They're calling George R.R. Martin "better than Tolkien." Really?
(Read article summary)It's not that I didn't like "The Game of Thrones" but I'm not necessarily ready to dub Martin "the American Tolkien."
Sometimes it’s hard for the classics to compete in popularity games decades after their publishing dates. When I see the fighting words dubbing George R.R. Martin “The American Tolkien” or even better than Tolkien, I wonder how Martin would hold up going head-to-head – particularly if HBO's “Game of Thrones” series wasn’t drawing extra attention to his books.
But movie director Peter Jackson may help to boost Tolkien’s side in that battle. Jackson made a surprise visit to the San Diego Comic Convention last week, partly to talk about an upcoming "Tintin" adaptation, but also to offer a short update on his upcoming two-film adaptation of Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” the precursor to “The Lord of the Rings,” thrilling the convention's 6,000 attendees to the core.
(It was a particular thrill for hardcore fans, as Jackson had announced on Facebook that he wouldn’t be at the big-time con. But then, hardcore fans have already been tracking the film on the Facebook page and on the film’s blog, which recently revealed a picture of Thorin Oakenshield and his company of dwarves.)
