# I had utterly forgotten George R.R. Martin of "Game of Thrones" wrote the SF classic "Sandkings" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 8, 2013, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385 "2013-11-08T07:43:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/1 "2013-11-08T07:43:16Z")
[I wiki’d up the “Sandkings” story](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandkings_(novelette)) I remembered from decades ago and was surprised to see he had written it. A classic tale! Now I have to go find it. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/2 "2013-11-08T08:39:25Z")
> [@astro](#): > > [I wiki’d up the “Sandkings” story](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandkings_(novelette)) I remembered from decades ago and was surprised to see he had written it. A classic tale! > > Now I have to go find it. I read that way back in the very early 80’s in OMNI magazine. I was pretty young and had no idea that’s who wrote it. I think there was a TV movie starring one of the Bridges brothers. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/3 "2013-11-08T08:45:01Z")
When I first heard about Game of Thrones, my first thought was, “Hey! The Sandkings Author!” I was never into fantasy before, so “Sandkings” was the best thing of Martin’s I’d ever read. I do love Game of Thrones now though. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/4 "2013-11-08T08:50:39Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > I think there was a TV movie starring one of the Bridges brothers. It was the pilot episode of the 90s version of The Outer Limits. It was Beau. It also featured Lloyd, and Beau’s son (whose name I’m blanking on\*) as his character’s father and son. It was an extremely loose adaptation. - Looking Beau up to make sure he spells his name like that, I’m thinking it was Dylan. His other sons are either too old or too young. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/5 "2013-11-08T12:52:59Z")
I grokked to George R.R. Martin long before Game of Thrones. In fact I resisted reading that despite the fact that I liked him because I had moved away from Fantasy. I’m a big fan of the Wild Cards series which he edited and wrote for. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/6 "2013-11-08T13:05:33Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I grokked to George R.R. Martin long before Game of Thrones. In fact I resisted reading that despite the fact that I liked him because I had moved away from Fantasy. I’m a big fan of the Wild Cards series which he edited and wrote for. Apparently they’re rebooting _Wild Cards_, though it seems mostly because of his increased name recognition. I’ve never been a huge fan - pretty much _Tuf Voyaging_ is the only work of his I re-read. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/7 "2013-11-08T13:10:00Z")
I love _Tuf_, and have a soft spot for _Fevre Dream_, but the only Martin I re-read regularly is _Armageddon Rag_. _Thrones_ is garbage. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/8 "2013-11-08T13:33:13Z")
He also wrote **Nightflyers** , which got turned into a film (for which he did not write the screenplay) I have to admit that until Game of Thrones I was not impressed by George R. R. martin. The TV adaptation of _Sandkings_ was atrocious (and, I later learned, not faithful to the story) and I found Nightflyers aggravating (and, again, I can’t really blame Martin’s original novella, which I read later). I hadn’t watched any of the TV shows he scripted, and such short fiction of his that I read hadn’t grabbed me. Now, of course, I’ve devoured all the densely-textured Game of Fire and Ice books, and want to read _Tuf Voyaging_ sometime. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/9 "2013-11-08T13:46:58Z")
I think the first thing I read by Martin was probably “For a Single Yesterday,” but I was familiar with his name before that. “Sandkings,” “The Monkey Treatment,” and “The Pear Shaped Man” were the ones that stuck in my mind, and I really had no knowledge of **The Game of Thrones** until World Fantasy Con 2007, when I met him briefly. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/10 "2013-11-08T14:16:39Z")
Huh. I only read ‘Sandkings’ this summer, (it was on the Odyssey class reading list,) so I was very aware of the Game of Thrones hype. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/11 "2013-11-08T16:26:32Z")
Is that an actual reboot of Wild Cards or are they just reissuing the books with new covers? ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/12 "2013-11-08T16:42:55Z")
The only Martin I haven’t liked is SF, **Dying of the Light**. It puts me to sleep every time I pick it up. Here’s where I get to brag about my inscribed paperback of the Sandkings collection. I bought it years ago – used – from George himself, from his website, for $7. The condition isn’t good, but who cares. I don’t know if he was broke at the time or if he just appreciates his fans. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/13 "2013-11-08T16:47:50Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I don’t know if he was broke at the time or if he just appreciates his fans. Back when I met him (just as GoT was released) he seemed to genuinely like and appreciate his fans. WorldCon had “meet and greets” between fans and authors over coffee or drinks and George was charming, affable and interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/14 "2013-11-08T16:49:44Z")
The confusion is probably because “Sandkings” is short. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/15 "2013-11-08T17:05:50Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > Is that an actual reboot of Wild Cards or are they just reissuing the books with new covers? They reissued the original books with Martin’s name taking up half the cover, then began creating new characters and stories in 2008. I only recently found out because Amazon sent me a notice of a new one coming out next year. Why, I don’t know, as I think I stopped after the 2nd book, which I got thru the Science Fiction Book Club back in the day. There are 21 books in the series now. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/16 "2013-11-08T19:22:19Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Now, of course, I’ve devoured all the densely-textured Game of Fire and Ice books, and want to read _Tuf Voyaging_ sometime. Oh, man, you really should read _Tuf_. Wonderful concept, wonderful characters. For my money it’s his best work. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/17 "2013-11-08T19:33:59Z")
I had no idea until recently that he was the author of “[The Pear-Shaped Man](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5393010-the-pear-shaped-man),” a short story that also appeared in \*Omni \*and stuck in my memory. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/18 "2013-11-08T19:45:10Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Back when I met him (just as GoT was released) he seemed to genuinely like and appreciate his fans. WorldCon had “meet and greets” between fans and authors over coffee or drinks and George was charming, affable and interesting. He should stop with the meet and greets and finish the damn series. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/19 "2013-11-08T20:47:47Z")
Interesting fact - _Tuf, Sandkings, Nightflyers, Dying of the Light_ and most of his other science fiction stories, while completely unrelated, are all set in the same universe. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/20 "2013-11-10T19:14:08Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > Oh, man, you really should read _Tuf_. Wonderful concept, wonderful characters. For my money it’s his best work. Agreed. _Tuf_ is fantastic - and Martin has said he’d like to revisit Tuf, his cats and the seedship _Ark_ someday. And check this out: [http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/02/10/george-rr-martins-haviland-tuf-to-join-game-of-thrones-on-hbo/](http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/02/10/george-rr-martins-haviland-tuf-to-join-game-of-thrones-on-hbo/) Love “Sandkings”… and “The Way of Cross and Dragon,” also in that collection of short stories, is well worth a read. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385.md?page=2)