5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
"Dreamsongs Volume II" (From BookBanter), March 10, 2008
This review is from: Dreamsongs: Volume II (Hardcover)
In this second and final volume of George R. R. Martin's short works, readers are treated to his writings of the 1980's leading up to the 90s when his career took off with the eventual success of his Song of Ice and Fire series. It is in this collection that we learn more of Martin's dabbling into television and screenwriting, as well his exploits into the world of Dungeons & Dragons.
Divided into four parts, the first covers two stories involving Martin's eccentric character Haviland Tuf, an animal seller, who is the last surviving member of the ancient and defunct Ecological Group. Tuf with his menagerie travel the universe in The Ark, a ship that is many miles in length. All stories involving Tuf were eventually collected and published in a book, Tuf Voyaging, which Martin recommends fans seek out to read more about the redoubtable Tuf, but they must seek the used and out-of-print stores to find a copy.
The second part covers Martin's trip into screenwriting, specifically for TV shows. Two shows that Martin worked on were the 1980s incarnation of The Twilight Zone and Beauty and the Beast. Scripts for two episodes of The Twilight Zone: "The Road Less Traveled," and "Doorways" are included here. While this was essentially the end for Martin's involvement in TV, he is quick to point out that he learned greatly from it. It was just one of the stepping stones that led to the creation of his epic fantasy series, still some years away.
In the third section, Martin discusses the surprising success of the Wild Cards series, which began with role-playing games amongst a group of writers - including Martin - when he moved to Santa Fe. The worlds, ideas and set-ups created for the different games were the impetus for the Wild Cards series which is still doing very well and now has its own website at [...]
In the fourth and final part, Martin leads up to the start of his epic series with some popular stories along the way, as well as including the novella The Hedge Knight set ten years before the start of the series. And for those hardcore fans, at the end there is an exhaustive and comprehensive listing of all George R. R. Martin's works, should one feel the compunction to read absolutely everything the man has ever written.
While the completion and release date for the fifth Song of Ice and Fire book, A Dance With Dragons, is still a distant and unknown destination, the Dreamsongs series can lead one on tangents into Martin's other writings, eventually bringing them full circle when A Dance With Dragons is eventually released.
Originally written on December 15th 2007 ©Alex C. Telander.
For more book reviews and author interviews, go to BookBanter: [...]
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good oppourtunity to revisit those old GRRM stories and a few you missed, April 2, 2008
This review is from: Dreamsongs: Volume II (Hardcover)
No question, most of the stories here are available somewhere else. The key though is that this volume collects them together with commentary on the creative process by the author. Its a fun read and there where some stories I'd not seen before.
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