, search for “Unabashed Book Snobbery” in any podcast app, or download an MP3 of this episode here (go to ‘show all’).

The salterello performance for this episode is by MoNa FiLiNi.

Episode Breakdown:

  • 0:00 – Intro & general problems
  • 11:35 – Portrayals of race & racism
  • 32:40 – Worldbuilding
  • 36:00 – Women in Westeros & Dead Ladies Club
  • 50:00 – Sexism & sexual violence
  • 1:17:00 – Sex & queer rep
  • 1:32:10 – One final ask & conclusion

Related Pieces:


 

Author

  • Julia

    Julia is a Managing Editor at The Fandomentals with far too many hobbies and complex emotions. She may or may not be an actual Martell.

    View all posts

Latest Posts

Battleworld Comes To The Tabletop In The Marvel Multiverse Roleplaying Game’s New Expansion

Marvel’s Multiverse comes crashing down on tabletops everywhere this...

New Disney Villainous Expansions To Feature Witchy Sisters And Dashing Double Crossers

Today Ravensburger announced its 2026 plans for the award-winning Villainous board...

‘Ever Graceful They Darken’ Weaves A Tale Of Teenage Apocalypse

Willowkept is a place of the faithful. A peaceful...

Free League Sets Date For Return Of Classic TTRPG Trudvang

Today, Free League Publishing announced that the Kickstarter campaign for Dragonbane: Trudvang, a stand-alone...

Marvel Celebrates AAPI Heritage Month By Putting Jubilee In The Spotlight

On April 29, Marvel Comics will shine a special spotlight on...

Fallout Season 2 Review: Cooper’s Terrible, Awful, Not-So-Good Days

From the very start, Fallout has established Cooper Howard...