>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYTHING,
WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW."
FOLKS, MY NEXT GUEST INTRODUCED
THE WORLD TO THE LANNISTERS, THE
STARKS, AND THE TARGARYENS IN
HIS EPIC SERIES, "A SONG OF ICE
AND FIRE."
HIS NEW BOOK IS "FIRE AND
BLOOD."
PLEASE WELCOME TO "THE LATE
SHOW," GEORGE R.R. MARTIN.
♪ ♪ ♪
( APPLAUSE )
>> THANK YOU!
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> IT'S NICE TO BE HERE.
>> Stephen: I LIKE YOUR-- I
LIKE YOUR PURPLE TURTLE THERE.
WHAT'S THIS LITTLE BROACH HERE
MEAN?
>> I LOVE TURTLES.
THAT'S HOW MY WRITING CAREER
BEGAN WITH TURTLES.
I-- I LIVED IN BAYO, NEW JERSEY,
IN A FEDERAL HOUSING PROJECT.
>> Stephen: SURE, RIGHT ACROSS
THE RIVER HERE.
>> WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE
DOGS.
WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE
CATS.
SO THE ONLY PETS I WAS ALLOWED
TO HAVE WERE TURTLES, LITTLE
DIME-STORE TURTLES THAT WE
BOUGHT AT WOOLWORTH'S, AND THE
LITTLE ROUND BOWLS WITH THE PALM
TREE.
>> Stephen: ON THE LITTLE
ISLAND WITH THE WATER AROUND IT?
>> RIGHT, RIGHT.
>> Stephen: SURE.
>> I HAD A TOY CASTLE.
I COULD FIT TWO TURTLE BOWLS IN
THE TOY CASTLE.
SO I HAD A NUMBER OF TURTLES.
BUT THE THING IS ABOUT THOSE
LITTLE DIME-STORE TURTLES, THEY
DIE VERY SOON.
I FED THEM THE TURTLE FOOD, AND
I THOUGHT I WAS DOING EVERYTHING
RIGHT AND, YOU KNOW, IN A FEW
MONTHS THEY'D BE DEAD.
AND I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHY
THEY WERE DYING.
BUT IT CERTAINLY WASN'T MY FAULT
SO I DECIDED --
>> Stephen: WAS IT MURDER?
>> THAT THEY WERE COMPETING FOR
THE TURTLE THRONE.
THEY WERE KILLING EACH OTHER TO
DETERMINE WHO --
>> Stephen: WOULD BE THE KING
OF THE CASTLE?
>> THE TURTLE KING, YES, IN THE
CASTLE.
THAT WAS MY FIRST FANTASY,
TURTLE CASTLE.
IT PRECEDED "GAME OF THRONES" BY
MANY YEARS.
>> Stephen: CAN'T WAIT FOR IT.
CAN'T WAIT FOR IT.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> I HAVE TO DO "WINDS OF
WINDSOR NEXT."
>> Stephen: THEY MIGHT KILL
YOU FOR THIS, TOO.
YOU CENTER A NEW BOOK, FIRE &
BLOOD RIGHT HERE.
WHICH WE'LL GET TO IN JUST ONE
MOMENT.
I WANT TO ASK YOU, YOU HAD YOUR
TURTLES YOU WERE WRITING THE
STORIES FOR.
WHO ELSE ARE SOME OF YOUR
FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION
HEROES?
WHO INFLUENCED YOU WHEN YOU WERE
READING AS A KID?
BECAUSE I READ A TON WHEN I WAS
A KID.
>> I READ "HAVE SPACE WILL
TRAVEL."
>> Stephen: OF COURSE, "FARMER
IN THE SKY."
>> "CITIZEN IN THE GALAXY," "THE
ROLLING STONES" ANDRE NORTON WAS
ALSO VERY GOOD.
IN FANTASY, I STARTED OFF CAN
CONAN, ROBERT E. HOWARD.
THE OLD LANCER EDITIONS.
I THINK RIFSEDDING THEM --
>> Stephen: DID THEY HAVE SEXY
LADIES ON THE FRONT?
>> DEFINITELY, FRESETA SIT AGO
CONAN SITTING ON A PILE OF
CORPSES.
AND THERE WOULD BE A SCANTILY
CLAD DANCING GIRL.
AND THEN I ENCOUNTERED TOKEN WHO
PUZZLED ME FIRST BECAUSE IT WAS
LIKE THE BIRTHDAY PARTY --
>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
THE FELLOWSHIP OF RING BEGINS
WITH A BIRTHDAY PARTY.
>> Stephen: A LONG-EXPECTED
PARTY.
>> AND THERE WERE NO DANCING
GIRLS OR GIANT SNAKES.
>> Stephen: YOU DON'T KNOW WHO
IS HAVING SEX WITH WHO.
NEW ELVES COME FROM SOMEPLACE,
BUT YOU CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW
THEY DO IT.
>> AT FIRST I WASN'T SURE ABOUT
TOKEN, BUT BY THE TIME I I GOT
TO RIFFEN DALE AND THE LOVERS, I
THOUGHT THIS WAS THE BEST BOOK
EVER WRITTEN.
>> Stephen: THE GUY WHO FIRST
GAVE ME MY COPY OF "LORD OF THE
RINGS," A GUY NAMED KEITH
SARGEY, ONE OF MY OLDEST FRIENDS
IN THE WORLD, HE SENT ME YOUR
BOOKS AND SAID, "I FOUND IT."
BECAUSE WE WERE ALWAYS LOOKING
FOR THE NEXT THING TO OBSESS.
IN OUR LIVES.
WE'RE ALL LOOKING FOR SOMETHING
THAT COULD STAND UP TO THAT KIND
OF LOVE THAT YOU WANT TO GIVE A
FANTASY WORLD.
AND YOUR BOOKS ARE IT.
WHAT-- WHAT-- WHAT LED TO YOU
WRITE THIS, WHICH TAKES PLACE
300 YEARS BEFORE THE EVENTS OF
"GAME OF THRONES"?
>> YES, BEFORE WE CAME UP WITH A
TITLE FOR THIS, WE WERE CALLING
IT G.R.G.SPRKS DEGRILL YILION.
>> Stephen: LIKE THE DEEP,
DEEP SOURCE MATERIAL.
>> THIS IS NOT A TRADITIONAL
NOVEL.
IT'S A IMAGINARY HISTORY.
IT'S WRITTEN FROM THE VIEWPOINT
OF ARCH MAICER AT THE CITADEL,
IS AND TRYING TO GO BACK AND
MAKE SENSE OF THE EARLY HISTORY
OF TARGARYEN KINGS --
>> Stephen: IS THIS LIKE THE
MAD KING AND THE FALL OF THE
TARGARYEN FAMILY?
>> THAT WILL BE THE SECOND HALF.
I HAVE TO WRITE A SECOND ONE.
>> Stephen: THIS IS THE FIRST
HALF!
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
THIS IS 700 PAGE LONG.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> THERE WERE A LOT OF KINGS!
THERE WERE A LOT OF KINGS!
>> Stephen: DOES THIS GO BACK
TO VOLARIA?
>> IT STARTS WITH AGON THE
CONQUEROR AND HIS TWO SISTERS,
AND IT GOES UP TO THE REGENCY OF
THE BOY KING AGON III.
THERE ARE LOTS OF DRAGONS AND
BATTLES AND BETRAYALS AND --
>> Stephen: AREN'T YOU
SUPPOSED TO BE FINISHING "THE
WINDS OF WINTER" THIS ENTIRE
TIME?
NOT TO ADD TO THE CHORUS OF WHAT
HAS TAKEN SO LONG.
BUT THIS IS A 700-PAGE DETOUR.
HOW DID YOU HAVE TIME TO DO A
700-PAGE BOOK, TWO 700-PAGE
BOOKS.
HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT?
>> I HAVEN'T WRITTEN THE SECOND
ONE YET.
THEY'LL HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE
SECOND HALF.
FIRST I HAVE TO FINISH "WINDS OF
WINTER."
AND THEN --
>> Stephen: THE SECOND HALF OF
THIS?
>> MAYBE OR MAYBE "DREESM
SPRING."
THERE ARE A LOT OF-- THERE'S A
LOT OF STUFF TO WRITE.
SO I SHOULD ACTUALLY GET HOME
AND GET TO WORK, I GUESS.
( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: BEFORE I LET YOU
GO, YOU'RE A TOIKEN FAN AND I
AM.
ONE OF THE CRITIQUES IS THERE IS
NO SEX IN TOIKEN.
WHO DO YOU THINK IS GETTING IT
ON IN LORD OF THE RINGS.
>> MAYBE THE DWARFS.
>> Stephen: WE NEVER SEE ANY
FEMALE DWARFS AND THERE'S A
RUMOR THE FEMALE DWARFS HAVE
BEARDS, AND THAT'S HOW WE CAN'T
TELL THEM APART.
>> AND CLEARLY THE ORKS ARE
BEING BORN OUT OF MUD.
>> Stephen: THEY'RE NOT.
THAT'S ONLY IN THE MOVIES.
THEY'RE CLEARLY BEING BRED BY
ZARAMMAN.
>> WHERE ARE THE FEMALE ORKS.
THE ORKETTES.
( LAUGHTER )
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: I DON'T KNOW.
I THINK THEY'RE SINGING BACKUP
FOR RAY CHARLES WITH A NAME LIKE
THAT.
( LAUGHTER ).
>> WE DO HAVE IN "FIRE AND
BLOOD," YOU KNOW, IT'S WRITTEN
FROM A ARCHMEISTER GOING BACK TO
PRIMARY SOURCES AND THERE'S ONE
PARTICULAR INCIDENT WHERE HE HAS
TO SOMEWHAT RELUCTANTLY CONSULT
A BOOK CALLED "A CAUTION FOR
YOUNG GIRLS," WHICH IS BASICALLY
EROTICA FROM WESTEROSE AAND
THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT
VERSIONS THAT HAVE BEEN CHANGED
OVER THE YEARS.
THAT'S ONE REASON I'VE, YOU
KNOW, REALLY DIVERGED FROM
TOIKEN BECAUSE THERE IS NO PORN
IN MIDDLE EARTH.
( LAUGHTER )
>> Stephen: YOU HAVE TO GO TO
VALANOR FOR THAT.
"FIRE AND BLOOD" IS AVAILABLE
NOW.
GEORGE R.R. MARTIN, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH CHEF
JOSE ANDRES.
THANK YOU, GEORGE.