Beyond Westeros: Exploring the other works of George R.R. Martin

4. The Armageddon Rag (1983)

Here it is: the black sheep of the George R.R. Martin library. The Armageddon Rag is a mystery/fantasy novel set against the American musical landscape of the 1960s through the 1980s. In many ways, it’s a rumination on the hippie revolution of the ’60s, and of its legacy. It follows a disillusioned writer, Sandy Blair, as he is drawn into a murder investigation that leads down an eerie rabbit hole, with a supernatural twist. Oh, and it features a rock band called “The Nazgûl”. What’s not to like, right?

It’s unfortunate then that this book is perhaps more famous for its impact on Martin’s career than it is for the story itself. Despite its huge anticipation, The Armageddon Rag never sold or received the critical acclaim that was expected of it. After the book’s flop, GRRM went to work in television, where he stayed up until he wrote 1996’s A Game of Thrones. He’s referred to The Armageddon Rag as the book which “almost destroyed my career.”

The other thing this book was notorious for was the ample amount of legal rights that needed to be attained for all the songs it quoted. Each chapter starts with a relevant thematic quote from an actual song. That meant that for each song, the publisher had to get in touch with the appropriate record label and get the rights to reprint that lyric. No small task.

All that said, The Armageddon Rag is an interesting book, and one that stands on its own among Martin’s catalog. It’s his only novel set in modern times, with commentary that’s very directly about the real world. That alone makes it worth checking out.