Ive never read the books but they have been described to described to me as the best example of Tolkien style high fantasy outside of LOTR. You can even see that in the show, how he has really fleshed out his universe with rich history.
Wouldnt be surprised if alot of LOTR (books) fans picked of ASOIF and loved it
If you're a reader, you should definitely read the books.
I don't think they're Tolkien-style at all in terms of how they're written, but the background he's done on the various kingdoms and houses and history is there like it is in LOTR, so it has that sort of depth to it.
The dialogue is fantastic. And there are tones of characters that play roles in the books that never make it into the actual game, so there's this really great texture. But under it all is that sense that everybody's betting everything, all the time. They're really well done in that regard.
Martin's got his own issues when it comes to plotting and storylines, but he's really great with characterization, and, of course, with killing his own young.
