The Worlds of George RR Martin: The Inspirations Behind Game of Thrones

In the many realms of modern fantasy there is only one true King, and his name is George Raymond Richard Martin.
 
With A Song of Ice and Fire, Martin has created a world on a scale almost unrivalled by any other single writer. Approaching two million words and still evolving, this genuinely epic series of novels, with its deeply interlocking narratives, finely crafted drama and enormous range of characters, is a creation of extraordinary breadth.
 
So how did a writer best known for short stories come to craft such a gigantic sequence of novels, and what is the key to their extraordinary success? What sources – historical, literary and personal – did Martin draw upon in the writing, and what inspiration did they give him?
 
The Worlds of George R.R. Martin is an in-depth bringing together of the enormous range of inspirations behind Martin’s work ­– from historical borrowings as wide-ranging as the Roman empire, the Wars of the Roses and the Mongol conquests, to diverse literary and mythological texts, and Martin’s own family experience and biography.

Tom Huddleston is an author, freelance film & TV journalist and former Q&A host at the Twin Peaks UK Festival. His books include The Worlds of Dune, The Worlds of George R.R. Martin and, for younger readers, the acclaimed FloodWorld trilogy. His first grown-up novel The Cracks publishes in 2026. He has written for publications including Time Out, The Guardian and Little White Lies, and currently lives in London.