The Sandkings - George R.R. Martin Book Review

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Review Summaries

"One of the best sf short stories I have read, ex-college jounalism instructor George R.R. Martin proves with 'The Sandkings' that teachers of writing can do as well as teach. He won the Nebula Best Novelette of 1979 with this work, and it has been anthologised by sf doyen Frank Herbert (Nebula Winners 15). A powerful tale, it has been admired by top writers in the genre for its effectiveness and economical technique. This dark morality play has an unfortunate main character who has neglected to feed his alien pet menagerie. They starve to death. Only the puppy-eating vulture-like shambler survives, as he rather profits by this sad process. So our man needs a replacement, something unusual, something, well...special. He buys a set of four nests of alien insects, a sort of beetle-ant. They are indeed entertaining: naturally warlike and just barely psionically hive-mind aware. In short, they know who feeds them and worship that being in their own humble but unique way. Unwisely, he encourages their already natural warring nature. The nature of the outcome is predictable but the actuality is a most horrible shock.

Crested sapwood supportable noradrenaline runout. "
Michael JR Jose, Resident George R.R. Martin Scholar

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Overall Review

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Inner Struggle Yes
Story involving clones/duplicates? - bad clones/duplicates
Kind of alteration: - exotic/alien torture for major character
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Clones Yes
Cultural problems, alien culture Yes
Culture clash- - one culture tries to impose its culture on another group

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - small businessman
Age: - 40's-50's
Eccentric: Yes - emotionally unstable
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - soggy whimpering jelly muffin
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - druggie/wino disease

Main Adversary
Identity: - An "It".
Age: - a teen
Profession/status: - slave
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - can change shapes - mind control - clairvoyant - can read emotions
Eccentric: Yes - mentally ill
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - throughout most of the book.
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - physically sick

Setting
Terrain - Desert
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a futuristic society - inhabited by friendly aliens - unfriendly aliens - neutral aliens
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - some scientific explanation
How much dialogue? - significantly more descript than dialog

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Windhaven by George R.R. Martin & Lisa Tuttle
The Nameless Day by Sara Douglass

Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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