While dragons are obviously cool, there are a few things that I really appreciate in GoT and HotD that I'd love to see more of. First, I love how seemingly minor characters can become super important, and vice versa. GoT had such an impressive roster, and a character who barely had any screentime in an early season or wasn't introduced until later ends up having a huge impact (thinking of Walder Frey, for example). Second, the characters that you do get to spend time with are generally really well-written, with complex and interesting motivations that change over time. Third, I love the politics and palace intrigue. It's fun to watch smart characters make and execute plans.
I haven't read the ASOIAF books, so take this with a grain of salt. But as someone who really enjoyed the shows (up until the last bit), I'm wondering what other fiction scratches similar itches. While I am open to fantasy, I think the draw of the show was not necessarily it's setting, but instead the way the story was told.
by ianruns