# 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:** 2
**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 10, 2013, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/21 "2013-11-10T20:11:31Z")
Victor Buono would make the perfect Haviland Tuf. Except for the whole being dead thing. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/22 "2013-11-10T21:00:34Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Victor Buono would make the perfect Haviland Tuf. > Except for the whole being dead thing. ☹ I’d have said Orson Welles was the best dead celeb for the role, with Marlon Brando a close second. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/23 "2013-11-10T21:06:05Z")
God I watched the Outer Limits adaptation of Sandkings. It was awful, it made me wonder how the tv show ever got picked up. ---
**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 10, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/24 "2013-11-10T21:54:30Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Victor Buono would make the perfect Haviland Tuf. > Except for the whole being dead thing. ☹ Among living actors, Phillip Seymour Hoffman would probably get the part, and do as excellent a job as always. ---
**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 10, 2013, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/25 "2013-11-10T23:50:35Z")
I don’t think PSH is big enough for the part. It needs a tall fat dude. Orson and Marlon are too serious for the role. Even at his most severe, Tuf was a bit…disconnected. Side note: I named our first cat after one of Tufs: [Havoc](http://s9.photobucket.com/user/silenus_/media/P1010128.jpg.html?sort=3&o=250#/user/silenus_/media/P1010128.jpg.html?sort=3&o=250&_suid=1384127361796044447941809352426). ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/26 "2013-11-11T01:44:08Z")
Fat suits are pretty realistic these days, but PSH might not really be tall enough. While Tuf is written as tall, I don’t think that it’s an essential part of him. Tuf’s aversion to being touched by humans, and his vegetarianism, and his moral stances, are all more defining, IMO. Linky no worky. And I do remember wondering if Havoc was named after one of Tuf’s cats. I have a Chaos kitty, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/27 "2013-11-11T01:51:58Z")
> [@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 had this same WTF moment a couple of years ago when I was scouring the internet for some of my best-recalled stories from _Omni_ magazine (which is where I’m guessing you read it as well?). ---
**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 11, 2013, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/28 "2013-11-11T05:18:17Z")
PSH can be as big as the part requires him to be. He’s a very gifted actor. But fine - how about Vincent d’Onofrio? Tall? Check. Fat? Check. Twitchy? Definitely. ---
**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 11, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/29 "2013-11-11T15:48:58Z")
Or, as Martin himself suggests, plump, bald and talented Irish actor Conleth Hill (see post 20). ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/30 "2013-11-11T16:35:04Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > PSH can be as big as the part requires him to be. He’s a very gifted actor. > > But fine - how about Vincent d’Onofrio? Tall? Check. Fat? Check. Twitchy? Definitely. Tuf isn’t twitchy - he’s frustratingly slow and ponderous to those around him. He’s also hairless, which D’Onofrio apparently can’t do - he’s had a 3-day growth for about a decade now. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/31 "2013-11-11T17:39:20Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Tuf isn’t twitchy - he’s frustratingly slow and ponderous to those around him. He’s also hairless, which D’Onofrio apparently can’t do - he’s had a 3-day growth for about a decade now. He was pretty clean shaven in _Full Metal Jacket_. But, yeah, what was the deal in _Law and Order:CI_? I’m too intense and focused on the crimes to shave? ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/32 "2013-11-11T19:19:56Z")
You can find all the short stories mentioned here in _Dreamsongs_. It’s a really good retrospective with some a lot of biographical sketches from Martin between the stories which I really liked. I’d read “Sandkings” as a kid and remembered it, but I now think it’s only in the top five stories in Dreamsongs, it’s certainly not head and shoulders above the rest of Martin’s work. Gollancz has reissued \*Tuf Voyaging \* in paperback, which is certainly worth picking up. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/33 "2013-11-11T19:27:03Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > The confusion is probably because “Sandkings” is short. 😃 Huh, my vague memory was that it was fairly long for a short story. Maybe it’s just that the protagonist was thoroughly unpleasant and I didn’t particularly enjoy the story. ---
**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 11, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/34 "2013-11-11T19:59:31Z")
“Sandkings” is a novelette, meaning it’s from 7500 t0 17,500 words (according to Hugo/Nebula rules). Short stories are under 7500. so it’s a longer story that most short stories. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/35 "2013-11-11T21:04:44Z")
> [@dasmoocher](#): > > He was pretty clean shaven in _Full Metal Jacket_. But, yeah, what was the deal in _Law and Order:CI_? I’m too intense and focused on the crimes to shave? I think he’s just one of those guys who looks like he needs a shave five minutes after he shaves. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/36 "2013-11-11T22:08:41Z")
I’m not familiar with Haviland Tuf. OTOH, some of the actors named inspired me to think of Stephen Fry. Would he be suitable? ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/37 "2013-11-11T23:07:43Z")
He’s an obese, pallid, hairless near-giant. [Conleth Hill](http://winteriscoming.net/features/cast/season-one/conleth-hill/)(the actor who plays Varys on Game of Thrones) is actually pretty close to my mind. A foot or two taller and he’d be perfect. If [Pierluigi Collina](http://www.listal.com/viewimage/1239927)has grown a couple of feet and gained around two hundred pounds (and is interested in acting) he’d be even better. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/38 "2013-11-11T23:56:36Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I’m not familiar with Haviland Tuf. > > OTOH, some of the actors named inspired me to think of Stephen Fry. Would he be suitable? Fry would actually work, with a [shaved head/bald cap](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CIq0Arz0L._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg), as the character is intelligent, erudite, pasty-pale and large. ---
**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 12, 2013, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/39 "2013-11-12T03:58:20Z")
Yes, I could see Stephen Fry in the role, although he’d have to be a _lot_ more phlegmatic than he is in most of his roles. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-had-utterly-forgotten-george-r-r-martin-of-game-of-thrones-wrote-the-sf-classic-sandkings/673385/40 "2013-11-12T04:57:22Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Or, as Martin himself suggests, plump, bald and talented Irish actor Conleth Hill (see post 20). I haven’t seen Hill’s acting (we don’t have any premium cable channels) but he sure LOOKS like I’ve always pictured Tuf. I just hope that if Tuf is made, they do it right. I’m tired of people who have no clue about fantasy and science fiction trying to make films in the genre. Do I dare mention Earthsea? [Previous 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=1) [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=3)