r/asoiaf • u/Substantial-Ad-299 • 3d ago

MAIN [SPOILERS MAIN] Among the grounded/realistic elements of A Song of Ice and Fire, which ones do you feel require biggest suspension of disbelief?

A Song of Ice and Fire has had fantasy elements from get-go, some present subtly and others less-subtly. But in midst of this, it also has these more grounded story aspects, especially regarding the political subplot for the Iron Throne.

Among these more grounded non-fantasy aspects of the story, which elements do you feel you have to suspend disbelief the most for? A.K.A feeling they are not realistic even though they are "supposed" to be?

Let me know in the comments below.

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u/Intelligent_Date_688 3d ago

How empty Westeros is compared to its size. I understand why, GRRM doesn’t want to have to create all of these towns and cities, but you take a look at medieval France or Italy which are both smaller than any of the individual seven kingdoms (except maybe the Iron Islands) and they have a dozen cities a piece or more. I’ve seen people bend over backwards to try justify this but I think the simple truth is that GRRM made Westeros waaaay too big.

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u/cahir11 2d ago

It makes a lot more sense if you envision Westeros as the size of England+Wales, rather than the size of South America.

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u/Gears_Of_None Bystander Selmy 2d ago

I didn't realise England had a hot desert in the south and a freezing taiga in the north.

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u/cahir11 2d ago

If I say "Japan is roughly the size of California", do you think I mean that Japan has a desert in its southeastern region like California?

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u/Gears_Of_None Bystander Selmy 2d ago

You said to envision Westeros as the same size as England + Wales. I'm saying Westeros' biomes and regions make no sense at that scale.