This is certainly one of those books that if you hate weird of fantasy sounding names you will have problems with. Also has pacing problems as it is rather slow for the first third.

There is an interstellar backdrop to this novel, but pretty much all the story takes place on a planet with atavistic customs, that developed because of an epidemic that killed 99% of women, by only 90% of men.

A man travels that at what he thinks is a request from an old lover. He falls foul of the customs and principles there, and ends up in a duel and on the run with her with people trying to remove his foreign head, and her two 'husbands' if you want to call them that are not very pleased with him either.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2008/05... ( )

I've written two reviews of this book. Check out either my 2007 Livejournal entry or my 2008 Bookspotcentral review ( )

http://martlet-blog.blogspot.com/2007... ( )

Best known for his A Song of Fire and Ice series, this is Martin's first novel; and it definitely reads like a freshman effort. The setting is interesting enough, if derivitave of Asimov's Foundation, and maybe Niven's Known World; and the characterizations offer a glimpse of the good things the author would do later in his Fire and Ice books...

Read the rest of my review of Dying of the Light on my blog, The Nerd is the Word.

http://nerdword.blogspot.com/2006/01/... ( )

http://otter.covblogs.com/archives/01... ( )

"A whisperjewel summoned him to Worlorn, and a love he thought he'd lost. But Worlorn isn't the world Dirk ta'Larien imagined, and Gwen Delvano is no longer the woman he once knew. She is bound to another man, and to a dying planet that is trapped in twilight, forever falling toward night."

Dying of the Light is George R.R. Martin's first novel. For a debut its tremendous. While technically this is a sci-fi story at its core its its a love story. The characterization that is the bread and butter of Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, is abundantly evident here.

Worlorn is a rogue planet which is temporarily passing through a star system, and as a result will be able to support life for awhile. The planets of the outer fringe decide to each build a city on Worlorn, and hold a festival to show the inner planets their glory. Now the festival has passed. Worlorn is passing beyond the warmth of the suns and is slowly dying, a little more each day.

The book is well paced, and has a number of plot twists that have you reevaluating your views of the characters. No one seems to play with my views like Martin does. I'm a bit more torn about the ending. I just finished it, and I don't know if I like what he did or not. At the very least it was a bold way to finish of his first novel. Over all it was at very good book, and I'm eager to read more of George's early works.

8 out of 10 ( )

Dying of the Light is George R. R. Martin's first published novel. While not as polished as his short stories, or the novels in the Song of Ice and Fire series, it is nonetheless very emotional and certainly worth a read. I would say that a reader can see in this book the kernels of many of the sentiments and conflicts that are central to the Ice and Fire series. ( )