Dreamsongs (Unabridged Selections)

By: George R.R. Martin

Narrated by: George R. R. Martin, Claudia Black, Mark Bramhall, Scott Brick, Roy Dotrice

Length: 51 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

BONUS: Each selection includes extensive commentary by author George R. R. Martin

Dubbed “the American Tolkien” by Time magazine, number-one New York Times best-selling 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, collected into two stunning volumes, that offers fascinating insight into his journey from young writer to award-winning master.

Audio Table of Contents:

Dreamsongs: Introduction by Gardner Dozois, read by Scott Brick

Section 1: A Four-Color Fanboy

• A Four-Color Fanboy Author Introduction, read by George R. R. Martin
• “Only Kids Are Afraid of the Dark,” read by Adrian Paul
• “The Fortress,” read by Mark Bramhall
• “And Death His Legacy,” read by Scott Brick

Section 2: The Filthy Pro

• The Filthy Pro Author Introduction, read by George R. R. Martin
• “The Hero,” read by Roy Dotrice
• “The Exit to San Breta,” read by Scott Brick
• “The Second Kind of Loneliness,” read by Mark Bramhall
• “With Morning Comes Mistfall,” read by Claudia Black

Section 3: The Light of Distant Stars

• The Light of Distant Stars Author Introduction, read by George R. R. Martin
• “A Song for Lya,” read by Mark Bramhall
• “This Tower of Ashes,” read by Kirby Heyborne
• “And Seven Times Never Kill Man,” read by Roy Dotrice
• “This Stone City,” read by Adrian Paul
• “Bitterblooms,” read by Kim Mai Guest
• “The Way of Cross and Dragon,” read by Roy Dotrice

Section 4: The Heirs of Turtle Castle

• The Heirs of Turtle Castle Author Introduction, read by George R. R. Martin
• “The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr,” read by Kim Mai Guest
• “The Ice Dragon,” read by Emily Janice Card
• “In the Lost Lands,” read by Claudia Black

Section 5: Hybrids and Horrors

• Hybrids and Horrors Author Introduction, read by George R. R. Martin
• “Meathouse Man,” read by Kirby Heyborne
• “Remembering Melody,” read by Scott Brick
• “Sandkings,” read by Mark Bramhall
• “Nightflyers,” read by Adenrele Ojo
• “The Monkey Treatment,” read by Kirby Heyborne
• “The Pear-Shaped Man,” read by Roy Dotrice

Section 6: A Taste of Tuf

• A Taste of Tuf Author Introduction, read by George R. R. Martin
• “A Beast for Norn,” read by Roy Dotrice
• “Guardians,” read by Roy Dotrice

©2003 George R. R. Martin (P)2007 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Fans, genre historians, and aspiring writers alike will find this shelf-bending retrospective as impressive as it is intriguing." (Publishers Weekly)

Enjoyable, I recommend it for all GRRM fans.

It's just what it claims to be - a selection of stories by GRRM throughout his career. Some, especially the earlier ones are rather crude and dull, others (especially the later ones) are both entertaining and intriguing. Accordingly, the quality of writing varies as well.

The narration is excellent for the most part, though I prefer some narrators (namely Dotrice) to others.

The only (and extremely annoying) problem with this audiobook is that the chapters are not divided along the lines of the stories, but rather haphazardly, so good luck trying to find a concrete story to listen to. Frankly, I don't understand how someone can organize an audiobook in this way. I knock of one star precisely for that reason.

In terms of content, at the time of writing this review, the book description is incomplete, as the book contains one section beyond what's mentioned in the description - Section 7 focusing on stories from GRRM's later years (such as Hedge Knight, Portraits of His Children). This is a pleasant addition to the already formidable collection, but it would be a good idea to add it to the description, as these stories are of a very good quality as well and deserve to be advertised there.

Dreamsongs is a beast - in a great way.

With over 50 hours of stories from every genre you can imagine, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and even those mixed together along the way, there is something here for everyone. A great sampling of this authors life’s work.

Great Quality Story Telling

If you could sum up Dreamsongs (Unabridged Selections) in three words, what would they be?

Imagination Richness Vibrant

What other book might you compare Dreamsongs (Unabridged Selections) to and why?

Not the grinding fantasy world of Game of Thrones, but sci-fi and fantasy short stories that have a unique realist feeling through the characters, environments and the way the writing lets you feel empathy for the star of the story in a way that I rarely read in that genre, that makes it so much better than the average work. I can imagine the events much more as actual events in his science fiction than any other I have ever read/heard.

Which scene was your favorite?

All the stories are different, but I like the Tuf Voyages stories the best.

If you could rename Dreamsongs (Unabridged Selections), what would you call it?

A Kaleidoscope of Worlds

Any additional comments?

The voice talent is excellent but Scott Brick is fantastic. Best I've heard for fiction, my favorite.

Such fun!

i loved many of George's stories and also the bits of humble autobiography in between! Brilliant even in his younger years!

A great collection of his entire career

This is a masterwork of all of Georges writing from his early days to before GOT. This should not be the first thing you pick up having just watched the series on HBO. You need to first listen to each of his GOT novels first. this anthology is for superfans of his work that want to deep dive into his early work. My favorite parts are how He narrates his own introductions so you get a glimpse of how he thinks and why there might not be another Westeros story in the future.

Amazing

Great collection of stories from one of the finest authors of our time. Do listen!

fascinating history

This collection of short stories, and the narration of what was happening in Martin's life at the time, is a fascinating listen. Made we appreciate Martin's work even more than I did before. If you think Game of Thrones is impressive then pick up this collection and marvel at how many different genres he's able to write in.

True and Accurate Anthology of an Author

As I expected, I enjoyed some stories and did not care much for others. This is an anthology of work by George R.R. Martin covering a good portion of his career. I really enjoyed that each "section" of the book began with the author providing some background on the works about to be read, telling the personal side of the stories. I thought these were at times more entertaining than the stories themselves.

While some were not thrilling or unpredictable, it does not detract from the quality of writing I find with much of Martin's works. Dreamsongs does not disappoint, especially for fans of George R.R. Martin's style of writing.

Getting intimate with a writer..

That's the way you feel when you listen to George Martin - actually listen to the author - read his early stories (along with some other pretty amazing narrators-big shout out to Scott Brick, a personal favorite) and explain where he was and what was going on in his life when he wrote them. I loved it from beginning to end.

An amazing look into G.R.R. Martin

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to most of my friends who enjoy descriptive stories.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed the Skin Trade best of all the short stories. The wild card stories were interesting and made me curious about the collections.