Evidently it will cost you $20,000 to have someone killed. That’s what David Goldblatt has ponied up to get himself killed. But it’s not just anyone that will be killing him. It’s George R. R. Martin. Goldblatt was one of two people who donated $20,000 each to have Martin kill them in an upcoming book as part of a fundraiser for a wolf sanctuary and a New Mexico food bank. The effort has brought in nearly $380,000 of his $500,000 goal, with 36 days left.
I’m not a George R. R. Martin fan, and I’ve heard too much about his work to likely become one. But good on him for parleying his fame for some good causes. If I had $7500 sitting around I’d be tempted to buy his hat. It’s a cool hat.
It’s encouraging to see when people of all levels of fame are able to channel their fanbases into accomplishing something truly worthwhile. It’s a win-win for everyone. Even those who can’t afford–or at least justify–helping out on one of these can at least help publicize it by sharing around the interwebs. And I guess that’s what I’m doing. I already did what I could for Robison Wells’ charity drive, but I’m more than happy to at least publicize. So if you like Martin or his work, consider helping out.
You should explore a couple of his books…. the depth of context and plot that he crafts is quite stunning. You’ve heard too much about his work to enjoy it? Would you give up on reading Harry Potter for the same reason? All that said, I wish the man would stay home and do some damn writing to finish up the GOT series. There must be several HBO executives who pop tranquilizers continuously not having a completed series.
Well, there could be an element of “anything so popular can’t be good” involved. I didn’t read Harry Potter for quite some time for that very reason–she was nearly done with the series before I even started, and that was after years of my brother insisting it was awesome. But from what I have heard, I suspect I would have the same problem with Martin that I had with Steven Erikson and Scott Lynch. I don’t enjoy “gritty” fantasy. I get the impression that with GoT no matter who wins in the end, Westeros loses.
I suspect that what Thom is saying is that he has heard quite a bit, and that what he has heard doesn’t thrill him. Thom has frequently lamented that what holds him back as an author is that he isn’t “mean enough” to his characters. Mr. Martin has no such problem. I think that gives Thom a little pause. Hopefully I’m not putting words in his mouth.
Some people just don’t like Big Dang Epics. I’m one of them.