SELECTIONS FROM DREAMSONGS, VOLUME I, II, and III Fan Fiction and Sci-Fi from Martin’s Early Years: Unabridged Selections

[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review of DREAMSONGS, VOLUMES I-III.]--George R.R. Martin has covered a great deal of ground in his career. If proof is needed, look no further than this three-volume audio retrospective, which contains unabridged stories in the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres. Each section of the audiobook covers a period in Martin’s career and is introduced by Martin himself, who reads a lengthy essay brimming with biographical and story-related details. Excepting his earliest work, there’s not a weak story in the lot, and each one is well matched with a top-notch narrator. Some standouts include Mark Bramhall’s performance of the famous science-fiction horror story “Sandkings,” Roy Dotrice’s disturbing reading of “The Pear-Shaped Man,” Emily Janice Card’s just right “The Ice Dragon,” and Eric Davies’s “The Hedge Knight,” which is a prequel to Martin’s bestselling Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series. S.D.D. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2008 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 08]