Why all the adjectives?

Why all the adjectives?

Thanks in part to his acclaimed HBO series, George R.R. Martin is all the rage.  I will admit that while I had HBO, I did watch the series, although I wasn’t completely enthused, partly because I have also read (or listened to) all the books.  I will also admit that I have enjoyed the books, mostly.

Why mostly?  As we have seen with a number of authors, Martin, Dan Brown, and Charlaine Harris (True Blood), plot twists and digressions abound.  That is fine.  What I really find troubling is the detail authors go into, in order to describe their worlds.  I would bet that if you read a novel from 30 (or even 20) years ago and counted all the adjectives and adverbs, they would be significantly smaller. 

Just my imagination

At a guess, I think you could shrink a typical Martin book by 1/3^rd without seriously affecting content.  Decreasing the blow-by-blow sexual encounters better suited for Penthouse would also be a positive, but I digress.  So why do they bombard us with all these modifiers?  One effect, is it reduces the effort of reading (if it is all there in vivid words, you don’t need to think, or imagine as much).  

You don't need to close your eyes and imagine what Circe Lannister looks like, as Martin has been incredibly clear on the matter.  You can probably even infer her breast and cup size (32B). How many times do we get great description to Tyrion's every disfigurement?  Now can anyone tell me what Frodo looks like, besides being short(er than humans) with hairy feet, and minus a finger?

Quantity = Quality

Reading is no longer cheap.  As with a lot of things, I think there is this false notion that quantity equals quality.  That in order for a book to be worth the $10 (Paperback / Kindle) or $25-30 (Hardcover), it needs to weight equal that in weight.  I am not sure if there could be a more incorrect notion.  Read any novel by Robert A. Heinlein, Ian Fleming, Ursula K. Le Guinn, or even early Stephen King.  Compare it to any similar novel written today.

Let’s take Le Guinn’s Earth Sea novels vs. Patrick Rothfuss’ King Killer Chronicles.  There are some heavy similarities, both in the character, as well as story elements.  In less than 200 pages (first earth sea novel), Le Guinn covers as much territory as Rothfuss covers in 2,000 pages (2 books).  Now let me ask you which was the more rewarding read?

Oh, and did I mention that all three books of J.R.R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings series are about 1,000 pages?

As Dennis Miller used to be fond of saying at the end of his old HBO series, "...of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong."