A SONG FOR LYA

YOUR FEEDBACK:

*****His best work
Martin, while best known for the sword-and-sorcery epic Song of Ice and Fire, should not be overlooked in the science-fiction and short story genres. A Song for Lya contains, in my opinion, his best two works to date. With Morning Comes Mistfall is a marvel of modern literature. While it's a simple story on the surface, deep symbolism conveys breathtaking views of contemporary society. Read more about this at www.tenorposaune.com, under the Rants section. The Second Kind of Loneliness is an introspective piece dealing with the human psyche and how it reacts to extreme pressures. Once again, Martin's powerful writing brings readers to a new understanding of themselves and those around them. The other eight stories in this collection also live up to Martin's well-deserved reputation. I highly recommend this book, even above his higher-profile output.

*****Superb Fiction From A Short Story Master
A fine collection of early (1971 - 1974) fiction from a much underrated master of the short story. Although George R.R. Martin has attained a great degree of success as a novelist, his most memorable work has been in the short story/novella format. A SONG FOR LYA was the author's very first book, published initially in February of 1976 in an Avon paperback edition, and while it may not be his finest collection, the stories presented here have the invigorating freshness and energy of a dazzlingly talented then-young writer first making his mark in the world.
The most notable of the stories, "A Song For Lya" arguably still ranks as Martin's finest work. "Lya" is a beautifully sad meditation on love and loss, telling a moving tale of a young, vital woman who is willingly absorbed into The Greeshka, a strange collective "religion" that ultimately sucks the individuality out of those who choose to join it. It deservedly won the Hugo Award as best novella of 1973. "With Morning Comes Mistfall" is an equally powerful story, a melancholic examination of what happens when the cold pursuit of knowledge ultimately leads to the destruction of an important, beautiful myth.
Other stories include: "Override", in which animated corpses are used as cheap labor in a mining colony, "Dark, Dark Were The Tunnels", a claustrophobic horror tale about a devolved worm-like man who makes disastrous contact with humans exploring his deep underground home turf, and "The Second Kind of Loneliness", a Poe-like tale of isolation, loneliness and madness in a remote space outpost.
This is a nice, oversized paperback repackaging of one of George R.R. Martin's best short story collections. The simple fact that it's the only such collection currently available by this fine writer makes it an absolute must-buy.

George R. R. Martin's First Publication!
It was twenty-years old, and had an ugly cover, so I figured A SONG FOR LYA was out-of-print for a good reason. But since being blown away by A GAME OF THRONES, I have yet to find anything of Martin's less than superb. This short, but fabulous book turned out to be no exception.
Sci-Fi and Horror are blended to excellent result in this collection of 10 short stories, featuring telepaths, ghosts, strange life forms, and very imaginative worlds. The standouts were "With Morning Comes Mistfall", "Override", and the Hugo Award-Winning title-story, "A Song For Lya", but in truth- there wasn't a bad apple in the bunch. My personal favorite was, "Dark, Dark Were The Tunnels" where Nuclear Armageddon has destroyed the face of the Earth long ago, and only two groups of people have survived. It took me a few pages to realize just what I was reading, but then it really pulled me in!
Several of these stories have also appeared in Martin's later collections, but unfortunately, they too are all out-of-print at the moment. However, the popularity of A Song Of Ice And Fire means that many of these collections and stories will soon be republished in the near future. So if you can't find them in libraries or used bookstores... be patient!