I believe the early fans of A Song of Ice and Fire were excited about it because it went against the fantasy culture that Tolkien had started of a sanitized dia

I believe the early fans of A Song of Ice and Fire were excited about it because it went against the fantasy culture that Tolkien had started of a sanitized diaphanous world where the villains were unquestionably evil and the good guys could do no wrong. I think Martin tried to present his world in a more believable way as to how history shows us similar feudal periods went. I think I also prefer Tolkien's flavour, but I can appreciate Martin's grittiness none the less.