I read a bit of that first “Fire and Ice” book to see what it was, since my son had it out of the library. It’s workmanlike narrative, sequential and all that.
One re-reads Tolkien less for complex plotting than for the beauty of his language. His writing is like being in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception: something exquisite with perfectly-wrought detail everywhere you look. If unashamedly gorgeous composition isn’t your thing, then he would probably not be a favored author.
While I somewhat like the “Song of Ice and Fire” series (the first book being “A Game of Thrones”) Martin isn’t the writer that Tolkien was, and certainly not the scholar. I can easily imagine even Martin laughing off this comparison.