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)

Adrian Paul is horrible .

Everyone else did a wonderful job!
Loved the stories. I immediately started looking for more Haviland Tuf stories and bought a Knight of the Seven Kindoms!

multiple stories some good some i turned off

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

This is good for short stories some very very engaging and others were hard to site through but I think that had more to do readers than the writing.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Loved the pear shaped man, very funny story.

Would you listen to another book narrated by the narrators?

I have.

Great collection

Loved reading the collection of George's work. I had previously only read a Song of Ice and Fire so it was good to see his other work including the SF and horror. really enjoyed it. This is a great deal on Audible due to the credit.

Highly underappreciated brilliance

there are so many amazing works in here, I cried many many times. So many people keep complaining about Song Of Ice And Fire, but never bother to read his other stuff. its absolutely stupid, these short stories shine just as brilliant, and in some places even more brilliant than his later works. and the notes from the author too made me feel so many things..

great value!

Great collection! Had a really great variety of stories! Well worth the 1 credit. There were a few that I didnt like but most were good!

One Of My All Time Favorites!

Listen to First:
In The Lost Lands
With Morning Comes Mistfall
Sand Kings
Meathouse Man

The rest is great too, but those are fantastic vocal performances and excellent stories.

The section-preface portions are also some my the best parts in the whole audiobook. Listening to the author talk about his life and the stories he created in various periods is fantastic.

I can't possibly overstate how much I love this book, so I won't try.

Hungry for more

I very much enjoyed Dreamsongs. It is interesting to hear the history what was happening in an authors life at the time certain stories written the influence that caused it to be written and the results of their effort. But perhaps the most telling for me is the fact that I now wish to learn more read more of George RR Martin's work this was a huge time commitment, and not a moment was wasted

A must for Science Fiction/Fantasy and GOT fans.

an awesome cast and an intimate journey with George himself about his early career. super interesting. A+.
If I had to find a fault it is tiny. the transitions between stories is immediate. no time to even sigh and smile.

Lots of Interesting Stories

Would you listen to Dreamsongs (Unabridged Selections) again? Why?

The mix of stories was engaging. Each section was previewed by a commentary read by the author and these were excellent as they helped to understand context for some of elements within a story. I read this book after reading the Game of Thrones series. After reading this book, I definitely want to continue to read the Game of Thrones (even though the TV series will now be ahead of the books.

What did you like best about this story?

Some of the stories were excellent.

Any additional comments?

The synopsis was quite long. A few stories dragged but overall the book was quite enjoyable.

Good stories and great commentary

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

I would, even though I disliked most of the sci-fi stories. I'm pretty sure most of my friends would..

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dreamsongs (Unabridged Selections)?

Ice Dragon. A simply beautiful story, I just had to listen to it in a single setting.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Roy Dotrice. After listening to A Song of Ice and Fire he has definitely become one of my favorite narrators, although his narration of A Feast for Crows and A Dance of Dragons was poor compared to his earlier narrations. I'm a big ASoIaF fan, so I suppose that influences my opinion of this book (: