Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Barcelona : Caralt, 1982.
Description
Two telepaths investigate the newly discovered world of Shkea, where every native inhabitant, and an increasing number of human colonists, worships a mysterious and deadly parasite. Winner of the 1975 Hugo Award for Best Novella.
User reviews
LibraryThing member clong
This collection of 10 early Martin short stories is ambitious, if at times uneven. Several of the stories tackle thorny, morally ambiguous issues (for example, in "With Morning Comes Mistfall" scientific progress is detrimental; in "Override" it's the good people who are animating zombies vs. the
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bad people who are animating zombies). My favorites were "Mistfall," "Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels," and the title story. Show Less
LibraryThing member DRFP
The usual mixed bag of sci-fi shorts, this time by GRRM. Martin's prose is obviously a standard above the usual fare (especially from that early 70s era) but that can't hide the ropey nature of some of the stories in this collection.
Run To Starlight, about aliens playing American Football, and The
Other stories do show a hint of the author's future potential. The titular story, A Song For Lya, is a little unconvincing in its ending but excellent in its construction of atmosphere and characters. Likewise the first story in the collection, With Morning Comes Mistfall, where Martin creates an eerie atmosphere and conjures a suitable cast for the study on Wraithworld.
The remainder of the collection is fairly average: neither particular good or especially bad.
It's an OK collection and worth reading to see GRRM's starting point. The two stories that bookend the collection are the definite stand outs. Just don't expect Fevre Dream or A Song of Ice and Fire quality from what's in between.
Run To Starlight, about aliens playing American Football, and The
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Exit To San Breta, about a ghost car in the future, feature pretty weak ideas for stories that, even if well written, have you rolling your eyes a little. Other stories do show a hint of the author's future potential. The titular story, A Song For Lya, is a little unconvincing in its ending but excellent in its construction of atmosphere and characters. Likewise the first story in the collection, With Morning Comes Mistfall, where Martin creates an eerie atmosphere and conjures a suitable cast for the study on Wraithworld.
The remainder of the collection is fairly average: neither particular good or especially bad.
It's an OK collection and worth reading to see GRRM's starting point. The two stories that bookend the collection are the definite stand outs. Just don't expect Fevre Dream or A Song of Ice and Fire quality from what's in between.
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LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
If you're in the market for a book of Martin's short fiction right now, you might as well go ahead and get 'Dreamsongs,' the much more comprehensive, 2-volume retrospective set that came out more recently.
However, just cause this book doesn't have ALL THE STORIES doesn't mean that everything that's
Contents:
"With Morning Comes Mistfall" (Analog 1973)
"The Second Kind of Loneliness" (Analog 1972)
"Override" (Analog 1973)
"Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels" (Vertex 1973)
"The Hero" (Galaxy 1971)
"FTA" (Analog 1974)
"Run to Starlight" (Amazing 1974)
"The Exit to San Breta" (Fantastic 1972)
"Slide Show" (Omega 1973)
"A Song for Lya" (Analog 1974)
However, just cause this book doesn't have ALL THE STORIES doesn't mean that everything that's
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here isn't excellent. This was Martin's first published short-story collection. In my estimation, just about all of the stories here are 5-star-worthy.Contents:
"With Morning Comes Mistfall" (Analog 1973)
"The Second Kind of Loneliness" (Analog 1972)
"Override" (Analog 1973)
"Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels" (Vertex 1973)
"The Hero" (Galaxy 1971)
"FTA" (Analog 1974)
"Run to Starlight" (Amazing 1974)
"The Exit to San Breta" (Fantastic 1972)
"Slide Show" (Omega 1973)
"A Song for Lya" (Analog 1974)
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LibraryThing member john257hopper
Many years before Game of Thrones, George R R Martin wrote this SF novella which won the prestigious Hugo Award for best novella in 1975. This was a cracking read, packing a lot into its less than 100 pages: an Earth empire with colonies, a well crafted and intriguing alien civilisation,
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interesting interpersonal relationships, and a central plot device that felt both horrific and in some ways liberating, prompting interesting speculations about religion and philosophy. Frankly there was more going on here than in some of the very long books in his Song of Ice and Fire series. On the strength of this, I will definitely seek out more of his non Game of Thrones work. Show Less
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Collection — 1977)
Language
Original publication date
1976
ISBN
8421743104 / 9788421743102