“It’s great . . . slowly unfolds its horrors like petals of some corrupt flower. . . . There were moments when I was frightened to turn the page. . . . Simply but masterfully written, I can’t believe Fevre Dream won’t be one of the best five horror novels this year.”
—New York City Limits
“George R. R. Martin has established himself as a major talent in the realms of science fiction and fantasy. . . . This novel is classic horror-fare: it is fine writing and happens to scare the bejeezus out of you as well.”
—Daily Texan
“The best vampire novel since Suzy McKee Charnas’ The Vampire Tapestry: generally understated, firmly grounded in the Twain-worthy steamboat setting, abundantly creepy . . . and modestly resonant in the portrayal of inter-species camaraderie.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Skillfully balances historical realism and flights into fantasy and obsession. Its characters linger in the mind, along with the beauty of the great boats and the greater river.” —Locus
“Filled with rich characters and almost continual suspense . . . the best vampire novel I’ve read, and Martin’s recreation of the 1850s along the Mississippi is the equal of the best historical novels.”
—Science Fiction Review
“You normally don’t think of vampires and steamboats at the same time, but in Fevre Dream, George R. R. Martin has taken this unlikely combination and turned out a novel that goes beyond either historical fiction or horror. . . . Memorable characters, believable backgrounds, and realistic plots and situations . . . To describe the book as ‘haunting’ may be trite, but odds are you’ll find yourself thinking about the situation, and the characters, for days after you finish reading it.”
—Amazing
“Fresh and interesting . . . One addition to the literature for vampiromaniacs that is worth taking a look at.” —Asimov’s
“Eminently cinematic . . . an engrossing, thoroughly readable story which is rich in detail and has a vivid cast of characters. The jacket blurb compares Martin with Stephen King and Peter Straub, and for once the comparison is justified.”
—Starburst
“A terrific book, a treasure, an achievement, and a unique reading experience . . . The story is told in a crisp, clean style, both subtle and haunting. . . . This novel has it all: atmosphere, mood, a unique blend of history and legend. . . . The characterization is vivid and the clash between good and evil marks an all-time high for believability and rousing impact. Fevre Dream will surely become a horror classic, and a standard by which later, similar works will be judged. Very highly recommended.” —Fantastic Films
“A skillful blend of adventure, supernatural horror, and accurate historical settings . . . Exceptionally good, this deserves superlatives in almost every respect.” —Science Fiction Chronicle
“Martin is, by his own account, an artist of sunsets; his fin de siècle canvas may variously take in dying planets, the death of the modern age, or the long decline of chivalry, but loss is always the keynote, and the mood is ever a frenzied celebration of a glory that is passing. . . . Martin relates a grand adventure, but his true subject is the anatomy of the tomb, whether the entombment is that of an individual, a way of life, a nation, or a species. . . . Unfolds with an elegant, sensuous grotesquerie that has few parallels in literature . . . The riverboats and the plantations and the vampires roar a mighty defiance in their dying, raging (in a powerful echo of an earlier Martin novel) against the dying of the light. . . . A superb novel.” —Infinity Plus
“Not only a compelling novel, but also a powerful tale of supernatural terror—one of the very few books which are satisfying on both those levels. Frightening, moving, haunting, beautiful, with utterly believable characters, both human and other, it can hold its own against any horror novel by any writer of his generation. It looks to me as if Fevre Dream makes him one of the most impressive new writers in the field.”
—Ramsey Campbell
“Will delight fans of both Stephen King and Mark Twain . . . Darkly romantic, chilling and rousing by turns, moody and memorable, Martin’s novel is a thundering success.” —Roger Zelazny
“What an idea! A picaresque journey down a river of terror. The subtle atmosphere of menace grows and grows until toward the end it becomes almost unendurable. Add to that a fresh vision of the vampire, a lot of historical fun, and you have one very special horror novel.”
—Whitley Strieber
DYING OF THE LIGHT
“The Wild West in outer space, complete with a chase that will keep you awake. Slick science fiction.” —Los Angeles Times
“The galactic background is excellent. . . . Martin knows how to hold the readers and will probably be one of our finest novelists of the next decade.” —Asimov’s
“The kind of imagination that makes science fiction worth reading . . . An effective, affecting story.” —Galaxy Magazine
“Something special which will keep Worlorn and its people in the reader’s mind long after the final page is read.” —Galileo Magazine
“George R. R. Martin has the voice of a poet and a mind like a steel trap.” —Algis Budrys
“Even in the best science fiction stories, it is rare to find a genuine alien culture that is believable and self-consistent. George R. R. Martin’s novel presents several such cultures, and forces them into conflicts that bring out the best—and the worst—in the human characters who make this story live, breathe and bleed.” —Ben Bova
“Wonderful, rich-tapestried. The excitement and strangeness are still there after the last sentence.”—A. E. van Vogt
“Each of George R. R. Martin’s stories is a gem, cut with verve and polished with abundant skill, reflecting the face of humanity in its many facets—its mood colored, highlighted by a master of misplay . . . by a lover of his tools and trade.”—Roger Zelazny
WINDHAVEN
with Lisa Tuttle
“The pace never slackens, shifting easily from moments of almost unbearable tension to others of sheer poetry and exhilaration. Martin and Tuttle make wonderful professional music together.”
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“Twenty years after the first publication of this novel, it still stands the test of time.” —Talebones
“Windhaven is a powerful flight of the imagination, a tale well-told . . . an entirely enjoyable reading experience, wrought by a pair of writers noted for excellence.” —Roger Zelazny
“I didn’t mean to stay up all night to finish Windhaven but I had to!”
—Anne McCaffrey
“Told with a true storyteller’s voice: clear, singing, persuasive, and wonderfully moving. They have made a mythic land and peopled it with unforgettable characters. It is a book for adults and children who have dreamed of flying with their own wings, and for story listeners of all ages for whom dreams are as potent as realities. A truly wonderful book.” —Jane Yolen
“It’s a romance. It’s science fantasy. It’s beautiful.”—A. E. van Vogt
“A beautiful and moving book. It carries the reader through a fascinating society and through the life of a courageous, memorable woman. . . . I’m sure this will be a big awards contender; it certainly deserves to be.” —Joan D. Vinge
And for A Song of Ice and Fire
A GAME OF THRONES
“Reminiscent of T. H. White’s The Once and Future King, this novel is an absorbing combination of the mythic, the sweepingly historical, and the intensely personal.” —Chicago Sun-Times
“I always expect the best from George R. R. Martin, and he always delivers. A Game of Thrones grabs hold and won’t let go. It’s brilliant.” —Robert Jordan
“Such a splendid tale and such a fantistorical! I read my eyes out.”—Anne McCaffrey
“Martin makes a triumphant return to high fantasy. . . . [His] trophy case is already stuffed with major prizes, including Hugos, Nebulas, Locus Awards and a Bram Stoker. He’s probably going to have to add another shelf, at least.”