Dreamsongs

Unabridged Selections

By: George R. R. Martin

Narrated by: Various

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 selection of his shorter works, collected into this audio collection, offering fascinating insight into his journey from young writer to award-winning master.Whether writing about werewolves, wizards, or outer space, George R.R. Martin is renowned for his versatility and expansive talent, highlighted in this dazzling collection. Dreamsongs: Unabridged Selections is an invaluable chronicle of a writer at the height of his creativity—and an unforgettable listening experience for fans old and new.

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.

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.