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Summary: Comments on G.R.R. Martin's First Novel
Review: "Dying of the Light" was George R.R. Martin's first novel, and it certainly shows. He is very ambitious in this initial attempt and the results are mixed. The book is usually catalogued as Science Fiction, but it hardly feels like it. Sure, there is a glimpse of a history of human expansion into other galaxies and even 'Old Terra' is mentioned, but it is a mere background to set the story, not a relevant ingredient. Even when Martin uses scientific aspects ( technological applications ) throughout the book it is in a rather superficial and somehow 'pulp' way; Martin is more interested in the landscapes and in his characters. As I said, the book feels over ambitious, the length being to short to be able to develop in a proper way the complex cornucopia of names, places, languages and customs that Martin set to create. The drive of the plot depends entirely in the amusing planet Worlorn, a once bright world where for a decade a 'Festival Of the Worlds' was held, but which now is turning dark, little by little leaving the sun than once brightened it. Worlorn is now almost unpopulated but the past glory of its cities still remains and is the stage for a story which moves around a past romance and the traditions of war-like people called Kavalar. Martin tries hard to make his characters be as 'flesh and bone' as possible but in my opinion he only partially achieves it: At the end of book the Kavalar characters seem much more interesting than the main ones, Dirk and Gwen (although probably that was all along Martin's final intention). Don't expect a fast paced adventure; Sometimes the story drags with seemingly no apparent direction but Martin is building tension towards a quite philosophical finale when the experiences on this planet have transformed the main character's views on life It is in the impressive set of vistas from Worlorn that we get the best parts of the novel. The exquisite description of each abandoned city and its secrets already shows the magnificent talent that Martin will develop fully in his most successful saga: 'The Song of Ice and Fire'.
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Summary: George R R Martin's First Novel...
Review: ...and it kinda shows. On one hand, George has delivered one of the most creative settings I've ever seen in Sci-Fi, complete with fascinating alien cultures. On the other hand, I felt quite dissatisfied with his main characters, and there was little action. However, it was still fun to see the master honing his skills. The planet of Worlorn is a rogue, simply meandering through space on its own. Recently, it has come to drift near 'The Wheel of Fire' -a constellation, which has brought it to life for a few decades. The wandering planet became a wonderful tourist attraction for a while... a festival, with fantastic cities built by each of the known races. Now, Worlorn is pulling away into cold darkness again, and its becoming uninhabitable once more. The Festival of Worlds has come to a close, yet a few people can still be found living among it's deserted cities as the planet slowly dies. Dirk travels here in answer to a call from his old lover, Gwen, and ends up the pawn of an intercultural conflict. As I said before, this is a fantastic place I'd love to see with my own eyes, but the characters were too dry and unrealistic. There really wasn't any motivation to keep turning the pages here. Since reading A Song Of Ice And Fire, I've been hunting down all of George RR Martin's earlier out-of-print works, and have enjoyed the ones I've found quite a bit. He has quickly become my favorite author, but Dying Of The Light could have been skipped.
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Summary: Great interplanetary romance, the best SF novel ever!
Review: 4 me, the best science fiction novel EVER. DYING OF THE LIGHT (originally called AFTER THE FESTIVAL in its 1st appearance in 1977 in Analog magazine) echoes many of George R.R. Martin's early themes -- lost love, devotion, romantic fantasy vs. grim reality, dark & moody settings, finding heroism within yrself, etc. DOTL also shares the same setting & background of many of Martin's early short stories, which will add 2 Njoyment of the novel 4 his fans. Wonderful setting, marvelous characters, great hand-to-hand combat & fierce emotions among believable characters, & a gorgeous heroic ending. George shoulda kept writing like this. Other great early stuff by Martin: WINDHAVEN (with Lisa Tuttle), the short-story collections SANDKINGS, A SONG FOR LYA, SONGS OF STARS AND SHADOWS and NIGHTFLYERS, and parts of THE ARMAGGEDDON RAG. I wish he'd written a couple more SF novels B4 moving 2 TV & what he calls "the big fat fantasy novels" he's writing now. I've bn a Martin fan since '74 -- glad some other folks finally caught on. But I find his early stuff has a romantic sense of mood, vision & soul that his newer work lacks....
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Summary: WOW!!!
Review: A beautiful story... Sad, but at the same time uplifting. Would make a great movie (and yes, that is a hint to Mr. Martin and to Hollywood.)
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Summary: not his best
Review: After reading his works of science fiction (this and Tuf Voyaging) I have come to appreciate his fantasy work all the more, basically for the contrast. This book is written well (of course) and the dialogue is exceptional (of course) but the plot and some character motivations are lacking (for example: why does Jaan allow his bethyn to invite her x-boyfriend to visit, which is central to the story). This is ok but not his best.
That being said, when George is writing his best (Song of Ice and Fire) he is the greatest writer who ever lived. It seems when he ventures into other generes he is simply average.
I know this book was written earlier in his careeer so maybe it just shows growth. Either way, I do not strongly recommend this novel.
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Summary: mediocre Martin
Review: I am a fan of George R.R. Martin despite the fact that his works are difficult to find, but this book was not one of his better ones. It is imaginitive, but I could not quite identify with the characters.
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Summary: Beautiful and lonely
Review: I became a fan of George Martin when I read "The Hedge Knight" in Legends and from there I went straight to a "Game of Thrones." Eager for more of his work, I was browsing in my university's library and came across "Dying of the Light". I was amazed at the beauty of the writing, the vividness of the imagery, and the originality of the story. I would like to see more stories about the "manrealm" and especially the Kavalaar people (how about some "teyn" poetry?) I would give this book five stars except the ending was too sad. Actually, it was so sad I've been up late every night for the past week thinking about it. Also, no one I know has ever even heard of George Martin, let alone this book, so I have no one to talk to. "Dying of the Light" is full of dark and lonely imagery, and even though it has made me feel depressed, it is a wonderful story. (I would have liked to see Garse and Dirk become teyns!)
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Summary: Beautiful and lonely
Review: I became a fan of George Martin when I read "The Hedge Knight" in Legends and from there I went straight to a "Game of Thrones." Eager for more of his work, I was browsing in my university's library and came across "Dying of the Light". I was amazed at the beauty of the writing, the vividness of the imagery, and the originality of the story. I would like to see more stories about the "manrealm" and especially the Kavalaar people (how about some "teyn" poetry?) I would give this book five stars except the ending was too sad. Actually, it was so sad I've been up late every night for the past week thinking about it. Also, no one I know has ever even heard of George Martin, let alone this book, so I have no one to talk to. "Dying of the Light" is full of dark and lonely imagery, and even though it has made me feel depressed, it is a wonderful story. (I would have liked to see Garse and Dirk become teyns!)
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Summary: Beautiful, imaginative
Review: I first read this book several years ago, and I've searched it out and reread it twice. The imagery and the concepts are out of sight. Martin has created two of the most original worlds in literature, the world of the teyn and the frozen world. I was somewhat disappointed in the resolution of the story. I wanted to stay longer.
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Summary: I found a copy.
Review: I found a copy in a used book store. Its a good example of Martin's early work.
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