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Notes -
I think I somewhat agree with the arguments written by The Brothers Krynn, though I don't have such a negative reaction to GRRM and ASOIAF, just a mild dislike.
Martin may have said that the ending will be a bittersweet one, and the finishing moments of the last two books + the chapters he already revealed of Winds may also setup that, minus the whole Euron plot that just got started, but since he will probably die before finishing it, that leaves what has already been written, which is mostly good guys lose, bad guys win, which ends up defining the books. I also don't agree with your point on religion, sure they are involved in politics, but GRRM's secularism leaves them mostly bereft of spirituality, most characters feel like cultural christians who go to church and pray sometimes, but don't really believe in the tenets of their faith like Transubstantiation, the Bible's less liberal parts, the Trinity or such (it doesn't help that most spiritual beliefs aren't really touched at all, we know how the Westeros religions operate, but not what the content of their beliefs). This essay by Bret Devereaux, even if it mostly focuses on the show, does a good job of showing that, https://acoup.blog/2019/06/04/new-acquisitions-how-it-wasnt-game-of-thrones-and-the-middle-ages-part-ii/, and the other two parts of the series also shows other problems with the supposed realism of the series.
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