Rating: 
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'.
Rating: 
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....
Rating:
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.
Rating: 
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!)
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece by the early George R. R. Martin
Review: Most people now know George R. R. Martin from his very succesfull Song of Ice and Fire books, which essentially is a fantasy series. This story is one of his first and very different.
It is set around a small group of characters against a magnificent background, the discarded party planet Worlorn. Descriptions of the story would not do justice to the book so I am not going to try it. What I liked about it, apart from the rich, melancholy, atmosphere, was that as the plot evolves you are forced to change your views of each of the main characters and this in a completely believable way. It has a literary quality quite rare in SF but therefore all the more welcome.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favourite books
Review: Purely by accident, while looking for something else in the library, I stumbled on a couple of George R. R. Martin's books, a collection of short stories called "A Song for Lya" and one of his early novels, "Dying of the Light", both published in the 70s. Friends have been recommending his later fantasy writing to me for years, so I thought - what the heck, I'll give him a go.
My god. I had no idea!
The short stories were enough to leave me wanting more, but it was "Dying of the Light" that really took my breath away. The writing is completely engrossing; I found myself missing bus after bus and staying late at work because I couldn't drop the book even for the ten minutes it would take to get to the bus stop. It's one of those rare books where everything fits together perfectly: the characters, the atmosphere, the setting, the way the story is resolved.
The premise seems deceptively simple: a man is asked by his former lover to meet her on a strange planet that has no star, a dying world that has been all but abandoned. But when he gets there, he finds that his Gwen has found a new place for herself among the ruins, and what's more -- she is married. So why did she call him? And is she really as happy as she seems to be? I should mention that the man she's married belongs to an alien culture where the strong hunt the weak for sport. Oh, and he already has a husband. Things only become more complicated when we meet all the characters and find out more about their cultures.
And the cultures alone are spectacular. It would be grossly unfair to try to cover them all, and completely unnecessary in a review. Suffice it to say that the breadth of Martin's imagination is matched only by the iron grip he has on his world and the plot of the story. Part of the experience is the way the story unfolds, the way the writer cleverly feeds you bits of information -- but he always remains one step ahead.
One image that particularly touched me was a city where the buildings are constructed in such a way that when the wind blows across the rooftops, it plays a symphony -- a lament that is almost hypnotic. Much of the book is like this, hovering right on the thin line between tragic and uplifting.
I was surprised to see that this book got some rather negative reviews here. A few people said there wasn't enough action, or that you couldn't see where the story was going, or that the characters are too complicated to be interesting. I guess if someone was expecting a shoot-em-up with cardboard villains and shining golden heroes, this book would definitely disappoint: the characters are deeply flawed but intensely sympathetic (even the apparent villains), the action unfolds as much in the minds of the people as in the world they inhabit (although there are still shoot-em-ups and chases), and the conclusion of the story is an organic and plausible development for the protagonist. It's the answer to the question he doesn't know to ask when he first sets out to find his long-lost love.
It's just a beautiful, intricate, deeply human story.
Rating: 
Summary: Love is like war
Review: Regret can control your life. Dying of the light is a story of a lost love and an empire built in the lover's separation. The main way George R.R. Martin tells his story is through an amazing amount of symbolism. Symbolism exists in every story, but this tale clearly is referring to lost love. This story is incredibly descriptive and I couldn't see it any other way. Through his description of the planet and the shape the planet is in you can immediately connect the story of the lovers to the story of the planet. Another symbolic message is how the planet relates to all of love in general. The following paragraphs will further explain my reasoning.
Although love can be wonderful it is a fleeting feeling. And that is what Martin is trying to say. Worlorn is a symbol of the story of the lovers Dirk and Gwen. Like the lover's, Worlorn used to be a bright world where tourists would flock and enjoy themselves. Gwen and Dirk used to be in a bright world that their love ruled their lives much like the story of Worlorn. Despite the seemingly bright future of this land, it eventually turned dark little by little just like the lover's. The ancient traditions of the Kavalar became more and more prominent and that led to a new way in the entire world. And with the acceptance of Gwen into the Kavalar ways she lost all tradition of her life before.
Love is a battle field. You can relate war to love in many ways. The great wars of Worlorn are a prime example of Martin's symbolism. Worlorn is a rouge planet that belongs to no planetary system that is only habitable for a short time. Love is the same in many ways. Love can last for a short time even though it may seem to have a promising future. I believe all would agree with me when I say that love is a rogue planet. And the planet being unpopulated is saying that that love is a very rarely populated feeling.
Love and regret in my opinion come hand in hand and that's what I believe Martin was trying to show. He directly showed this through the lovers and indirectly through the story of the planet. Over all, this book had a good amount of symbolism but was lacking in interest for the reader.
Rating:
Summary: Love and war
Review: Regret can control your life. Dying of the light is a story of a lost love and an empire built in the lovers separation. The main way George R.R. Martin tells his story is through an amazing amount of symbolism. Symbolism exists in every story, but this tale clearly is referring to lost love. This story is incredibly descriptive and I couldn't see it any other way. Through his description of the planet and the shape the planet is in you can immediately connect the story of the lovers to the story of the planet. Another symbolic message is how the planet relates to all of love in general. The following paragraphs will further explain my reasoning.
Although love can be wonderful it is a fleeting feeling. And that is what Martin is trying to say. Worlorn is a symbol of the story of the lovers Dirk and Gwen. Worlorn used to be a bright world where tourists would flock and enjoy themselves. Gwen and Dirk used to be in a bright world that their love ruled their lives much like the story of Worlorn. Despite the seemingly bright future of this land, it eventually turned dark little by little just like the lovers fate. The ancient traditions of the Kavalar became more and more prominent and that led to a new way in the entire world. And with the acceptance of Gwen into the Kavalar ways she lost all tradition of her life before.
Love is a battle field. You can relate war to love in many ways. The great wars of Worlorn are a prime example of Martin's symbolism. Worlorn is a rouge planet that belongs to a planetary system that is only habitable for a short time. Love is the same in many ways. Love can last for a short time even though it may seem to have a promising future. All would agree with me when I say that love is a rogue planet. And the planet being unpopulated is saying that that love is a very rarely populated feeling.
Love and regret come hand in hand and that's what Martin was trying to show. He directly showed this through the lovers and indirectly through the story of the planet. Over all, this book had an excellent amount of symbolism but was lacking in interest for the reader.
Rating:
Summary: Love is like war
Review: Regret can control your life. Dying of the light is a story of a lost love and an empire built in the lover's separation. The main way George R.R. Martin tells his story is through an amazing amount of symbolism. Symbolism exists in every story, but this tale clearly is referring to lost love. This story is incredibly descriptive and I couldn't see it any other way. Through his description of the planet and the shape the planet is in you can immediately connect the story of the lovers to the story of the planet. Another symbolic message is how the planet relates to all of love in general. The following paragraphs will further explain my reasoning.
Although love can be wonderful it is a fleeting feeling. And that is what Martin is trying to say. Worlorn is a symbol of the story of the lovers Dirk and Gwen. Like the lover's, Worlorn used to be a bright world where tourists would flock and enjoy themselves. Gwen and Dirk used to be in a bright world that their love ruled their lives much like the story of Worlorn. Despite the seemingly bright future of this land, it eventually turned dark little by little just like the lover's. The ancient traditions of the Kavalar became more and more prominent and that led to a new way in the entire world. And with the acceptance of Gwen into the Kavalar ways she lost all tradition of her life before.
Love is a battle field. You can relate war to love in many ways. The great wars of Worlorn are a prime example of Martin's symbolism. Worlorn is a rouge planet that belongs to no planetary system that is only habitable for a short time. Love is the same in many ways. Love can last for a short time even though it may seem to have a promising future. I believe all would agree with me when I say that love is a rogue planet. And the planet being unpopulated is saying that that love is a very rarely populated feeling.
Love and regret in my opinion come hand in hand and that's what I believe Martin was trying to show. He directly showed this through the lovers and indirectly through the story of the planet. Over all, this book had a good amount of symbolism but was lacking in interest for the reader.
Rating:
Summary: Love and war
Review: Regret can control your life. Dying of the light is a story of a lost love and an empire built in the lovers separation. The main way George R.R. Martin tells his story is through an amazing amount of symbolism. Symbolism exists in every story, but this tale clearly is referring to lost love. This story is incredibly descriptive and I couldn't see it any other way. Through his description of the planet and the shape the planet is in you can immediately connect the story of the lovers to the story of the planet. Another symbolic message is how the planet relates to all of love in general. The following paragraphs will further explain my reasoning.
Although love can be wonderful it is a fleeting feeling. And that is what Martin is trying to say. Worlorn is a symbol of the story of the lovers Dirk and Gwen. Worlorn used to be a bright world where tourists would flock and enjoy themselves. Gwen and Dirk used to be in a bright world that their love ruled their lives much like the story of Worlorn. Despite the seemingly bright future of this land, it eventually turned dark little by little just like the lovers fate. The ancient traditions of the Kavalar became more and more prominent and that led to a new way in the entire world. And with the acceptance of Gwen into the Kavalar ways she lost all tradition of her life before.
Love is a battle field. You can relate war to love in many ways. The great wars of Worlorn are a prime example of Martin's symbolism. Worlorn is a rouge planet that belongs to a planetary system that is only habitable for a short time. Love is the same in many ways. Love can last for a short time even though it may seem to have a promising future. All would agree with me when I say that love is a rogue planet. And the planet being unpopulated is saying that that love is a very rarely populated feeling.
Love and regret come hand in hand and that's what Martin was trying to show. He directly showed this through the lovers and indirectly through the story of the planet. Over all, this book had an excellent amount of symbolism but was lacking in interest for the reader.
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