Dreamsongs: A Retrospective: Book Two (Dreamsongs, #2)

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Dreamsongs: A Retrospective: Book Two (Dreamsongs #2)

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 745 ratings · 53 reviews

Dubbed “the American Tolkien” by Time magazine, #1 New York Times bestselling author George R.R. Martin is a giant in the field of fantasy literature and one of the most exciting storytellers of our time. Now he delivers a rare treat for readers: a compendium of his shorter works, all collected into two stunning volumes, that offer fascinating insight into his journey from...more

Hardcover, 704 pages

Published November 27th 2007 by Spectra (first published January 1st 2006)

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Feb 21, 2013 Peter rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: worthy-of-borrowing

Anthologies of short stories by famous authors can be tricky to review because the stories are written separately over several decades. I usually find that earlier stories written when the author was struggling are better than later stories written as a side project in between major novels. Dreamsongs seems to be an exception to this rule in that I enjoyed the later works as much or more than the earlier ones. Overall, I think the author's strength is in his characters, not his plots, and I woul...more Anthologies of short stories by famous authors can be tricky to review because the stories are written separately over several decades. I usually find that earlier stories written when the author was struggling are better than later stories written as a side project in between major novels. Dreamsongs seems to be an exception to this rule in that I enjoyed the later works as much or more than the earlier ones. Overall, I think the author's strength is in his characters, not his plots, and I wouldn't recommend buying the book unless you are a hard core George R.R. Martin fan. It would be hard for me to review every story so I have picked my favorite two.

The Hedge Knight (pg 599)
When I picked this book up at the library, I thought I had never read a George R. R. Martin story before but it wasn't until I started the Hedge Knight he had contributed this story to an anthology called Legends back in 1999. I had originally picked up this anthology because it contained a Stephen King "Dark Tower" short story, but I remember that the Hedge Knight story out shined King's. Taking place in the "Game of Thrones" universe, this novella is fantasy without magic or dragons, just knights, jousting, and feudalism. You very quickly develop an affinity for "Dunk", AKA Ser Duncan the Tall, as the classic underdog who becomes a knight not because he is a lord and has a castle but because he is Chivalrous and adheres to a strict moral code. This story, with it's strong characterization and accurate scenes of Medieval jousting, has increased my interest in reading the "Game of Thrones series".

Shell Games (pg 261)
Back in the mid-eighties, Super Heroes and became gritty edgy. Graphic Novels like Alan Moore's "Watchmen" and Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" made comics cool by adding Social Commentary, realistic violence, and complex characters. "Shell Games", originally contained in the "Wild Cards" anthology, was part of this shift. The "Wild Cards" anthology, containing short stories like "Shell Games" by different authors but edited by Martin, describing a world of what-ifs where "Aces" (superheroes) and "Jokers" (mutants) interact with with historical events and people. The story itself is your typical superhero origin story and there are little surprises in the plot but Martin's strength is again his characters. These include "The Turtle" - a classic nerd with Telekinetic abilities, "Dr. Tachyon" - an alcoholic telepathic alien, and "Angel face" - a beautiful mutant whom the slightest touch causes to bruise and breed. The story is a unique take on the superhero myth and I recommend it to anyone who likes the genre. (less)

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Dec 05, 2011 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Very very mixed-bag.
First Haviland Tuf story is great, the second is really boring. "Glass Flower" is just a clusterfuck, there I said it!
"Under Siege" reads almost like an Outer Limits episode, and then the actual Twilight Zone episode he wrote for real puts me to sleep
"The Skin Trade" involved modern city and werewolves and is great! .. but some of the "cuts" between scenes were pure television. Perfect ending too - fades out to black in just the right moment
"Unsound Variations" - another not...more

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Jan 29, 2011 Raj rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi, short-stories

I came to this collection having never actually read any George R. R. Martin before. I've heard of A Song of Ice and Fire but have never read it, but I had read good reviews of this retrospective (or Rretrospective as the book itself puts it) and wasn't disappointed. This volume contained fewer but longer stories than its predecessor but held the same format of grouping stories by theme, each with an introduction by the author. The first and third sections are single universes where Martin wrote...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Joe Maddox added it

Overall, this is a solid collection of some of Martin's short stories. The selection is diverse, ranging from sci-fi to television scripts to interstitial essays that bind together the different sections of the volume.

Like most of Martin's work, the characters get first billing over the plot. I don't mean to imply that Martin's plots are weak, far from it. But Stories happen to the Characters here, not vice versa; I might add that Martin is in no way shy about this facet of his writing, nor shou...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Jesse Whitehead rated it 4 of 5 stars

Martin is perhaps the most natural story teller I have ever encountered. His words seem to flow so smoothly and tell stories so easily that is sounds like it just fell out of his fingers like a divine gift.

Maybe it is. I don’t know.

There are a few stories in this particular collection that I would skip entirely – in fact I wish I had never read them. However, they are undeniably beautifully written and heartbreakingly lonely.

On the other hand there are other stories that I loved so much that I c...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Shane Kiely rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As A whole I preferred Book One, but this collection has it's strong stories. My personal high points include the second Haviland Tuf story Guardians, Martin's script Doorways was intriguing & imminently readable, The Skin Trade & The Hedge Knight. Unsound Variations was also a unique concept though it wandered into (to my mind) very technical chess terminology at some pints that caused my attention to wander. The collection ends strongly with Portraits of his children which I enjoyed mo...more

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Feb 11, 2010 Doreen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'd never read The Hedge Knight long-form, just the graphic novel that does no justice to it. It made me nostalgic for the Song Of Ice And Fire cycle, the novels that Martin is most celebrated for. I did very much enjoy the last story, as well, and thought it was layered enough to deserve non-genre accolades.

That said, I enjoyed this book very much as a retrospective of an author I admire but it does not feel very fulfilling in and of itself. The quality is definitely better on the whole than th...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Jacob rated it 3 of 5 stars

After reading the latest book of "Song of Ice and Fire" saga I decided to look into other works of GRRM. Not knowing what to expect I picked the second part of "Dreamsongs" due to a rather obvious reason - "Hedge Knight". I was also happy to find out that "Wildcards" episodes are also included in this part of the book.
I have mixed feelings about this book. It includes some brilliant novels (The Hedge Knight and The Skin Trade to name the few) which made me get out on my bus stop and sit there f...more

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Jun 19, 2011 Virginia Ullrich-serna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved it. Both of these books give an insight into the development of a writer. All of the stories are good reads and I two of he stories you can see the beginnings of his best known work to date The g
Game Of Thrones".
Each book is broken into sections that the author introduces and tells a little bit about the back ground of the times they are written.

The hardest story for me to read was the chess story, "Unsound Variations". It was like reading Hoyle on chess during the games but the story wa...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Althea Ann rated it 5 of 5 stars

(Review of both Book One and Book Two)
Got both of these anthologies from the library. Together, they're a great retrospective of Martin's career.
They're worth reading, for any Martin fan, even completists who've already read nearly everything in them, as Martin introduces and arranges the contents. His commentary on the stories is worth the price of admission alone.
It starts off with a hilarious (and, admittedly, hilariously bad) fantasy story first published in an independent fanzine when Marti...more

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Dec 25, 2010 Rafal Jasinski rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Zbiór o jeden punkcik lepszy od pierwszego tomu "Retrospektywy". Większość opowiadań - tym razem, głównie pod szyldem horroru z elementami fantastyki naukowej - nie wybija się jednak znacząco poza klasyczne "opowieści z dreszczykiem" z rzadka tylko okraszone ciekawym suspensem. Ponad przeciętność wynoszą się dwie nowelki: bardzo dobre "Piaseczniki" i rewelacyjni, tytułowi "Żeglarze nocy" - opowieść przywodząca na myśl takie klasyki kina, jak "2001: Odyseja kosmiczna" czy "Alien" (ze wskazaniem n...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

The second volume of Dreamsongs was filled with another batch of interesting and exciting stories. Like the first volume there was a few stories that did not really grab me or that I cared all that much for and there were stories that were just amazing.

I enjoyed the stories in Volume II slightly more than Volume I.

From my love of A Song of Ice and Fire I really enjoyed the 'Hedge Knight'. I first read this story in the graphical novel and then read it again here in this volume and the story was...more The second volume of Dreamsongs was filled with another batch of interesting and exciting stories. Like the first volume there was a few stories that did not really grab me or that I cared all that much for and there were stories that were just amazing.

I enjoyed the stories in Volume II slightly more than Volume I.

From my love of A Song of Ice and Fire I really enjoyed the 'Hedge Knight'. I first read this story in the graphical novel and then read it again here in this volume and the story was still a good story that I enjoyed reading.

The stories containing Tuf in 'A Taste for Tuf' and 'A Beast for Norn' were two stories that took a while to build and pull me in, but once they did I enjoyed them not the greatest stories in this collection, but an interesting idea with the bio ark.

In this we were also able to read some of the screen plays that GRRM worked on and I liked his Twilight Zone episode 'The Road Less Traveled'. It was a great story that shows how ones life could be totally different all depending on choices.

I thought the pilot episode of 'Doorways' could have made for a really cool sci-fiction story and part me wish it was able to be filmed and aired. The show premises would be able alternate dimensions. However, another part of me is glad for that if it was not successful, since the world might never had the chance to experience A Song of Ice and Fire then.

I really liked the two excepts of Martin's from Wildcards and for the stories about the Turtle and Wildcard Xavier Desmond two different characters that have some similarities. In 'Shell Games' We see the birth of the hero Turtle and then in 'Journal of Xavier Desmond' we see how Desmond attempts and see how the Wild Card has effected others. From what I can understand the Wildcard was an event that gave some citizens powers and deformed others. I liked these stories so much, that I want to read more of the Wildcard universe built by Martin and his fellow authors...

I also really liked the sci-fi spin from 'Under Siege' and 'Unsound Variation'. One shows how key moments can effect a whole time line and the other shows that one should never stop trying.

Skin Trade was a story about Werewolves and not my favorite of the collection, but it did have some interesting moments and an overall good story.

I feel that I highlighted most of the book and gave little tidbits from each story. I recommend this book to anyone that has enjoyed George RR Martins writing and those that like a blend of different genres. (less)

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Sep 16, 2010 Alex Telander rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2007

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...more 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 http://www.wildcardsbooks.com/.

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 reviews and author interviews, go to Bookbanter.net (less)

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Feb 29, 2008 Curtis rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: well fans of George R R martin

Pretty good, not as interesting as the first book. In this one his style has seemed to firm up, not nearly as much variance as in the earlier volume. Also, the personal interstitials, the best part, for me, of the first book, become more of a "this is where I was in my, life this is what I was working on" kind of rote listing, as opposed to the earlier's, "this is where I got my inspiration from" or, "after failing in this I decided to try things this way" kind of narrative. And then his last en...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Riju Ganguly rated it 3 of 5 stars

These kind of antholgies are text-book examples of "mixed bag"-s. Whoever might have slelected the stuff were more interested in making it more 'representative' and all-encompassing, rather than trying to select some of the truly superlative works by the author. As a result, we have been glutted by boring stories. But even then, GRRM's prose is a delight to read, and some of his characters have become legends on their own might. Hence, 3 stars.

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Apr 19, 2012 Nadine rated it 2 of 5 stars

It was okay. I don't particularly enjoy reading scripts and there were a few in the book written by Martin when he worked on the 80s version of the Twilight Show and Doorways. Also, I did not enjoy the interludes of history that Martin put in the book describing his life while he worked on certain shows, scripts, or stories. I found it dull after awhile. However, I did enjoy the Haviland Tuf stories and would look for more of them to read.

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Sep 26, 2011 Stephen Holmes rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this volume more than the first volume. I found the stories to be a lot more polished, which makes sense since these stories were from later in GRRM`s career. I would say that everyone should read this volume, not just the fans of GRRM. For the fans and collectors this book is a must. The bibliography at the end is very well done and comprehensive.

As a result, its a book you should get if you are a fan of GRRM, or even just a good story.

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Jul 03, 2010 Myles rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories, fantasy, poesy-and-drama, hollywood-silver-screen-and-tv

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...more

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Feb 22, 2010 Lori rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010february

Pro: I didn't dislike a single story in this collection.

Con: I didn't love a single one, either.

They're well done and interesting enough that I've been thinking about finding some of the Wild Card series (a "shared" world that Martin edits and occasionally writes for).

But all in all, I just didn't feel passionate about any of them. Clearly, though, my ASOIAF passion is strong enough to carry me through.

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Dec 03, 2008 Rhonda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories

I didn't read this cover to cover but I did read quite a lot of the stories! As always Martin can go from genre to genre with ease. Want science fiction? He can write it. Want medieval fantasy that reads like historical fiction? He can do it. Want a modern tale about rock and roll? Well he can do that too. So if you are looking for short stories that are varied in subject matter, check this one out as well as Volume 1!

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Nov 07, 2008 Edward rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf

You may ask why I give the audio version of this book 5 stars and the book itself only 4 stars.

Audio: The author is heard. The selected stories include the best in the book.
Paper: More stories, but the "less than best" bring the rating down.

The book has 2 "Wild Card" stories. I never read one before and I'll never read one again. I didn't like the "Tuf" stories either. Ok, I'm not a typical fan.

The book also has the "The Hedge Knight," an "Ice and Fire" prequel that got me ravenous for the ne...more

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Jul 21, 2011 Frank rated it 4 of 5 stars

I listened to this one in the car. Martin does a great job of showing he's more than a fantasy writer. He can write a pretty good psychological horror story with some science fiction mixed in (Sand Kings). Pear-shaped Man was another engaging horror story that makes you think. As for science fiction, Ice Dragon was terrific.

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Nov 07, 2012 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

This took me almost literally forever. GRRM does not know the meaning of the word 'short.' I wish I'd had the first volume first, but it wasn't to be found at the used bookstore, so I went ahead with this, mainly for the ASOIAF 'prequel' The Hedge Knight. That story was probably my favorite of the book. The rest was kind of a hodge podge of mostly uninteresting or really dated works. I liked The Glass Flower, Portraits of His Children was disturbing but pretty good, the werewolf story was ok if...more

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Sep 10, 2009 Cv Rick rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy, horror

The highlight of this book is the story, The Sand Kings. I'd never read it before and it was terrific - definitely in the top list of all time sci-fi stories.

The rest of the stories were of mixed quality - some good, some poor, but all with very similar voices and results. It's a collection worth reading but it didn't knock my socks off.

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Feb 06, 2010 Donald rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2000s, sci-fi-fantasy, short-story-collection, read-in-2009

Reread this in August of 2009 after receiving this as a gift back a few years ago. The version I have is actually the UK version that encompasses both volumes.

Martin proves himself the master of more than just "epic fantasy" and this is well worth the read.

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Dec 28, 2010 David Melbie rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Martin fans

Recommended to David by: Picked myself

I liked these stories, and I especially enjoyed reading "The Hedge Knight" again. I think that Martin should do more stories of Dunk, maybe even devote a whole novel to this character. The Haviland Tuf stories are also good, and my favorite of the entire book is "The Glass Flower." That is a truly unique tale and one that makes me really appreciate Martin's talents as a writer to come up with some of the ideas that he does just blows me away.

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Oct 15, 2011 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Started reading the Dunk and Egg short stories with this book...The hedge knight, featured in this collection, was probably my favorite of all three. Most epic joust/melee of the short series!!

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May 25, 2011 Martin Jensen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love the books of GRRM and here we have a collection of shortstories from his earlier works. Fantastic shortstories in their own right but they really do, is making me want to read more. From the stories about the intergalactic ecological engineer Haviland Tuf over earlier Wild Cards stories to the two amazing and awardwinning stories: 'The Skin Trade' - a horror about werewolfes and 'The Hedge Knight' - a story about Dunk & Egg set in Westeros about 80 years before A Game of Thrones. Even...more

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Dec 30, 2007 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Martin may be the greatest storyteller I've ever had the pleasure of reading. I know I'm prone to hyperbole, but this time I mean it. As evidenced by these collections, I'll read anything by him: fantasy, sci-fi, horror, crazy amalgams of these, anything. It's the characters who matter, and Martin creates the best characters I've ever been around. He is also a master of the show-not-tell school of storytelling: a must with me.

My favorite story in this volume was definitely "The Hedge Knight." I'...more

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Jul 19, 2009 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not as interesting (from an "insight into the author perspective") as the first volume, but the quality of the stories is much higher. The "Hedge Knight" is perhaps the best of this book, and gives an insight into how good the Song of Ice and Fire series is destined to be.

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About George R.R. Martin

George R. R. Martin was born September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father was Raymond Collins Martin, a longshoreman, and his mother was Margaret Brady Martin. He has two sisters, Darleen Martin Lapinski and Janet Martin Patten.

Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies,...more George R. R. Martin was born September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father was Raymond Collins Martin, a longshoreman, and his mother was Margaret Brady Martin. He has two sisters, Darleen Martin Lapinski and Janet Martin Patten.

Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies, dramatic readings included. Later he became a comic book fan and collector in high school, and began to write fiction for comic fanzines (amateur fan magazines). Martin's first professional sale was made in 1970 at age 21: "The Hero," sold to Galaxy, published in February, 1971 issue. Other sales followed.

In 1970 Martin received a B.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, graduating summa cum laude. He went on to complete a M.S. in Journalism in 1971, also from Northwestern.

As a conscientious objector, Martin did alternative service 1972-1974 with VISTA, attached to Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation. He also directed chess tournaments for the Continental Chess Association from 1973-1976, and was a Journalism instructor at Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa, from 1976-1978. He wrote part-time throughout the 1970s while working as a VISTA Volunteer, chess director, and teacher.

In 1975 he married Gale Burnick. They divorced in 1979, with no children. Martin became a full-time writer in 1979. He was writer-in-residence at Clarke College from 1978-79.

Moving on to Hollywood, Martin signed on as a story editor for Twilight Zone at CBS Television in 1986. In 1987 Martin became an Executive Story Consultant for Beauty and the Beast at CBS. In 1988 he became a Producer for Beauty and the Beast, then in 1989 moved up to Co-Supervising Producer. He was Executive Producer for Doorways, a pilot which he wrote for Columbia Pictures Television, which was filmed during 1992-93.

Martin's present home is Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (he was South-Central Regional Director 1977-1979, and Vice President 1996-1998), and of Writers' Guild of America, West.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/george...(less)

More about George R.R. Martin...

Books by George R.R. Martin

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2)

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3)

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, #4)

A Dance With Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5)

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Quotes from Dreamsongs: Volume II

“Why must we draw these lines, these fine distinctions, these labels and barriers that set us apart? Ace and nat and joker, capitalist and communist, Catholic and Protestant, Arab and Jew, Indian and Latino, and on and on everywhere, and of course true humanity is to be found only on our side of the line and we feel free to oppress and rape and kill the "other," whoever he might be. (From the Journal of Xavier Desmond)” — 1 person liked it

“What can you say about pain?
Words can trace only the shadow of the thing itself. The reality of hard, sharp physical pain is like nothing else, and it is beyond language. The world is too much with us, day and night, but when we hurt, when we really hurt, the world melts and fades and becomes a ghost, a dim memory, a silly unimportant thing. Whatever ideals, dreams, loves, fears, and thoughts we might have had become ultimately unimportant. We are alone with our pain, it is the only force in the cosmos, the only thing of substance, the only thing that matters, and if the pain is bad enough and lasts long enough, if it is the sort of agony that goes on and on, then all the things that are our humanity melt before it and the proud sophisticated computer that is the human brain becomes capable of but a single thought:
Make it stop, make it STOP! (from The Glass Flower)” — 1 person liked it

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Dreamsongs: A Retrospective: Book Two (Dreamsongs #2)

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