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Dreamsongs: Volume II (2003)

by George R. R. Martin

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Dreamsongs: A RRetrospective (2)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
6011837,752 (3.87)14
Fantasy. Fiction. Science Fiction. Short Stories. HTML:Even before the enormous success of A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin had secured his reputation as one of the most exciting storytellers of our time. The second of two thrilling collections, Dreamsongs: Volume II continues the story of his amazing journey from a young writer to a #1 New York Times bestselling force of nature.
 
Whether writing about werewolves, wizards, or outer space, George R. R. Martin is renowned for his versatility and expansive talent, as demonstrated in this dazzling collection. Dreamsongs: Volume II contains acclaimed stories such as the World Fantasy Award winner “The Skin Trade,” as well as the first novella in the Ice and Fire universe, The Hedge Knight—plus two early screenplays. Featuring extensive author commentary, Dreamsongs: Volume II is an invaluable chronicle of a writer at the height of his creativity—and an unforgettable reading experience for fans old and new.
 
“Science fiction, fantasy and horror fans alike will be blown away by the diversity and quality of stories. . . . This extraordinary collection is one to cherish.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
Dreamsongs is the ideal way to discover . . . a master of science fiction, fantasy and horror. . . . Martin is a writer like no other.”—The Guardian (U.K.)
 
PRAISE FOR GEORGE R. R. MARTIN
 
“Of those who work in the grand epic-fantasy tradition, Martin is by far the best. In fact . . . this is as good a time as any to proclaim him the American Tolkien.”Time
 
“Long live George Martin . . . a literary dervish, enthralled by complicated characters and vivid language, and bursting with the wild vision of the very best tale tellers.”The New York Times
 
“I always expect the best from George R. R. Martin, and he always delivers.”—Robert Jordan.
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» See also 14 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 18 (next | show all)
Only 2 good stories in the whole collection. Enormous waste of time ( )
  thenthomwaslike | Jul 24, 2023 |
I loved almost all the stories except for the last one. This book is definitely worth reading, and I enjoyed discovering so many exciting characters. I did not care for the way he would jump in to explain or set up some of the stories, but those parts are easy enough to breeze past. All in all, a very good read. ( )
  pamirick | Jun 10, 2021 |
The second in the two-part "Rretrospective" (obnoxious), this volume does not hold as many great quality stories but is still worth reading. This volume contains samples from his, in my opinion, b-team: Tuf, Wild Cards, and TV scripts among other things.

What redeems this volume, however is the last section "The Heart in Conflict," stories which are Martin at his easy best. "Skinchangers", "Portraits of His Children" and "Unsound Variations" are excellent examples of short fiction. This also includes his first "Dunk and Egg" story, which translated better as a graphic novelette than in purely written form.

I am a great fan of Martin, so I apologize if my tone is a bit negative but I can only think that this compilation is a celebration of Martin's past when I heartily believe his fans would like to be thinking of the future of his work, not more screen treatments and edited compilations. ( )
  ManWithAnAgenda | Feb 18, 2019 |
Some of the stories were great, but definitely not all. I have also skipped quite a few because of the genres (I am not a super hero fiction fan). ( )
  Firewild | Jan 3, 2019 |
Dreamsongs: A RRetrospective is a career-spanning collection of George R. R. Martin's short fiction. It was first published in 2003 as a single volume hardcover from Subterranean Press under the title GRRM: A RRetrospective and debuted in Toronto at Torcon 3, the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention, where Martin was the Writer Guest Of Honor. The collection features 34 pieces of fiction (including two TV scripts), an introduction by Gardner Dozois, commentary by Martin on each stage of his career, a Martin bibliography, and original art for each story.
It is a great selection of stories which demonstrate the diversity of Martin's writing. Some I loved and some I skipped over - those mainly the scripts for Hollywood stuff. The Tuf, Hedge Knight, and Wild Cards were great. ( )
  Jawin | Mar 19, 2017 |
Showing 1-5 of 18 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (5 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
George R. R. Martinprimary authorall editionscalculated
Black, ClaudiaNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Bramhall, MarkNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Brick, ScottNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Card, Emily JaniceNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Dotrice, RoyNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Guest, Kim MaiNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Heyborne, KirbyNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Martin, George R. R.Narratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ojo, AdenreleNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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for Phipps, of course,
there is a road, no simple highway,
between the dawn and the dark of night.
I'm glad you're here to walk it with me.
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My career is littered with the corpses of dead series.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Fantasy. Fiction. Science Fiction. Short Stories. HTML:Even before the enormous success of A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin had secured his reputation as one of the most exciting storytellers of our time. The second of two thrilling collections, Dreamsongs: Volume II continues the story of his amazing journey from a young writer to a #1 New York Times bestselling force of nature.
 
Whether writing about werewolves, wizards, or outer space, George R. R. Martin is renowned for his versatility and expansive talent, as demonstrated in this dazzling collection. Dreamsongs: Volume II contains acclaimed stories such as the World Fantasy Award winner “The Skin Trade,” as well as the first novella in the Ice and Fire universe, The Hedge Knight—plus two early screenplays. Featuring extensive author commentary, Dreamsongs: Volume II is an invaluable chronicle of a writer at the height of his creativity—and an unforgettable reading experience for fans old and new.
 
“Science fiction, fantasy and horror fans alike will be blown away by the diversity and quality of stories. . . . This extraordinary collection is one to cherish.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
Dreamsongs is the ideal way to discover . . . a master of science fiction, fantasy and horror. . . . Martin is a writer like no other.”—The Guardian (U.K.)
 
PRAISE FOR GEORGE R. R. MARTIN
 
“Of those who work in the grand epic-fantasy tradition, Martin is by far the best. In fact . . . this is as good a time as any to proclaim him the American Tolkien.”Time
 
“Long live George Martin . . . a literary dervish, enthralled by complicated characters and vivid language, and bursting with the wild vision of the very best tale tellers.”The New York Times
 
“I always expect the best from George R. R. Martin, and he always delivers.”—Robert Jordan.

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Book description
A Taste of Tuf -- A Beast for Norn -- Guardians -- The Siren Song of Hollywood -- The Twilight Zone: "The Road Less Traveled" -- Doorways -- Doing the Wild Card Shuffle -- Shell Games -- From the Journal of Xavier Desmond -- The Heart in Conflict -- Under Siege -- The Skin Trade -- Unsound Variations -- The Glass Flower -- The Hedge Knight -- Portraits of His Children -- Bibliography by Leslie Kay Swigart.
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