Dying of the Light

Starred review from June 4, 2012
Virtuoso mastery of atmosphere justifies this deluxe, illustrated 35th anniversary reprint of Martin’s debut, which long predates his star turn with Game of Thrones and its sequels. Dirk t’Larien, responding to what he imagines to be a call for help from his former lover Guinevere, voyages to the distant planet Worlorn, which is drifting rapidly out of the galaxy. Life is evolving strangely on the chilly, darkening world, and the humans still living there are an eccentric lot. Dirk isn’t certain whether Jaan, the scholar/warrior from bleak High Kavalaan, is Gwen’s lover or captor, nor does he understand the harsh code that labels non-Kavalars “mockmen,” shape-shifters who are fair game for hunting. Violent, repeated misunderstandings and reappraisals naturally follow. This is a young writer’s book, full of romantic foreboding and foolishness. Nonetheless, Warlorn’s grand, gloomy landscape is an evocative backdrop for characters obsessed with love, duty, and death, and their drama may well linger in the reader’s memory for another 35 years.