Alison Herman TV Critic Of all the shows that have sought or earned comparisons to “Game of Thrones,” most have emulated its genre conventions.
From “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” to “Foundation,” fantasy and science fiction series have thrived in recent years, riding on the momentum of a blockbuster hit that proved lore and maps weren’t just for fan conventions.
But in writing “A Song of Ice and Fire,” the source material for the HBO drama, author George R.R. Martin was inspired as much by the Wars of the Roses, the real-life conflicts that wracked 15th-century England, as by Middle-earth.
Before dragons and ice zombies entered the picture, “Game of Thrones” was built on the stuff of actual history: political alliances, fractured families and massive armies marching on foot. “Shōgun,” the nearly 1,200-page tome published by James Clavell in 1975, is a work of fiction, but one faithful to the context and circumstances of Japan circa 1600.
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