Ok now...this is moving towards being it's own thread... Just to set the bar. I have read Tolkiens trilogy in excess of 35 times, although I usually skip the songs now. His dragons are in the Hobbit...though the last of the breed...and more specifically in the Silmarillion, where they play a significant role. I have also read a large number of the authors on your list. More to the point I am nearly finished with book three of "A Song of Ice and Fire" and while the various story lines are interesting I can't say I am as impressed with it as you are. It "feels" like an 'attempt' at epic..."If I throw in three hundred alliances, four or five religions, racial stereotyping and lots of sex it'll be epic." I like Tolkien better for depth of culture across his races, and I like Eddings better for character development. I liked Herbert better for social commentary and LeGuin better for twist of the tale. But there are many authors I find more tedious than Martin. The test will be in the in the last book...whichever it turns out to be...and how he brings it all together. So far I like it, it's in my top ten of fantasy, but not something I look forward to picking up when I get a minute. Perhaps we should leave it at a matter of taste...the ones you read that aren't gritty enough send my way and the ones I read that seem darker and more raw than I typically like I'll send your way.