A Song of Ice and Fire is one of the most influential fantasy series of all time, but George R.R. Martin wrote several novels prior to A Game of Thrones — and there’s one he believed would be his big break instead of the 1996 book. Martin has had an impressive career in both publishing and TV writing, and he’s gone back and forth between the two over the years.
He talked about this during the “Spotlight on George R.R. Martin” panel at New York Comic-Con, which Screen Rant was in attendance for. And on the subject of his early writing, Martin admitted his third novel didn’t catapult his career in the way he’d hoped. Martin’s first full-length novel was 1977’s sci-fi Western, Dying of the Light, and his second was the vampire story Fevre Dream.
The author explained that he “was trying to do different things” with his early titles, which is why they varied so much in terms of genre and narrative. And that continued with this third novel, which pushed him from publishing into TV writing for a time — though, fortunately, he returned to the world of novel writing with the Song of Ice and Fire books, which had the effect he was hoping for.
George R.R. Martin Believed The Armageddon Rag Would Be His Big Break
Dying of the Light and Fevre Dream may have been Martin’s first novels, but the author revealed that The Armageddon Rag was the first one he received a six-figure advance for. Naturally, that gave him high hopes about how it would impact his future. During his NYCC panel, Martin explained that he’d hoped to be set as a writer after The Armageddon Rag.
The 1983 book is a genre-bending fantasy thriller, which sees former music journalist Sandy Blair digging into the murder of a rock band promoter whose claim to fame is a band named the Nazgûl. As Sandy falls further into the investigation, things get increasingly weirder. Not only is he forced to contend with his past in the music scene, but he finds himself facing the supernatural.
Martin’s third novel has a fun premise, and with a six-figure advance, it seemed likely it would become his first big bestseller. “And nobody bought it,” the author told panel attendees, driving home the unpredictable reality of publishing. “And I couldn’t sell my next book,” he added.
This unfortunate turn of events is what drove Martin to television writing. Whilehe was struggling to sell his fiction, he was asked to write an episode of the ’80s Twilight Zone revival (and Martin went on to write five Twilight Zone episodes in total). He then worked his way up the ladder, and the author noted that TV writing tends to be more lucrative than publishing.
The money he made working in television allowed him to return to his books when he was “tired of nothing actually being made.” And it’s a good thing he had the opportunity to do so, as it’s what led to his actual breakout novel, A Game of Thrones.
A Song Of Ice And Fire Made Up For George R.R. Martin’s Early Challenges
The Armageddon Rag didn’t take off the way Martin had hoped, but A Game of Thrones and its sequels have more than made up for the author’s early challenges. That’s not to say Martin didn’t publish any writing after The Armageddon Rag flopped. However, he mostly stuck to novellas and short fiction while focusing on his TV work.
A Game of Thrones changed things for Martin, though it didn’t immediately become a bestseller; in fact, it didn’t claim its New York Times bestseller status until 2011, 15 years after its publication and the same year that its adaptation debuted.
Even so, it was successful enough that Martin made a name for himself in the fantasy genre. The book also raked in awards nominations and won the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1997. Martin was also able to continue the series, spinning it into seven books (though only five are currently out).
And nearly three decades after A Game of Thrones‘ release, there’s no denying that A Song of Ice and Fire is one of the biggest fantasy series of all time. Martin is a household name, and that’s all thanks to A Game of Thrones. It wound up being the breakout story The Armageddon Rag wasn’t.
Why The Armageddon Rag Is Still Worth Reading
Even though The Armageddon Rag is one of Martin’s lesser-known novels, it’s worth a read, especially for those who eat up everything else the author has to offer. Readers shouldn’t go into it expecting A Song of Ice and Fire, but it’s a fun supernatural romp for those who love books blending fantasy and horror.
Martin’s writing and storytelling talents are evident even in this early work, and while not every part of the novel has aged well, it’s still a unique take on the apocalypse — one that music lovers are almost certain to appreciate. It’s also nice to be able to dive into George R.R. Martin‘s backlist during the wait for The Winds of Winter, even if his earlier novels don’t necessarily live up to A Song of Ice and Fire.
- Birthdate
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September 20, 1948
- Birthplace
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Bayonne, New Jersey, USA
- Professions
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Author, Screenwriter, Television Producer
- Height
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5 feet 6 inches
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