George R. R. Martin is an American novelist and short-story writer best known for his epic fantasy novel series, 'A Song of Ice and Fire', which has been adapted into the hugely successful HBO series, 'Game of Thrones'. Martin, who primarily writes in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres, has been called "the American Tolkien" by 'Time' journalist Lev Grossman and was included in the magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world once. He is also a screenwriter and television producer who previously worked on the CBS series 'Twilight Zone' and 'Beauty and the Beast', and is now actively involved in the development of the 'Game of Thrones'. Like most of his works, the series showcases "complex story lines, fascinating characters, great dialogue, perfect pacing". While the series has been criticized by some for its violence and gloominess, many consider the imperfections and moral and ethical ambiguity of his characters to be "real".
