Dreamsongs: A Rretrospective Volume 2 by George R R Martin
Gollancz (paperback), 2003
690 pages
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamsongs:_A_RRetrospective
BLURB FROM THE COVER
GRRM: A RRETROSPECTIVE is a massive collection of the best of George R.R. Martin’s short fiction, containing 32 short stories and novellas, including the Hugo-winning ‘A Song for Lya’, the Bram Stoker-winning ‘The Pear-Shaped Man’ and ‘The Skin Trade’, which won the World Fantasy Award and is generally acclaimed as the finest werewolf story of our time.
As well as the stories themselves, which span Martin’s multi-faceted career, there are two television scripts, voluminous author commentary, an introduction by award-winning editor and writer Gardner Dozois and a comprehensive bibliography.
This must-have volume by one of the brightest stars in the field of imaginative fiction.
EXTRACT
Haviland Tuf was relaxing in an alehouse on Tamber when the thin man found him. He sat by himself in the darkest corner of the dimly-lit tavern, his elbows resting on the table and the top of his bald head almost brushing the low wooden beam above. Four empty mugs sat before him, their insides streaked by rings of foam, while a fifth, half-full, was cradled in huge calloused hands.
A BEAST FOR NORN
REVIEW
I really enjoyed this collection of stories. The collection contained some amazing stand-out stories. I thought both stories about Haviland Tuf were excellent. A Beast for Norn was excellent and very original. Guardians comes a close second. I many just read the novel Tuf Voyaging that contains a few tales about this interesting character. Dreamsongs Volume 2 contains two scripts from the period in Martin’s Career when he was writing more for television than any other form of media; The Twilight Zone: The Road Less Travelled and Doorways. I wasn’t very happy scripts were included in a collection of short stories at first but found them to be surprisingly good. Doorways was the best and I’d have loved to see it on the screen. The Skin Trade is the best tale in both volumes of Dreamsongs. This very original werewolf novella is amazing and still as good as I remember it being when I first read it about fifteen years ago. In his little introduction to each section of stories Marin confirms this was originally published in Night Visions 5, which is what I suspected. This is a great tale and the reason I bought both volumes of Dreamsongs. Unsound Variations is a great sci-fi / time travel tale about revenge. I thought it was great. The other stories in Dreamsongs Volume 2 are well-written. Overall, I don’t think this volume is as strong as Volume 1.
RATING
