‘Game of Thrones’ creator on bloodthirsty reputation: ‘You should feel death’

Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin has a notorious reputation for killing popular characters in his books and the hit HBO show on it adopted the killing streak. But, the famed author has a unique take on the topic of death.

In a throwback interview with Bang! magazine, A Song of Ice and Fire writer said, “I don’t think I kill more people. But what I do think I do is I try to make you feel the death more because I think you should feel death.”

He shared his philosophical thoughts on death, “I mean, art follows life, and in real life when someone close to us dies, we experience grief, we experience anger, we experience depression. It, it has a huge impact on our life when our parents die or a close friend dies. Or God help us a parent when their child dies.”

The US writer noted, “And we don’t have to personally know people for their deaths to affect us, something that matters when you’re talking about how the deaths of fictional characters can affect an audience. 

Delving further about his views on the eternal rest, the 75-year-old said, "Jimmy Buffett, a musician whose work I liked a lot died last month,” he noted.

Adding, “Just a few days ago, Dick Butkus, a great football player died. I followed Butkis when he was playing, he didn’t play for my team, but I knew who he was, he was a legendary figure. His death had some emotional impact on me."

Martin concluded, "So…when I kill a character, I want my readers to feel that death. I don’t want to be the death of Alderaan. And that’s why I think people remember the deaths in my books more because I give them more emotional impact, I think.”