A whisperjewel has summoned Dirk t’Larien to Worlorn, and a love he thinks he lost. But Worlorn isn’t the world Dirk imagined, and Gwen Delvano is no longer the woman he once knew. She is bound to another man, and to a dying planet that is trapped in twilight. Gwen needs Dirk’s protection, and he will do anything to keep her safe, even if it means challenging the barbaric man who has claimed her. But an impenetrable veil of secrecy surrounds them all, and it’s becoming impossible for Dirk to distinguish between his allies and his enemies. In this dangerous triangle, one is hurtling toward escape, another toward revenge, and the last toward a brutal, untimely demise.

Dying of the light (the original title was After the Festival) is a debut sci-fi from the maestro of storytelling George R. R. Martin, published in 1977. The book has gained wide acclaim and many awards. I took one month to finish this book. The plot is brilliant, which contains love, betrayal, friendship, war; so it takes time to root into the story. In truth, the novel did not intrigue me in the first place.

It contains multiple vital subplots which might distract the reader at several points and one must slowly devour it to get the whole charisma of the story. The world building has been exceptional, the norms and codes of each world described so well. An interesting factor of the book is the details of sophisticated technology. The whole plot set up in various outer space imaginative worlds, Worlorn, Avalon, The Challenge, Kryne Lamiya to name a few. Each of these worlds has a unique folklores to tell. I must say Martin is a master of naming fictitious characters and places. Hats off to that.

Everyone knows the famous A Song of Ice and Fire series of George R. R. Martin ( Game of Thrones is a tv adaptation of this series.) and how did he put complexities of human relations into words. I got the same vibe from this book too. However, I felt the character development would have been better. I could not connect with the characters. As of the series, this book also contains high fantasy element.

Indulging too much information at one go would be difficult for the readers, so the same happens in this book. I have been devastated reading the whole history in the first couple of pages itself. As each page unfolds, the plot gets complex and arduous to recall the previous subplots. The narrative is so descriptive and has a few dialogues throughout the book. Towards the end of the book, it becomes a little intriguing.

I would recommend this book to Sci-fi and fantasy lovers. Otherwise, you would not enjoy it.