Dying of the Light: A Novel

Superbly well written. Martin builds a vast world, with several developed cultures, all taking place centuries after an intergalactic Earth Empire, and its battles with alien cultures. Very fantasy in tone, but with great sci-fi elements. Deeply emotionally affecting, i wouldn't read after a break-up!Really excellent, absolute top tier writing, living characters, and a world that dies beautifully!

[No Spoilers: only the setup is described].Stupid Planet is a rogue planet, frozen and lifeless, floating aimlessly through space. It is a planet with no purpose. This, however, makes it deeply significant - a metaphor for the pointlessness of human existence.Stupid Planet was first discovered during the Hrangan Wars by the warship Mao Tse-Tung, when the Mao became the first man-ship to pass beyond the Veil and enter the stars of the Fringe.Haha! No. Actually, the Mao was a derelict. Its crewmen were dead, their bloated corpses bouncing off the walls! No-one noticed when, by amazing random coincidence, it passed within a few light-minutes of Stupid Planet. Actually, Stupid Planet was not discovered until 700 years later, when a salvage crew discovered the Mao, reviewed her data records, and found a record of Stupid Planet.Haha! No. Actually, the Mao has nothing AT ALL to do with the discovery of Stupid Planet, because by the time the Mao was salvaged, Stupid Planet had already been discovered, and no-one cared that Mao's automated sensors had seen it first. The Mao is mentioned only to say "bloated corpses bouncing off the walls" - a metaphor for the pointlessness of human existence.No more jokes. Stupid Planet was really discovered by Celia Marcyan in her ship "The Shadow Chaser", which circled the planet briefly before flying onwards. Her Garswanese pilot, Chook, had asked her if she wanted to land, and she had answered "No - It's a stupid planet". The name stuck.The first to actually land on Stupid Planet were Tomo & Walberg, during their madman's quest to cross the galaxy in their ship "The Dreaming Whore".Haha! No. Actually, there is no reason to believe that Tomo & Walberg ever went anywhere near Stupid Planet. Why would they? Tomo & Walberg are mentioned just to say "Dreaming Whore" - a metaphor for the pointlessness of human existence. I don't actually know who was the first to land on Stupid Planet. Who cares, anyway?Finally, one day, an astronomer named Ingo Haapala made an amazing discovery, which he announced to his Garswanese colleague, Snook:INGO: Snook, I have made an amazing discovery. Worlorn is on course to fly past the Hellmouth, that strange multiple-star that some regard as the galactic embodiment of Satan.SNOOK: What is this "Worlorn"?INGO: A rogue planet, discovered by Celia Marcyan. She named it "Worlorn". No-one knows why.SNOOK: "Wor Lorn", in Garswan tongue, means "Stupid Planet".INGO: Hah! Little did she know, that for 50 years, while it drifts past the Hellmouth, it is going to have SUNLIGHT! A long bright day!SNOOK: Why care? Is lifeless rock. No-one live on Stupid Planet.INGO: People could move there.SNOOK: Bad air on Stupid Planet. Need space suit. Why land? Why leave ship? See Hellmouth better in space.INGO: We could terraform it - give it an atmosphere - build forests, lakes, seas, and fill them with complex ecologies. We could build giant cities. THAT would give people a reason to land.SNOOK: No! See trajectory! Too close! Will boil seas, fry cities, burn forests, kill complex ecologies.INGO: No problem. We can build a giant energy shield that will surround the planet and keep the worst of the sunlight at bay.SNOOK: Too hard. No-one can make Big Shield.INGO: The Toberians can. Their energy shielding tech is even more advanced than that of the old Federal Empire.SNOOK: Silly! Even if Tober help. Project too big. Not enough time. 12 biggest space empires in Fringe could not do it, even if cooperate.INGO: I bet 14 civilizations could do it.SNOOK: But ... WHY DO THIS!!!???INGO: It's a metaphor for the pointlessness of human existence.And so it was that 14 great civilizations got together, and built a giant monument to stupidity on Stupid Planet. And, when they were finally done, they all had a giant party. The party lasted 10 years. Then they left.You are Dirk t'Larien. 10 years ago, your lover dumped you without a word of goodbye or explanation. Ever since, you have wallowed in self-pity and resentment, spending all your free time and money on the sterile, semi-human, genetically-altered prostitutes of the planet Prometheus. Meanwhile, Stupid Planet, full of empty cities and dying forests, drifts ever further from the Hellmouth, growing colder, darker, and more desperate for those unfortunate or stupid enough to remain. It's a metaphor.But then, suddenly, out of the blue, you receive a message from your lost lover. And it says "Come find me ... on Stupid Planet."Are you stupid enough to go to Stupid Planet?[FINAL NOTE: Yes, I did read the entire novel, all the way to the end. I have only myself to blame. I was warned. And now, so are you.]

I came across this novel in a funny way. I'm a big fan of the Game of Thrones television series, and while wandering about Youtube, I discovered that there is an audiobook version of this novel narrated by the inimitable Iain Glen (Ser Jorah Mormont). I listened for a while and became hooked on the story, but I'm too antsy to actually complete an audiobook. So, I picked up the Kindle version and was gifted with the very rich voice of Iain Glen to lead me through the story (if only in my head).This is Marin's earliest published novel, I believe, and while there are some obvious pacing issues and contrived situations (like all of the characters sitting down to dinner to discuss the history of the world), the novel is nonetheless captivating. If you are enthralled by the many houses of the Seven Kingdoms on Game of Thrones, and the unique customs of each kingdom, you will no doubt love the world-building in Dying of the Light. In fact, this is the novel's greatest success. I totally believe there are worlds out there with these unique races that are at once human and fantastical. Some staples of sci-fi exist (air-cars, laser pistols), and gladly so, because the future would be pretty poor without them. However, while the background is science fiction, the foreground is near-medieval. Legends of great creatures make their way into dinner conversation, duels define the outcome of entire families, and honor is paramount.My favorite creation in the book is the sociological creation of the "teyn". I won't go into too much detail, but Martin creates an entire society that places more value on male friendship/love/hunting than conventional love and that is the driving force of the novel. Essentially, we find ourselves pivoting on the importance of this notion and where it leaves each character.The cities created on the festival planet of Warlon are detailed and evoke the many culture that exist outside of the story. There is much to be explored in this universe and I find myself wanting more story and more legend.The secondary characters in the novel are well-developed and fascinating. My favorite is Garse Janacek, a sharp-note, honor-bound man. The characters that exist on the planet of Warlorn all have their motives and their reasons for everything they do. Their society is elaborate and purposeful.Our protagonist, Dirk, however, does at times seem a little more like Nick Caraway (an observer) than Jay Gatsby--that role would go to the compelling Jann. Martin does not write much of Dirk's own past into the story, and in a world built upon history and legend, it can be hard to relate to the main character without knowing who is he, where he has been, what his life was like prior to the novel beginning.All in all, this is a fun read with plenty of action and lore for fantasy and adventure fans. There is definitely no missing the forest for the trees here, though it would be nice if the individual trees got a little extra sprucing.Enjoy!

I'm going to put my cards on the table straight away and say I tried the first of GRR Martin's Game of Thrones books and did not understand what all the fuss was about.This book on the other hand I much preferred. It has a great background, believable plot, and unlike what others feel here, I thought the characterisation was pretty good too.It's not a perfect book by any means, and I think it could have benefited with fleshing out some of the plot elements. In some ways it reminds me of Jack Vance, which is probably intentional. All I can say is that I enjoyed it, and for me at least, it's a pity he got sidetracked into writing these fantasy doorstoppers

This seems to have had the potential to have been a very good novel,but was not well composed,lacking a sound plot,and tended to meander.At nearly 350 pages,it was too long,with a dense structure that was difficult to follow.

Cracking book. Well worth the read.

Present

Good overall, and not too slow to get started. The dying planet along with the events of the book cast a very good melancoly. The ending will leave you satisfied and glad you read the book in some strange, sad way...