Best known for penning the epic fantasy series A Song of Fire and Ice – which HBO adapted into the global cultural phenomenon that is Game of Thrones – George R.R. Martin started writing horror stories from a young age, selling them for pennies to neighborhood children. Citing Stan Lee as one of his greatest early literary inspirations, he began publishing short science fiction stories professionally by the age of 21, and has been inspiring readers to imagine worlds of witches and wizardry ever since.
Taking part in the New York Public Library’s #ReadingIsLit campaign, Martin recommended his favorite books to fans in both the fantasy realm, and regardless of genre. From Tolkien and Le Guin to Dickens and Fitzgerald, find a list of George R.R. Martin’s book recommendations below. Complement with the reading lists of Neil Gaiman, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Stephen King.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (also rec’d by Elon Musk, Jane Goodall & Trevor Noah)
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny (also rec’d by Neil Gaiman)
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (also rec’d by Hayao Miyazaki)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (also rec’d by David Bowie, Florence Welch, Haruki Murakami & Hunter S. Thompson)
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (also rec’d by Amy Poehler, Christopher Hitchens & Maya Angelou)
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy (also rec’d by Philip Seymour Hoffman)
(via NYPL)