Well this doesn't have to do with Martin, but might as well post it here.
Martin was really the last fantasy I've read. I've grown pretty tired of it, and just think it's stale. I also think about 99% of the writers are god awful bad, so that doesn't help matters.
I did the other day stop by the library and pick up Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson, the first book in his Malazan Book of the Fallen series.
Anyone read this? I'm loving it so far, it reminds me a bit of Martin in its' scope but it focuses more on events than characters imo. It reminds me a lot of The Black Company series by Glenn Cook but written a helluva lot more coherently.
I'm curious if the quality keeps up through the series but so far I'm really loving it.
It's a bit different though because he doesn't ease you into his world at all, he throws you right into the middle of it and doesn't dumb it down for you. So you're lost for a good portion of the reading, but slowly pieces keep coming together and you gain a comprehension. It works out really well, comes across a lot more believable than a character going into several pages of monologue about his whole life story and family history.
Anyway, just a heads up..I think people who like Martin would enjoy this(assuming the quality keeps up, and it sounds as if it does). It's a little more fantasy than Martin, there's a heavy dose of magic, but it's a unique and pretty interesting magic system he uses. No Elves or Dwarves as of yet either.
Something to tide you over, and it's got me reading Fantasy again.