Ten sources that inspired "Game of Thrones"' dark storytelling

At io9 Katharine Trendacosta and Charlie Jane Anders came up with a list of ten sources that inspired Game of Thrones' dark storytelling, including:

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams

People have pointed out some similarities between Williams' four-book series and Martin's seven-book one. Including Mongol-esque horse warriors, monsters in the frozen North, pet wolves and a boy who likes to run along the rooftops. And in fact, Martin freely admits reading this series "was one of the things that inspired me" to write A Game of Thrones. Fantasy had gotten "a bad rep for being very formulaic and ritual," said Martin. "And I read The Dragonbone Chair and said, 'My god, they can do something with this form,' and it’s Tad doing it. It’s one of my favorite fantasy series."

Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue