> Realistically, do you want a trustworthy author? Fictional storytelling is an exploration of truth given certain fictional premises. That's what makes it so

> Realistically, do you want a trustworthy author? Fictional storytelling is an exploration of truth given certain fictional premises. That's what makes it so fascinating. The differences between genres of fiction arise only out of varying the premises of stories. The trustworthiness of the author shows in how faithful they are to tell the truth to the best of their ability given the premises they've chosen for the story. So, yes. It matters to me whether an author is being true to reality through the story. Gratuitous character deaths for the sake of "having a bit of fun" at the expense of readers is a good example of authorial untrustworthiness. Martin's motivation in doing so isn't always to be true to the characters, the setting, the way the world works, the nature of reality, or a conflict. There are lots of excellent and entertaining stories by truthful authors, so why waste time with Martin? > why not have your emotions tormented with not knowing whether or not they will die If that's your intent, Martin would be right up your alley. For my part -- no thanks. Truthful fantasy is so much more enjoyable to me -- Tolkien, Lewis, George MacDonald, etc.