I finished George Martin’s A Song for Lya this afternoon and it left me a little bemused and disturbed, in the way books and movies can sometimes leave you… because the picture they painted for you was so strong and it made an impression. Overall, the book is filled with 10 short stories of differing quality. They range from nice to uber-cool, so I sure didn’t waste my time and money with this one.

Especially the second story The Second Kind of Loneliness and the story that borne the title of the book, A Song for Lya both left me breathless. They’re the strongest. There were a few that were sad and touching, others that reached their point and somehow I was waiting for the twist to come, and it didn’t. I guess I’m just suspicious of Martin’s writing, keep waiting for the ironic twist, but it doesn’t always come. Sometimes a story’s just that… a story. And when you enjoy the story for what it is, you can truly immerse yourself in it, I think.

The sceneries and atmospheres were brilliant. I’ve read more of Martin’s work aside from Song of Ice and Fire, namely Windhaven, Fevre Dream and Dying of the Light (and not to mention three books of the Wildcards series) and his atmosphere sketches were always good, but the things that really drew me into his work were usually his dialogues, his characterization and his… clean… way of writing. No superfluous bullshit, but enough to draw you in and tell you what needs to be told. But in this book, man, the atmosphere is brilliant with every story he writes. He paints pictures, describes settings, and it’s always interesting! I always want to know more! I think that’s pretty impressive.

And the way the last story left me… disturbed, quiet, pondering, and a little out of sorts…
Respect.

Filed under: Books