George RR Martin has LOST his mind

Let me be perfectly frank. I am a huge fan of fantasy author George R.R. Martin. His reputation as "the American Tolkien" is well deserved. His Song of Ice and Fire series is compulsively readable and based in a gritty reality that pushes magic and mysticism to the background and medieval intrigue to the forefront. I'm quivering with anticipation for the HBO series based on his books called Game of Thrones.

Having said that, I was shocked to read this week how he bashed Damon Lindelof and the ending of the television show LOST. Referring to the aforementioned fantasy series in an interview with The New Yorker, Martin expressed concerns about the series stating, "What if I f**k it up at the end? What if I pull a LOST?" Martin also stated that he felt "cheated" when it came to the ending of the iconic television series.

With all due respect to Mr. Martin's writing expertise, I believe that a dragon has absconded with his brain.

Look LOST may be one of the most controversial endings of all time for a television series. I know that many people out that there were disappointed by the ending and that they were looking for something more. I can respect that. I don't agree, but I can respect it.

But to do what Martin did is tantamount to undermining the whole series. He's tacitly saying that because the ending wasn't what he wanted that the whole series was a waste of time. To quote fictional Seinfeld character Jackie Childs, that idea is "ridiculous, egregious, preposterous." You can't discount six seasons of fantastic writing, phenomenal acting, and flawless direction just because you didn't like the ending.

Even though Mr. Martin is a smart man (his Song of Ice and Fire series abounds with so much political, economic, religious, and psychological intrigue that I'd have to take several college classes to be fully versed) I humbly submit that he did not get the ending of LOST. LOST in my opinion was a fantastical metaphor for life as a whole, and just like life sometimes the answers are incomplete, unsatisfying, or not what you are looking for. As cliche as it sounds the joy of LOST was in the journey not the destination.

We never really find out what the island is. Is it controlled by God, the universe, or a power we can't understand? What happened to Walt or the survivors after they left the island for the final time? Why did Ben stay behind rather than join the rest of the group in the church? LOST left its viewers with the ultimate water cooler ending that will be discussed about for years if not decades. It's enduring power is the ability to get us to think, to question, to analyze. That is LOST's legacy and its testament to the world. How many television shows, books, or movies can say that?

I might have not written this article if not for Martin's comment that screwing up his fantasy series would be "pulling a LOST." That's just unfair and untrue. As Lindelof stated, "I don't take issue with his opinion, I take issue with the fact that he coined 'Pulling a LOST' as empirically f**king up the ending." Couldn't have said it better myself. Martin's take is at best myopic and at worst wilful ignorance. From somebody who wrote for television in the 80s he should have said he was worried about pulling a Seinfeld or a Quantum Leap.

To be even more frank I'd like to address George personally for a moment if I could. George let me break it down for you:

1--It has been 6 six years since the last novel in your series.

2--You spend too much time blogging about the Jets and Giants.

3--You attend way too many fantasy conferences when you could be writing.

4--Your good friend Robert Jordan happened to put out 11 books in his Wheel of Time series between 1990 and 2005. From 1996 to 2011 you will have put out 5.

5--You still have two more books to write after A Dance With Dragons comes out in July to complete the series.

6--The 14th and final book in the Wheel of Time series comes out in March of 2012 and Robert Jordan HAS BEEN DEAD FOR ALMOST FOUR YEARS. (Currently another author is finishing the works based on Jordan's notes, massive outline, and intended ending for the series.) That means a dead man will finish his series before you.

7--You're fat.

8--You're old.

George how about you worry about finishing the series rather than f**king it up? Or as Damon Lindelof responded in a tweet: "I've just been informed George is working on his feud response. I'll have it in five years." Nothing like a pithy, well written response by the master to sum up exactly how I feel about this whole situation.