Quartet: Four Tales from the Crossroads

by George R.R. Martin, Chris Carpenito (Editor), Charles Vess (Illustrator)

This trade paperback reprint of the Boskone 38 Book contains a sampling of Bokone 38 Guest of Honor, George R.R. Martin: three stories and one teleplay. Introduction by Melisssa Snodgrass. Dustjacket art by Charles Vess.

Contents:
The Skin Trade (1988)
Blood of the Dragon (1996)
Black and White and Red All Over (2001)
Starport (2001)

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

George Raymond Richard "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...

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting collection of four long works by Martin; a screen play, a novella excerpted from his famous "Fire and Ice" series, an unfinished novel, and a stand-alone horror novella. The screen play, "Starport," is a very well-done piece, and I wish that it would have been produced. I could have done without the partial story; it's just frustrating not knowing where he was going with it. "Skin Trade" is an excellent, award-winning werewolf story, and "Blood of the Dragon," which also was award-winning, works unexpectedly well outside of the structure of the full novel.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

... there you have it, Quartet - Four Tales from the Crossroads, four stories in four genres, Martin's writing in a nutshell. Does that make this book worth reading? I'd say only for the real fan. An unfinished novel, a piece of another, a teleplay... they are all worth reading but their still only bits and pieces of Martin's career. Unfinished projects, unrealized ambition and a taste of a far larger project, none of that makes for very satisfying reading. It does give the reader a better understanding of Martin's development as a writer and why he chose to follow the path he did. Martin's career is littered with ideas that did not lead to stories and projects that were eventually abandoned. It takes nerve to publish some of it anyway and in that sense enjoyed reading it. On the other hand, it leaves me wishing he had finished Black and White and Red All Over. Or that he will at some point. The chances of that happening seem remote at best. So think carefully before picking this up, Quartet will leave you hungry for something that hasn't been written yet, and what's worse, something that may never be written.

Full Random Comments review

[TODD · Rating 3 out of 5]

While waiting for the next book in the Song of Ice and Fire series to come out, I re read the series and I started reading other collections of Martin's stories.

The Skin Trade is worth 5 stars by itself, it's perhaps the only one of the four I read completely. The journalist story was unfinished, and not particularly compelling. I wasn't in the mood to read a script, and I've already read Song of the Dragon (It's good) in its original form in Song of Ice and Fire... Its too bad they are the background for such a great story.

***SPOILER (sort of)***

When Martin gets writing about why he didn't finish his noir story about the journalists, it made me realize something. While he probably means to finish, he isn't going to finish Ice and Fire. All the pieces are there to put together.

Sigh

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really only read Skin Trade, because I don't like to read screenplays, I'd already the story from game of thrones, and I refuse to read something that the author admits was unfinished.

I like Skin Trade. It definitely held my interest.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth getting just to read the teleplay of the pilot of a show that never was, called Starport. Highly, highly amusing.

[Justin Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novel fragment in this collection is so good that if GRRM decided to abandon his current series and resume writing it I would almost forgive him.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shocked at the finish of Black and White and Red All Over, but loved what there was of it.