A review by chriskirk
Dreamsongs: A Retrospective: Book One by George R.R. Martin

3.0

Many of the works in this anthology, particularly the early ones, are just mediocre. Sometimes, they're flat-out bad. The prose is elegant for the most part, and the plots themselves are creative, but thematically they're unoriginal and ham-handed. If you're a young writer, you'll be reassured; chances are you can write better. But it would be a mistake to assess each story on it's own. This anthology has one story, and it's the story of George R.R. Martin's path as a writer. It's an uneven path, but, generally, the deeper you travel down it, the greater the reward. The best works await you at the end, in his horror section. The Meathouse Man is refreshingly chillling, and Sand Kings and Nightflyer brim with "oh shit!" moments. Ah — here's the man behind A Song of Ice and Fire! Sadly, the volume ends with two of his weakest stories, The Monkey Treatment and The Pear-Shaped Man.