George Raymond Richard Martin (born September 20, 1948), sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
authorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and
screenwriterScreenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
of fantasy,
horrorHorror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
, and
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
. He is best known for
A Song of Ice and FireA Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels by American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the series in 1991 and the first volume was published in 1996. Originally planned as a trilogy, the series now consists of five published volumes; a further two...
, his bestselling series of epic fantasy novels that HBO adapted for their dramatic pay-cable series
Game of ThronesGame of Thrones is an American medieval fantasy television series created for HBO by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Based on author George R. R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, the first of which is called A Game of Thrones, the television series debuted in...
. Martin was selected by
TimeTime is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine as one of the "2011 Time 100," a list of the "most influential people in the world."
Biography
George R. R. Martin was born on September 20, 1948 in
Bayonne, New JerseyBayonne is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is a peninsula that is situated between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east...
the son of a
longshoremanStevedore, dockworker, docker, dock labourer, wharfie and longshoreman can have various waterfront-related meanings concerning loading and unloading ships, according to place and country....
, whose working class family lived in a federal housing project near the Bayonne docks. He attended, but did not enjoy his time at
Marist High SchoolMarist High School is a private Roman Catholic co-educational college preparatory secondary school located in Bayonne, New Jersey, United States, and operated by the Marist Brothers of the Schools, an international religious congregation of educators with schools in over 70 countries. It is located...
, though he would later acknowledge that it was during those critical years that he developed his lifelong interest in the superhero genre, notably the Marvel Comics titles. As a youth, Martin became an avid reader and collector of 1960s
Silver AgeThe Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the...
superheroA superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
comic books.
Fantastic FourThe Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
#20 (Nov 1963) features a letter to the editor he wrote while at Marist. He credits the attention he received from this letter, as well as his interest in the era's emerging comics
fandomFandom is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest...
and its
fanzineA fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
s, with his pursuit of becoming a professional writer. In 1965, while a teen, Martin won an
Alley AwardThe Alley Award was an American series of comic book fan awards, first presented in 1962 for comics published in 1961. Officially organized under the aegis of the Academy of Comic Book Arts and Sciences, under executive secretary Jerry Bails, and later Paul Gambaccini and David Kaler, the award...
for his amateur super-hero text story "Powerman vs. The Blue Barrier," the first of many awards he would go on to win for his fiction.
In 1970 Martin received a B.S. in Journalism from
Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
,
Evanston, IllinoisEvanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, graduating summa cum laude. He went on to complete a M.S. in Journalism in 1971, also from Northwestern.
Martin began to write science-fiction
short storiesShort Stories may refer to:*A plural for Short story*Short Stories , an American pulp magazine published from 1890-1959*Short Stories, a 1954 collection by O. E...
in the early 1970s. His first story nominated for the
Hugo AwardThe Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
and the
Nebula AwardThe Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
was
With Morning Comes MistfallWith Morning Comes Mistfall is a science fiction story written by George R. R. Martin and published by Analog magazine in May 1973. It was the first story by George R. R. Martin to be nominated for Hugo Award and Nebula Award...
, published in 1973 by
AnalogAnalog Science Fiction and Fact is an American science fiction magazine. As of 2011, it is the longest running continuously published magazine of that genre...
magazine.
In 1976 for Kansas City's MidAmeriCon, the 34th World Science Fiction Convention (
WorldconWorldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention held each year since 1939 . It is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society...
), Martin and his friend and fellow writer-editor
Gardner DozoisGardner Raymond Dozois is an American science fiction author and editor. He was editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine from 1984 to 2004...
conceived of and organized the first Hugo Losers Party for the benefit of all Hugo-losing writers, their friends, and family to commiserate the evening following the convention's Hugo Awards ceremony. Martin was nominated for two Hugoes that year but wound up losing both awards, for the novelette "...and Seven Times Never Kill Man" and the novella "The Storms of Windhaven", co-written with
Lisa TuttleLisa Tuttle is an American-born science fiction, fantasy, and horror author. She has published over a dozen novels, five short story collections, and several non-fiction titles, including a reference book on feminism. She has also edited several anthologies and reviewed books for various...
. The Hugo Losers Party became an annual Worldcon event thereafter, its formal title eventually evolving into something a little more politically correct as both its size and prestige grew.
Although much of his work is fantasy or horror, a number of his earlier works are science fiction occurring in a loosely defined
future historyA future history is a postulated history of the future and is used by authors in the subgenre of speculative fiction to construct a common background for fiction...
, known informally as 'The Thousand Worlds' or 'The manrealm'. He has also written at least one piece of political-military fiction, "Night of the Vampyres", collected in
Harry TurtledoveHarry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
's anthology The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century.
During the 1980s Martin also began to write for television while continuing his career as a series book editor. For television, he worked in Hollywood on the revival of Twilight Zone and the dramatic-fantasy series Beauty and the Beast. As a book series editor, he oversaw the development of the lengthy
Wild CardsWild Cards is a science fiction and superhero anthology series set in a shared universe. The series was created by a group of New Mexico science fiction authors, but it is mostly pulled together and edited by best-selling author George R. R. Martin with assistance by Melinda Snodgrass, also a...
cycle, which takes place in a
shared universeA shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
in which a small slice of post-
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
humanity gains superpowers after the release of an alien-engineered virus. In
Second PersonSecond person can refer to the following:* A grammatical person, you, your and yours in the English language* Second-person narrative, a perspective in storytelling* Second Person , a trip-hop band from London...
, Martin "gives a personal account of the close-knit
RPGA role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
gaming culture that gave rise to his Wild Cards shared-world anthologies". Martin's own contributions to the multiple-author series often feature Thomas Tudbury, "
The Great and Powerful TurtleThe Great and Powerful Turtle is a fictional character from the Wild Cards series of books. Created by series editor George R. R. Martin, Turtle has appeared in several stories penned by his creator as well as a supporting character of varying levels of importance in stories by other Wild Card...
", a powerful psychokinetic whose flying "shell" consisted of an armored VW Beetle. Twenty-one volumes had been published in the series as of June 2011. Earlier that year, Martin signed the contract for the twenty-second Wild Cards volume, to be called Low Ball when published by
Tor BooksTor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
.
Martin's novella,
NightflyersNightflyers is the title of a 1980 novella by George R. R. Martin, a 1985 anthology by the same author that includes the novella, and a 1987 science fiction-horror film based on that novella.-Collection:The collection contains the following stories:...
, was adapted into a 1987 feature film of the same title.
Martin was also a college instructor in
journalismJournalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
and a
chessChess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
tournament director. In his spare time he collects medieval-themed miniatures, reading and collecting science fiction, fantasy, and horror books, and treasuring his still-growing comics collection, which includes the first issues of Marvel's "silver age"
Spider-ManSpider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
and
Fantastic FourThe Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
.
On February 15, 2011, Martin married his longtime paramour Parris McBride during a small ceremony at their Santa Fe, New Mexico home; the couple exchanged custom made,
CelticCeltic art is the art associated with the peoples known as Celts; those who spoke the Celtic languages in Europe from pre-history through to the modern period, as well as the art of ancient peoples whose language is uncertain, but have cultural and stylistic similarities with speakers of Celtic...
-inspired wedding rings made for them by local artisans. Area friends were in attendance and helped them celebrate the occasion. On August 19, 2011, they held a larger wedding ceremony and reception at
RenovationRenovation is the process of improving a structure. Two prominent types of renovations are commercial and residential.-Process:The process of a renovation, however complex, can usually be broken down into several processes...
, the 69th World Science Fiction Convention, in
Reno, NevadaReno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
for their larger circle of friends within the fantasy and science fiction fields.
A Song of Ice and Fire
In 1991 Martin briefly returned to writing novels, and began what would eventually turn into his epic fantasy series,
A Song of Ice and FireA Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels by American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the series in 1991 and the first volume was published in 1996. Originally planned as a trilogy, the series now consists of five published volumes; a further two...
(reportedly inspired by the
Wars of the RosesThe Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
and
IvanhoeIvanhoe is a historical fiction novel by Sir Walter Scott in 1819, and set in 12th-century England. Ivanhoe is sometimes credited for increasing interest in Romanticism and Medievalism; John Henry Newman claimed Scott "had first turned men's minds in the direction of the middle ages," while...
), which will run to at least seven volumes. The first volume
A Game of ThronesA Game of Thrones is the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on 6 August 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award, and was nominated for both the 1998 Nebula Award and the 1997 World Fantasy Award...
was published in 1996. In November 2005,
A Feast for CrowsA Feast for Crows is the fourth of seven planned novels in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin...
, the fourth book in this series, became
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
#1 Bestseller and also achieved #1 ranking on
The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
bestseller list. In addition, in September 2006, A Feast for Crows was nominated for both a Quill Award and the
British Fantasy AwardThe British Fantasy Awards are administered annually by the British Fantasy Society and were first awarded in 1971. The membership of the BFS vote to determine recommendations, short-lists and winners of the awards...
. The fifth book,
A Dance with DragonsA Dance with Dragons is the fifth of seven planned novels in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin....
, was published in July 2011, quickly becoming a huge international bestseller, including a #1 ranking on the New York Times Bestseller list and many others. The series has received critical praise from authors, readers, and critics alike.
HBO series production
During completion of
A Dance With DragonsA Dance with Dragons is the fifth of seven planned novels in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin....
and other duties, George R. R. Martin has been heavily involved in the production of a television series adaptation of the A Song of Ice and Fire books named after the first book,
A Game of ThronesA Game of Thrones is the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on 6 August 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award, and was nominated for both the 1998 Nebula Award and the 1997 World Fantasy Award...
. Martin's involvement has included the selection of a production team and participation in scriptwriting, and he is listed as an
executive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
of the series.
HBO Productions purchased the television rights for the entire A Song of Ice and Fire series in 2007.
Game of ThronesGame of Thrones is an American medieval fantasy television series created for HBO by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Based on author George R. R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, the first of which is called A Game of Thrones, the television series debuted in...
(the series title) began on April 17, 2011 and ran weekly for ten episodes, each an hour long. The first season covered events that occurred in the first novel in the series. During the run-up period in the months before the first season premiered, numerous advance trailers and behind-the-scenes short features were shown on HBO and made available at various Internet sites. This was part of HBO's extensive media blitz promoting one of their most expensive premium cable series to date, estimated to have cost more than 60 million dollars for the first season. On Sunday April 3, 2011, two weeks before the premiere of the series, HBO showed the first 14 minutes of the first hour-long episode, further ratcheting up expectations for the new series. Two days after its premiere on April 17, 2011, HBO announced that Game of Thrones had been renewed for a second season, following universally positive reviews and an initial viewership of 4.2 million during its three debut evening showings; by the end of the first week, nearly nine million had viewed the first episode. Not long after the series' first season finale, it was announced the show had received 13
Emmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nominations, including Best Dramatic Series and Best Supporting Actor; the series won two of those Emmy Awards, for Best Supporting Actor (Peter Dinklage) and for Best Main Title Design.
Themes
Critics have described Martin's work as dark and cynical. His first novel,
Dying of the LightDying of the Light is a 1977 science fiction novel by George R. R. Martin, his first. Martin's original title for the novel was "After the Festival" but was later changed before its first hardcover publication.; it was nominated for both the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1978, and the British...
, set the tone for most of his future work; it is set on a mostly abandoned planet that is slowly becoming uninhabitable as it moves away from its sun. This story, and many of Martin's others, have a strong sense of melancholy. His characters are often unhappy, or at least unsatisfied — trying to stay idealistic in a ruthless world. Many have elements of
tragic heroA tragic hero is the main character in a tragedy. Tragic heroes appear in the dramatic works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Seneca, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Webster, Marston, Corneille, Racine, Goethe, Schiller, Kleist, Strindberg, and many other writers.-Aristotle's tragic hero:Aristotle...
es in them. Reviewer T. M. Wagner writes, "Let it never be said Martin doesn't share Shakespeare's fondness for the senselessly tragic." This gloominess can be an obstacle for some readers. The Inchoatus Group writes, "If this absence of joy is going to trouble you, or you’re looking for something more affirming, then you should probably seek elsewhere."
Martin's characters are multi-faceted, each with surprisingly intricate pasts, inspirations, and ambitions. Publisher's Weekly writes of his ongoing epic fantasy A Song of Ice and Fire, "The complexity of characters such as Daenarys [sic], Arya and the Kingslayer will keep readers turning even the vast number of pages contained in this volume, for the author, like Tolkien or Jordan, makes us care about their fates." No one is given an unrealistic string of luck, however; so misfortune, injury, and death (and even false death) can befall any character, major or minor, no matter how attached the reader has become. Martin has described his penchant for killing off important characters as being necessary for the story's depth: "...when my characters are in danger, I want you to be afraid to turn the page, (so) you need to show right from the beginning that you're playing for keeps."
Major themes and areas of exploration in his short fiction include loneliness, connection, tragically doomed love, idealism, romanticism and hard truth versus comforting deceit. Many of these occur in his magnum opus as well, but most of them are more abundant and obvious in his shorter works.
Fan relationship
Martin is known for his regular, decades-long attendance at
science fiction conventionScience fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of various forms of speculative fiction including science fiction and fantasy. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expression as movies and...
s and comics conventions and his accessibility to fans. In the early 1970s, critic and writer Thomas Disch identified Martin as a member of the "Labor Day Group", writers who regularly congregated at the annual
WorldconWorldcon, or more formally The World Science Fiction Convention, is a science fiction convention held each year since 1939 . It is the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society...
, usually held on or around the
Labor DayLabor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
weekend.
Martin's official fan club is the "Brotherhood Without Banners," who have a regular posting board at the Forum of the westeros.org website, which is centered upon his Ice and Fire fantasy series.
Martin has been criticized by some readers for the long delays between books in the Ice and Fire series, notably the six-year gap between the fourth volume, A Feast for Crows (2005), and the fifth volume, A Dance with Dragons (2011). He responded online, saying he was unwilling to write his Ice and Fire series exclusively, ignoring the other writing and editing projects he always has in the works.
Martin is strongly opposed to
fan fictionFan fiction is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator...
, believing it to be copyright infringement and a bad exercise for aspiring writers.
Novels
- Dying of the Light
Dying of the Light is a 1977 science fiction novel by George R. R. Martin, his first. Martin's original title for the novel was "After the Festival" but was later changed before its first hardcover publication.; it was nominated for both the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1978, and the British...
(1977) — Hugo Award nominee, 1978; British Fantasy Award nominee, 1979
- Windhaven
Windhaven is a science-fiction and fantasy novel written by novelist and screenwriter, George R. R. Martin, and novelist Lisa Tuttle. The novel is a collection of short stories compiled and first published together in 1981 by Simon and Schuster. It was later reprinted by Bantam Spectra in hardcover...
(1981, with Lisa TuttleLisa Tuttle is an American-born science fiction, fantasy, and horror author. She has published over a dozen novels, five short story collections, and several non-fiction titles, including a reference book on feminism. She has also edited several anthologies and reviewed books for various...
) — Locus SF Award nominee, 1982
- Fevre Dream
Fevre Dream is a 1982 vampire novel written by bestselling novelist George R. R. Martin. It is set on the antebellum Mississippi River beginning in 1857; it has been described by some as "Bram Stoker meets Mark Twain." The book was first published in the U. S. in 1982 by Poseidon Press and still...
(1982) — Locus SF and World Fantasy Award nominee, 1983
- The Armageddon Rag
The Armageddon Rag, a novel by best-selling author George R. R. Martin, was first published in hardcover in 1983 by Poseidon Press. Simultaneously, a special signed, numbered, and slipcased collector's limited edition of 526 copies , was also published in hardcover by The Nemo Press; the Nemo...
(1983) — Locus SF and World Fantasy Award nominee, 1984
- A Song of Ice and Fire
A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels by American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the series in 1991 and the first volume was published in 1996. Originally planned as a trilogy, the series now consists of five published volumes; a further two...
series:
- A Game of Thrones
A Game of Thrones is the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on 6 August 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award, and was nominated for both the 1998 Nebula Award and the 1997 World Fantasy Award...
(1996) — Locus Fantasy Award winner, Nebula and World Fantasy Award nominee, 1997
- A Clash of Kings
A Clash of Kings is the second novel in A Song of Ice and Fire, an epic fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin expected to consist of eight volumes. It was first published on 16 November 1998 in the United Kingdom, although the first United States edition did not follow until March...
(1998) — Locus Fantasy Award winner, Nebula Award nominee, 1999
- A Storm of Swords
A Storm of Swords is the third of seven planned novels in A Song of Ice and Fire, an epic fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on 8 August 2000 in the United Kingdom, with a United States edition following in November 2000...
(2000) — Locus Fantasy Award winner, Hugo and Nebula Awards nominee, 2001
- Part 1 Steel and Snow (UK edition only; US edition published as a single volume)
- Part 2 Blood and Gold (UK edition only; US edition published as a single volume)
- A Feast for Crows
A Feast for Crows is the fourth of seven planned novels in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin...
(2005) — Hugo, Locus Fantasy, and British Fantasy Awards nominee, 2006
- A Dance with Dragons
A Dance with Dragons is the fifth of seven planned novels in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin....
(2011)
- The Winds of Winter
The Winds of Winter is the sixth novel in the award-winning epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. It takes place after the concurrent fourth and fifth books in the series, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons .-Characters:By June 2010, Martin had finished four...
(forthcoming)
- A Dream of Spring (forthcoming)
- Hunter's Run
Hunter's Run is a 2007 science fiction novel written by Daniel Abraham, Gardner Dozois and George R. R. Martin. It is a heavily-rewritten and expanded version of an earlier novella called Shadow Twin.-Plot summary:...
(2007, expanded version of the novella "Shadow Twin", with Gardner DozoisGardner Raymond Dozois is an American science fiction author and editor. He was editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine from 1984 to 2004...
and Daniel AbrahamDaniel Abraham is a prolific American science fiction / fantasy author who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His short stories have appeared in numerous publications and anthologies. His novelette Flat Diane was nominated for the Nebula Award...
)
Selected novellas
- "A Song for Lya", originally in Analog, June 1974.
- "Night of the Vampyres," originally in Amazing, 1975, re-published in The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century
- "The Skin Trade" (1989) from the three-author collection Dark Visions
Dark Visions is a 1989 horror fiction compilation, with three short stories by Stephen King, three by Dan Simmons, and one by George R. R. Martin. The book has also been issued, with the same seven stories, under the titles Dark Love, The Skin Trade, and Night Visions 5...
; optioned for film by Mike the Pike Productions
- "Tales of Dunk and Egg
The Tales of Dunk and Egg is a series of novellas written by George R. R. Martin, set in the world of his Song of Ice and Fire cycle. Three novellas have appeared so far: The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword and The Mystery Knight...
" series — set in the world of A Song of Ice and FireA Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels by American novelist and screenwriter George R. R. Martin. Martin began writing the series in 1991 and the first volume was published in 1996. Originally planned as a trilogy, the series now consists of five published volumes; a further two...
- "The Hedge Knight" (1998)
- "The Sworn Sword" (2003)
- "The Mystery Knight" (2010)
- "Shadow Twin" (2004) with Gardner Dozois
Gardner Raymond Dozois is an American science fiction author and editor. He was editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine from 1984 to 2004...
and Daniel AbrahamDaniel Abraham is a prolific American science fiction / fantasy author who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His short stories have appeared in numerous publications and anthologies. His novelette Flat Diane was nominated for the Nebula Award...
- Shadow Twin (2005) published in hardcover as an illustrated, signed, and numbered limited-edition from Subterranean Press
Subterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
Selected novelettes
- Sandkings
Sandkings is a novelette by George R. R. Martin, published in the August 1979 issue of Omni. It won both the Hugo and Nebula awards, the only one of Martin's stories to have done so.-Plot summary:...
, HugoThe Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
, NebulaThe Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
awards winner.
- Meathouse Man, first published in 1976, in Orbit 18.
Collections
- A Song for Lya
A Song for Lya is the first collection of stories by science fiction and fantasy writer George R. R. Martin, published as a paperback original by Avon Books in 1976. It was reprinted by different publishers in 1978 and in 2001. The title is sometimes rendered A Song for Lya and Other Stories...
(1976)
- Songs of Stars and Shadows (1977)
- Sandkings (1981)
- Songs the Dead Men Sing (1983)
- Nightflyers
Nightflyers is the title of a 1980 novella by George R. R. Martin, a 1985 anthology by the same author that includes the novella, and a 1987 science fiction-horror film based on that novella.-Collection:The collection contains the following stories:...
(1985)
- Tuf Voyaging
Tuf Voyaging is a science fiction novel by George R. R. Martin, first published in 1986. It is a darkly comic meditation on environmentalism and absolute power...
(1987, collection of linked stories)
- Portraits of His Children (1987)
- Quartet (2001)
- GRRM: A RRetrospective
Dreamsongs: A RRetrospective is a career-spanning collection of George R. R. Martin's short fiction. It was first published in 2003 as a single volume hardcover from Subterranean Press under the title GRRM: A RRetrospective and debuted in Toronto at Torcon 3, the 63rd World Science Fiction...
(2003); reprinted in 2006 and 2007 in two volumes as Dreamsongs
Television
- The Twilight Zone
- The Last Defender of Camelot (1986) — writer (teleplay)
- The Once and Future King (1986) — writer (teleplay), story editor
- A Saucer of Loneliness (1986) — story editor
- Lost and Found (1986) — writer (teleplay), from a published short story by Phyllis Eisenstein
Phyllis Eisenstein is an American author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels. She was born in Chicago, Illinois and has lived there most of her life. While attending college at the University of Chicago, she met her future husband Alex at a weekly gathering of Chicago's science...
- The World Next Door (1986) — story editor
- The Toys of Caliban (1986) — writer (teleplay), from an unpublished short story by Terry Matz
- The Road Less Travelled (1986) — writer (story and teleplay), story editor
- Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is an American drama series which first aired on CBS in 1987. Creator Ron Koslow's updated version of the fairy tale has a double focus: the relationship between Vincent , a mythic, noble man-beast, and his Catherine , a savvy assistant District attorney in New York; and a...
- Terrible Saviour (1987) — writer
- Masques (1987) — writer
- Shades of Grey (1988) — writer
- Promises of Someday (1988) — writer
- Fever (1988) — writer
- Ozymandias (1988) — writer
- Dead of Winter (1988) — writer
- Brothers (1989) — writer
- When the Blue Bird Sings' (1989) — writer (teleplay)
- A Kingdom by the Sea (1989) — writer
- What Rough Beast (1989) — writer (story)
- Ceremony of Innocence (1989) — writer
- Snow (1989) — writer
- Beggar's Comet (1990) — writer
- Invictus (1990) — writer
- Doorways
Doorways is a proposed Science Fiction series from writer George R. R. Martin. A pilot was shot in May 1992, starring George Newbern, Anne Le Guernec, Robert Knepper, Kurtwood Smith and Carrie-Anne Moss, but was not picked up, and the project was shelved. In 2010 IDW Publishing began an adaption of...
(1993, unreleased pilot) — writer, producer, creator; (IDW PublishingIDW Publishing, also known as Idea + Design Works, LLC and IDW, is an American publisher of comic books and comic strip collections. The company was founded in 1999 and has been awarded the title "Publisher of the Year Under 5% Market Share" for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006 by Diamond Comic...
issued the pilot's storyline as a graphic novel miniseries in 2010)
- Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones is an American medieval fantasy television series created for HBO by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Based on author George R. R. Martin's best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, the first of which is called A Game of Thrones, the television series debuted in...
- Pilot — writer (story, teleplay), producer, co-creator
- The Pointy End - writer (story, teleplay, 1st Season)
- Blackwater - writer (story, teleplay, 2nd Season)
Editor
- New Voices in Science Fiction (1977: new stories by the John W. Campbell Award winners)
- New Voices in Science Fiction 2 (1979: more new stories by the John W. Campbell Award winners)
- New Voices in Science Fiction 3 (1980: more new stories by the John W. Campbell Award winners)
- New Voices in Science Fiction 4 (1981: more new stories by the John W. Campbell Award winners)
- The Science Fiction Weight Loss Book (1983) edited with Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
and Martin H. GreenbergMartin Harry Greenberg was an American speculative fiction anthologist and writer.-Biography:Dr. Martin H. Greenberg was born March 1, 1941, to Max and Mae Greenberg in South Miami Beach, Florida...
(Stories by the great science fiction writers on fat, thin, and everything in between)
- The John W. Campbell Awards, Volume 5 (1984)
- Night Visions 3 (1986)
Wild Cards Series Editor (also contributor to many volumes)
- Wild Cards
The first volume in the Wild Cards shared universe fiction series edited by George R. R. Martin. It was first published in 1987 and contained a dozen short stories establishing the Wild Cards universe, introducing the main characters and setting up plot threads that still continue to play out over...
(1987) (Contents expanded in 2010 edition with three new authors/stories)
- Wild Cards II: Aces High
Aces High is the second volume in the Wild Cards shared universe fiction series edited by George R. R. Martin. It was published in 1987 and dealt with two main plots that linked the stories in the volume: the arrival of the alien Swarm and a Masonic conspiracy led by a bookish villain named the...
(1987)
- Wild Cards III: Jokers Wild (1987)
- Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad
Aces Abroad is the fourth volume in the Wild Cards shared universe fiction series, edited by George R. R. Martin. It was published in 1988 and dealt with a world tour, sponsored by the United Nations and the World Health Organization, featuring many of the main characters from the previous novels...
(1988)
- Wild Cards V: Down & Dirty
Down and Dirty is the fifth book in the Wild Cards anthology series, set in the same shared universe as the other Wild Cards novels and collections. It was edited by George R. R...
(1988)
- Wild Cards VI: Ace in the Hole (1990)
- Wild Cards VII: Dead Man's Hand (1990)
- Wild Cards VIII: One-Eyed Jacks (1991)
- Wild Cards IX: Jokertown Shuffle (1991)
- Wild Cards X: Double Solitaire (1992)
- Wild Cards XI: Dealer's Choice (1992)
- Wild Cards XII: Turn of the Cards (1993)
- Wild Cards: Card Sharks
Card Sharks is the thirteenth volume in the Wild Cards shared universe fiction series edited by George R. R. Martin...
(1993) (Book I of a New Cycle trilogy)
- Wild Cards: Marked Cards
Marked Cards is the fourteenth volume in the Wild Cards shared universe fiction series edited by George R. R. Martin...
(1994) (Book II of a New Cycle trilogy)
- Wild Cards: Black Trump
For the Cocoa Brovaz song, see The Rude Awakening.The fifteenth volume in the Wild Cards shared universe fiction series edited by George R. R. Martin. Published in 1995, it is the final book in the "Card Sharks" cycle, with the completion of the Black Trump virus and its release in the world...
(1995) (Book III of a New Cycle trilogy)
- Wild Cards: Deuces Down
Deuces Down is the sixteenth volume in the Wild Cards shared universe fiction series edited by George R. R. Martin. Published in 2002, it differed from the other novels in that it featured deuces as the main characters.-Stories:Deuces Down contains the following short stories:...
(2002)
- Wild Cards: Death Draws Five (2006) (solo novel by John J. Miller)
- Wild Cards: Inside Straight (2008) (Book I of the Committee triad)
- Wild Cards: Busted Flush (2008) (Book II of the Committee triad)
- Wild Cards: Suicide Kings (2009) (Book III of the Committee triad)
- Wild Cards: Fort Freak (2011)
- Wild Cards: Lowball (forthcoming 2012) (Sequel to Fort Freak)
Cross-genre anthologies edited (with Gardner Dozois)
- Songs of the Dying Earth
Songs of the Dying Earth is an all-new fiction tribute anthology to Jack Vance's Dying Earth series, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois; it was first published in hardcover in 2009 by Subterranean Press. The book's Introduction "Thank You, Mr. Vance" was written by Dean R. Koontz...
(2009) (A tribute anthology to Jack VanceJohn Holbrook Vance is an American mystery, fantasy and science fiction author. Most of his work has been published under the name Jack Vance. Vance has published 11 mysteries as John Holbrook Vance and 3 as Ellery Queen...
´s seminal Dying Earth series, initially published by Subterranean PressSubterranean Press is a small press publisher in Michigan. Subterranean is best known for publishing genre fiction, primarily horror, suspense and dark mystery, fantasy, and science fiction...
)
- Warriors
Warriors is a cross-genre, all-original fiction anthology featuring stories on the subjects of war and warriors; it was edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. The book's Introduction, "Stories from the Spinner Rack," was written by Martin...
(2010) (A massive, cross-genre anthology featuring stories about war and warriors; winner of the 2011 Locus Poll Award for Best Anthology)
- Songs of Love and Death (2010) (A cross-genre anthology featuring stories of romance in fantasy and science fiction settings, originally entitled Star Crossed Lovers)
- Down These Strange Streets (2011) (A cross-genre anthology that blends classic detective stories with fantasy and science fiction)
Awards
- "A Song for Lya" 1975 Hugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
for Best NovellaThe Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
- "Sandkings
Sandkings is a novelette by George R. R. Martin, published in the August 1979 issue of Omni. It won both the Hugo and Nebula awards, the only one of Martin's stories to have done so.-Plot summary:...
" 1980 Hugo Award for Best NoveletteThe Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
and Nebula AwardThe Nebula Award is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the previous year...
for Best NoveletteWinners of the Nebula Award for best Novelette. The stated year is that of publication; awards are given in the following year. Winning titles are listed first, with other nominees listed below.-External links:* * *...
(the only one among Martin's stories to achieve that double)
- "The Way of Cross and Dragon
"The Way of Cross and Dragon" is a science fiction short story by George R. R. Martin. It involves a far-future priest of the One True Interstellar Catholic Church of Earth and the Thousand Worlds investigating a sect that reveres Judas Iscariot...
" 1980 Hugo Award for Best Short StoryThe Hugo Awards are given every year by the World Science Fiction Society for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was once officially...
- "Portraits of His Children" 1986 Nebula Award for Best Novelette
- "The Pear-Shaped Man" 1988 Bram Stoker Award
The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented by the Horror Writers Association for "superior achievement" in horror writing. The awards have been presented annually since 1987, and the winners are selected by ballot of the Active members of the HWA...
for Long FictionThe Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association for "superior achievement" in horror writing for long fiction.-Winners and nominees:...
- "The Skin Trade" 1989 World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
for Best NovellaThis World Fantasy Award is given to the fantasy novella or novellas voted best by a panel of judges, and presented each year at the World Fantasy Convention...
- "Blood of the Dragon" 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novella
- "A Game of Thrones
A Game of Thrones is the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on 6 August 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award, and was nominated for both the 1998 Nebula Award and the 1997 World Fantasy Award...
" 2003 Premio IgnotusPremios Ignotus are annual Spanish literary awards that were created in 1991 by the Asociación Española de Fantasía, Ciencia Ficción y Terror . The awards, which are in the genres of science fiction and fantasy, are voted on by members of Hispacon, the national science fiction convention of Spain...
for Best Foreign Novel
- "A Clash of Kings
A Clash of Kings is the second novel in A Song of Ice and Fire, an epic fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin expected to consist of eight volumes. It was first published on 16 November 1998 in the United Kingdom, although the first United States edition did not follow until March...
" 2004 Premio IgnotusPremios Ignotus are annual Spanish literary awards that were created in 1991 by the Asociación Española de Fantasía, Ciencia Ficción y Terror . The awards, which are in the genres of science fiction and fantasy, are voted on by members of Hispacon, the national science fiction convention of Spain...
for Best Foreign Novel
- A Feast for Crows
A Feast for Crows is the fourth of seven planned novels in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin...
2006 Quill Award and British Fantasy Award (nominated)
- "A Storm of Swords
A Storm of Swords is the third of seven planned novels in A Song of Ice and Fire, an epic fantasy series by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on 8 August 2000 in the United Kingdom, with a United States edition following in November 2000...
" 2006 Premio IgnotusPremios Ignotus are annual Spanish literary awards that were created in 1991 by the Asociación Española de Fantasía, Ciencia Ficción y Terror . The awards, which are in the genres of science fiction and fantasy, are voted on by members of Hispacon, the national science fiction convention of Spain...
for Best Foreign Novel
- Warriors
Warriors is a cross-genre, all-original fiction anthology featuring stories on the subjects of war and warriors; it was edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. The book's Introduction, "Stories from the Spinner Rack," was written by Martin...
(co-edited with Gardner Dozois) 2011 Locus Poll Award for Best Anthology
- Declared by Time Magazine "One of the Most Influential People of 2011"
A more complete list of
Martin's awards and nominations can be found at The
LocusLocus, subtitled "The Magazine Of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field", is published monthly in Oakland, California. It reports on the science fiction and fantasy publishing field, including comprehensive listings of all new books published in the genre. It is considered the news organ and trade...
Index to Science Fiction Awards.
External links