Thank you so much for this Preston. This was a really great breakdown. I feel like there’s not enough discussions on the A Thousand Worlds lore. It’s an interesting universe that I wish we could have learned more about. Like it still bothers me that we never met a Hrangan. I guess The Glass Flower is as much closure as we’re going to get which is a little sad but also somewhat fitting in my opinion. Fingers crossed for George coming out of nowhere and finishing Avalon. Anyways Great video man! Can’t wait to see more :)
@@charlespennyworth3698 Westeros and Essos actually does have an interesting archaeology and prehistory 😳 The Hairy men and Ibbenese are actually really intriguing.
I found out recently that skin changing in GRRM's writing actually matches the historical Catholic understanding of Werewolves. It was heretical to believe that men could transform against God's will, but Roman Christian texts had accounts of werewolves existing, so they came to the compromise that certain people could have their minds enter the bodies of wolves while they slept.
I have to thank you for your work over the years, there are other AOIAF fans who spin their theories and stuff. But I always liked that you used analysis of other work that GRRM had finished as a way of predicting outcomes of the saga. This method influenced me, and I was able to predict some things which came to light in the Game of Thrones series. So thank you for enlightening me, and also giving me knowledge of a number of old stories to read whilst waiting for TWOW. It's been years now but I am satisfied, and don't even really care if GRRM never finishes the series. I know how he writes and I think people are likely not ready for the reality of George's writing... Especially his endings. Take care Mr Jacobs, and a wish you and your family good Health and good fortune in Taipei 😊
Agreed. Knowing what Martin's writing is like in other settings is very informative. While subject matter tends to change, some things stay the same: big emphasis on genetics when describing characters (deformities, genotype expression, etc), recurring themes (war shown to be horrible, not glorious), and the butterfly effect changing people's lives. It really is interesting to see these recurring elements unfold from different angles.
Preston should do chapter analysis on the twow sample chapters and break them down line by line like some insane person. George should definitely have the next book out by then
So hugely glad this is back online. This seriously informed how I view ASOIAF. I was so upset when this video went down, I re-watched it so frequently, and went to get the link to send to a friend and it was GONE. THANKS so much for all the work you put into your channel. So happy you have a Patreon, been supporting you for years, absolutely absolutely worth it. I know you never read comments but it means so much to me this is back up again. Be well
Thanks for reuploading this. The 1000 worlds book club is one of the best experiences I've had on RU-vid in the past 15 years, and for that reason I've tried to revisit this video a few times.
I agree, the 1000 Worlds commentaries are terrific, some of the best stuff on YT. I have listened to them more than once while I am on my bike in the summer, transported by the stories and then Preston's analyses while riding in the desert mornings.
I think it's actually "Haviland" lol. Either way so glad you redid this. Reminds me there's a lot more GRRM to read while waiting for TWOW. I think GRRM also said he doesn't see the need to incorporate ASOIAF into the thousand worlds "yet" which would mean the lore is consistent enough. Basically I agree ASOIAF could be science fiction.
I understand him not wanting to do a compendium of his works, as readers would get the opportunity to read other authors works, but what I would give for a World of Ice and Fire-style collection for 1000 World's. It's so hard to find copies of all these
Great to see this video again. It's funny remembering watching it for the first time, when I knew nothing of the 1000 worlds... and now after getting sucked right into it thanks to Preston.
Thanks Preston, I actually read/listened to quite a few of these books on your recommendation. They are not only fantastic as stand-alone stories in their own right, disquieting and unsettling - 'soft' Sci-Fi of the best, most philosophical kind ala leGuin, Dick, and others - but, as you have pointed out repeatedly, many of their themes and even direct characters and scenarios re-appear in ASOIAF (starting from the title e.g. A Song for Lya). Thanks always dude and keep it up the great work, let's hope we finally get TWOW in 2022.
I am so in Love with a Song for lya . . .ITS IS terribly beautifuly and i am very morbidly facinated with Meathouse man and how those two are very different approaches of the Same Story in their core
This is great! Love that I have 3 new stories to track down and read. I remember when you first started the 1000 World Book Club, good times! I wish we had more of this on your channel.
Thank you so much! Hey I was the guy that asked about this video recently, and I'm so glad I did! Love the 1000 worlds, followed along for those few years and had so much fun. thank you so much for introducing so many to these stories!
Ahh thanks a bunch this really takes me back. Loved your 1000 worlds series and thought it was some of your best work. Every time I go on a long drive I'll put it on to help keep me awake.
Thanks for re-uploading this; I'd looked for it a number of times in the past, and been puzzled why other 1000 Worlds reviews were up, but the intro was somehow missing.
I am really happy you have uploaded these old videos about 1000 Worlds stories. I never saw these first time around because I had not yet discovered your channel six years ago. (In fact I had not started to watch Martin RU-vid videos at all) I have read many of these stories because I have a two volume set of GRRM stories: Dreamsongs Volume I and Volume II, which contain many (most?) but as I am sure you realize not all of 1000 Worlds stuff. I love many of George's stories, started reading his other stuff after I had read the fiveThe Song of Ice and Fire novels through three times, I think. I really think I like the short stories better than Fevre Dream or Armageddon Rag. I like most of the stories in my Dreamsongs books almost much as the 3 Dunk and Egg stories and The Song of Ice and Fire. Your takes on 1000 World stories give me the desire to chase down the stories I have not yet read. Much thanks. Glen Thrasher PS Sorry I had to drop my patreon account but I am simply too poor and seem destined to stay that way.
I find more and more on your channel as I dig around .. awesome. Your mention of these story has 100% changed my thoughts of ASOIF, so I'm excited to get into these
Glad to see this reposted. Being aware of the Thousand Worlds, it is hard to not see similarities with Planetos. It is hard to say, but my guess is that ASOIAF isn't ever going to be in that collective universe. I understand the appeal because of the very similar style of writing, but I'm inclined to think that is only superficial. Despite the few homages to the Thousand worlds like Bakalon being worshiped in Braavos and the oft-mentioned "black stone" material, we've seen no outright connection and magic seems to be more explicitly magic as opposed to psionics or whatever. I find that particular issue to be very interesting and I see the argument for "hidden sci-fi" as Preston calls it. I won't be convinced either way completely until the final book most likely, but as of ADWD I think Planetos was just Martin exploring more traditional fantasy without any further connection to the Thousand Worlds.
@@AlexSwePR As Preston said GRRM, like a lot of other fans, didn't think too highly of Asimov deciding to link up his Foundation and Spacer universes towards the end of his last life.
YES!!! I've been missing this video for years. Literally nobody else has this amount of insight into the 1kW in such a small package. Thanks for the reuploaf
It sounds like GRRM only said he hasn't retconned his stories to all be in the same universe, like he's using clever language so it sounds like he's said "no", but it's worded in a way that it's possible he didn't have to retcon since it already was.
In another Interview He Said very clearly, that asoiaf IS Fantasy, Not scifi and looking for scifi explanations IS barking at the wrong tree. He did scifi, but that IS Not it
Thankyou so much for re-uploading this. I wondered where it have gone! I loved the 1000 worlds book club. I was so disappointed when it finished. I regularly rewatch them. Just as an aside it’s very funny listening to your correct yourself.…you can hear the disdain in your voice for ‘past’ preston’s varying mistakes!
Meathouse Man hits different. The fact that George, who at one time felt so hopeless about finding love, is now happily married, gives hope to the rest of us.
Same for a Song for lya, IT IS dressed Up so differently, that many Miss IT is basically the Same Story in ITS deepest core Just the darkling plane speach . . . Hell that was a slap in the face with my deepest fear
Nice to see this back up again. I still think about Dying of the Light every single day thanks to the book club. So thanks for that. Nice work as always, P.
Even for an older video, this is still pretty cool. Thanks for the reupload. Hopefully thisll get more people to look into some of his older stuff. Honestly, a lot of these can be gotten if you pick up Dreasmsongs part 1 and 2 and Stuff Voyaging. Good luck out there everybody!
I wrote a bunch of stuff..... And it got deleted..... O well. This is where you can talk about all of George's non-ASOIAF works. Anything from A Thousand Worlds to Wild Cards to his solo novels such as Fevre Dreams. If you haven't read them before you can check out his Thousand Worlds stories by following Preston Jacobs series, here: Check out his other stories, they're really good. His bibliography is a great place to start: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_R._R._Martin#
GRRM is influenced by Anne McCaffrey in his world building. It's almost exactly the same. McCaffrey writes about a medieval society that descends from an ancient spacefaring society that has forgotten its history but rediscovers it technology. On McCaffrey's world, ancient genetic engineers created dragons from local fire wyrms, just as the ancient Valyrians, and people ride the dragons. There is time travel too. There are dozens of other parallels.
I remember watching this when it was first uploaded. Didn't have the time to read them then, but I might give them a chance now. I also don't know why hasn't GRRMs editors publiched a collection of all the thousand world stories (even in 2 volumes), his name sells and while we wait for TWOW it would be great for fans to have easy access to his other work. Probably it's because of rights issues or something?
It's a bit strange that all the short stories have never been collected into one volume. I wonder if there's some kind of copyright issue involved or if George just doesn't value the stories among them that he didn't see fit to put into Dream Songs (or maybe he can't even remember all of them).
Damn, very recently inquired about the whereabouts of the old video in one of your comment sections and behold; an updated version appears. Are you by any chance trying to clandestinely restore mankind's believe in magic after all, Preston?
Hey Preston, nice video. The "1000 Worlds" are a fascinating and compelling place BUT would you be interested in doing another book club of this kind about GRRM's HORROR literature? And how they might affect ASOIAF? "Fever Dream" and "Skin Trade" spring to mind, but I'm sure he has more in store. I hope you read this because this video isn't that old ... lol
Ever considered doing book club for other GRRM's stories outside of Thousand Worlds? Like Skin Trade, Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr, Portraits of His Children, Fever Dream, and so on. Maybe some book club for Dream Songs? :)
The backstory of the thousand worlds has reminded me in the past of Warhammer 40k (whose backstory reminds me of The Foundation). It's nice to know how incestuously interconnected so many themes in sci-fi are
Thanks for all the videos Preston, it was really a good and interesting thing to make us think about this complex universe. I dont really know where to post this so here it is. I wonder if we didnt get the Hrangans wrong. I mean, have they been aware they have been at war with humans? Hrangans are chess players, humans are chess pieces, and mind controllers still seem to be everywhere after the Interregnum. My thought is that it's their slave races that actually died, and they have been replacing them with humans. They did so by expanding psionic powers in mankind with the mechanisms explained in the Dying of the Light. First they try to eradicate the humans with bombing/etc. Then humans hid underground, and the biowar began. They encouraged genetic selection by spreading illnesses that killed people with no psionic power (how did they make humans with psionic powers? maybe by creating simili-humans, mockmen, to infiltrate humans and breed with them, and spread the psionic genes) We dont really know how some humans became psionic, and Kavalaars all seem to be bound to some sort of animals (dogs for the Braith, banshees for the Ironjades). And this would explain why Targaryens cant fall ill. The Hrangans werent waging wars to humans, they are not a race per se, they are a class of aliens.. They primarily wage war to themselves and humans became their tools. When humans become psionics, they are the primary targets of races working like the Hrangans. See the Volcryn, the psis feel him and are more attracted to him than non-psychic beings. Robb and Lya are the targets of the Greeshka, and Lya, being the most powerful, falls in its fangs even if she didnt get as close to it as Robb. Who has been saved by non-psychic humans who were next to him when visiting the Greeshka cave. So. I think Planetos is a playground for Hrangans - or entities simply working like the Hrangans if we consider ASOIAF is not in the Thousand Worlds. The most obvious Hrangan is the weirwoods.There is probably another one behind R'hllor, another one being or manipulating the Shrouded Lord, and maybe countless others. The Valyrians and the Starks have psionic abilities, that's why they can somehow control their werewolfes/dragons, and that's why they are subject to being manipulated by overminds, who are the real chessplayers of that universe.
it would be funny if like GRRM secretly finished Avalon last year after some kind of weird epiphany and he released it and then died and it was his magnum opus and everyone straight up forgets about Game of Thrones and the world becomes obsessed with Thousand Worlds
Thanks Preston. Bringing my back to 2016. Is the AWOIAF post-apocalyptic? Was the Long Night a nuclear winter? I'd said definitely no at this point. You did always say "I'm probably wrong about half of this". Still very entertaining and it is fun to go back listen to your theories. Thanks for the 1000 worlds summary. I remember it when you first posted it.
