Revisiting “Dangerous Visions”

The Short: I just reread Harlan Ellison’s 1967 anthology of original fiction Dangerous Visions for the first time in decades. Looking back at it over 50 year later, I find it uneven. It was quite a sensation when published, winning a Special Hugo Award in 1968. It remains important, but I doubt I’ll be in any hurry to reread it again. My average overall rating is 3.74/5, or “Very good”, with the stories ranging from “Superlative” to two that were “Did not finish”. Ellison’s Introductory essay “Thirty-Two Soothsayers” and story introductions and the story afterwords by the authors are definitely worth as much as some of the stories. I recommend reading it at least once in your life. If you’ve never read it, trigger warnings could be applied to some of the stories today.

The Long: I was not yet a fan of science fiction, and I was just barely reading, when Harlan Ellison‘s original science fiction anthology Dangerous Visions was published in 1967 by Doubleday.

I could not tell you what Harlan Ellison story or book I read first, but he was pretty hard to miss at the library and the used book stores back in the 1970s.

I own the 1972 Berkley Medallion paperback reprint of Dangerous Visions. I purchased it used, at a cost of 95 cents. It’s now much battered, with the spine going, the cover damaged, and with teeth marks from our puppy Bailey chewing on it in the mid 1980s.

Observe the chew marks

I know I read it a few times, although not recently. I had recently read several of the stories in other collections and anthologies, including “The Jigsaw Man” by Larry Niven, “Gonna Roll the Bones” by Fritz Leiber, “Land of the Great Horses” by R. A. Lafferty, and “Aye, and Gomorrah …” by Samuel R. Delany.

There is finally a scheduled posthumous release of a version of The Last Dangerous Visions (due out October 1, 2024 on Blackstone Publishing), edited by Ellison’s estate’s executor J. Michael Straczynski. Originally announced in 1973, Ellison never finished it.

Paralleling the publication of The Last Dangerous Visions is a paroxysm of re-issuing related Ellison works. The new Greatest Hits collection, J. Michael Straczynski editor, March 26, 2024 Union Square & Co. (Herald Classics), was one. A new edition of Dangerous Visions, 2024 Blackstone Publishing, came out the same day, with a new foreword. A new edition of Ellison’s 1972 anthology Again, Dangerous Visions will come out June 2024 on Blackstone Publishing.

This publishing activity and all of the hoopla lead my Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Fiction group on Facebook to decide to reread Dangerous Visions. We all had it. Many of us had not read most of it for a long time.

With all of the circus and controversy over whether Dangerous Visions was ever as good or as important as its reputation, or whether it was overrated, or whether the Suck Fairy had visited, I approached the reread with interest, hope and no small amount of trepidation.

Dangerous Visions as printed in 1967 by Doubleday included 33 stories (novellas, novelettes and short stories). It came in at a fairly robust 239,000 words (per Harlan Ellison) and 520 pages in hardback. I believe it was the largest original anthology of speculative fiction published to that date. The size was partially driven by the two Isaac Asimov Forewords, the Harlan Ellison Introduction, the story introductions by Ellison, and the story afterwords by the authors.

Dangerous Visions was planned by Ellison to be revolutionary, to print stories that could not be printed elsewhere, and to be his version of a “new thing” in science fiction that was probably what others were referring to as “New Wave“. He was clear that it was speculative fiction and not limited to science fiction.

I take Harlan Ellison’s Introduction and other essay content with a grain of salt. He had perhaps been nudged in the direction of doing what became Dangerous Visions by correspondence with Robert Silverberg and Norman Spinrad. According to Ellison, Silverberg wrote this in a letter to him after hearing Ellison kvetch about the spineless and sorry state of SF anthologies, “Why don’t you do an anthology? HARLAN ELLISON PICKS OFF-BEAT CLASSICS OF SF, or something…”. Ellison goes on to state that it took two years to produce “Dangerous Visions”.

Dangerous Visions was definitely noticed, perhaps because Harlan was being Harlan. It was reviewed in the major SF magazines of the day, including Analog, F&SF and Galaxy. A number of the stories from it either were nominated or won awards.

It was awarded a Special Hugo Award at the 1968 Worldcon (Baycon in Oakland, CA). I assume this was related to the relatively strong performance of the stories noted above.

I don’t think it made a huge splash outside of the SF world, although there were mentions. The December 7, 1967 Capital Times of Madison Wisconsin featured an August Derleth “Outstanding 1967 Books” column (see left) which mentions both “The Gormenghast Trilogy” and “Dangerous Visions” at the very bottom. The July 21, 1968 Chicago Tribune has a positive mention of Dangerous Visions in the Paperback feature (see right), even though it was not yet a paperback.

My 1972 Berkley Medallion paperback had several very big statements from reviews on the cover, including:

1. “A landmark, a classic!”, Science Fiction Times.
2. “The single best collection of science fiction stories ever compiled!”, Science Fiction Review.

Totally in keeping with all of this, the blurb writer added, “The most honored SF anthology of all time.” Blurb writers are known for astounding hyperbole and a sometimes tenuous connection to reality.

I am very glad I reread Dangerous Visions, although my reactions are mixed.

I thought his Introduction “Thirty-Two Soothsayers” to be very interesting and insightful into what Ellison was trying to do and how he went about it. I think his story introductions were very helpful, both in the context of the authors and the stories. At the same time, I did find much of his essay content to be both longer than needed and perhaps lacking credibility at times. Some of it was definitely Harlan working to justify why he included specific authors that I had never heard of of. While the stories are the essential part of “Dangerous Visions”, inclusion of this essay material was a big plus for me.

I also really liked the illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon. They remind me of woodblock prints, although I have no actual idea how they were produced. It’s not completely clear to me how they relate to each story, but that is not critical for me.

My overall reaction to Dangerous Visions is decidedly mixed. More than a few stories here don’t seem very dangerous to me, but that may partly be due to the 56 years since it’s release. I really liked the Ellison essay material, although I would have liked it more if it was a bit less bloated and sometimes unbelievable. I loved the author afterwords. I really liked the interior art by Leo and Diane Dillon.

I rated 19 of the stories (58% of the 33 stories included) at “Great” or “Superlative”. These were all stories I was happy to read and to recommend, by authors I know well and by authors I don’t remember at all. I remembered some of these, but had forgotten more than a few:

1. “Riders of the Purple Wage”, a novella by Philip José Farmer (tied for Hugo Award Best Novella, and a Nebula finalist),  rated 4.3/5, or “Superlative”.
2. “Carcinoma Angels“, a short story by Norman Spinrad, rated 4.3/5, or “Superlative”.
3. “Gonna Roll the Bones”, a novelette by Fritz Leiber (won the Hugo and Nebula Award for Novelette), rated 4.1/5, or “Superlative”.
4. “Aye, and Gomorrah…”, a short story by Samuel R. Delany (Hugo Best Short Story finalist, and Nebula Award Short Story winner), rated 4.1/5, or “Superlative”.
5. “The Jigsaw Man”, a Known Space short story by Larry Niven (Hugo Best Short Story finalist), rated 4/5, or “Great”.
6. “Go, Go, Go, Said the Bird“, a short story by Sonya Dorman, rated 4/5, or “Great”. This is a great story I had forgotten, that helps show why she was important although her output was not that extensive.
7. “The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World“, a novelette by Harlan Ellison, rated 3.9/5, or “Great”.
8. “If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister?”, a novella by Theodore Sturgeon (Nebula Award Novella finalist), rated 3.9/5, or “Great”.
9. “Land of the Great Horses“, a short story by R. A. Lafferty, rated 3.9/5, or “Great”.
10. “The Malley System“, a short story by Miriam Allen deFord, rated 3.8/5, or “Great”. A great late career work by an author I need to read more of.
11. “Faith of Our Fathers”, a novelette by Philip K. Dick (Hugo Best Novelette finalist), rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.
12. “The Day After the Day the Martians Came“, a short story by Frederik Pohl, rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.
13. “Incident in Moderan“, a Moderan short story by David R. Bunch, rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.
14. “Sex and/or Mr. Morrison“, a short story by Carol Emshwiller, rated 3.8/5, or “Great”. While I found elements of this story to be incomprehensible, it was a great story only Emshwiller could have written.
15. “Shall the Dust Praise Thee?“, a short story by Damon Knight, rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.
16. “What Happened to Auguste Clarot?“, a short story by Larry Eisenberg, rated 3.8/5, or “Great”. While not a heavyweight story, this story is good enough to encourage me to look for more of his work.
17. “Ersatz“, a short story by Henry Slesar, rated 3.8/5, or “Great”. Another writer I am not familiar with.
18. “Judas“, a short story by John Brunner, rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.
19. “Flies“, a short story by Robert Silverberg, rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

There were 12 stories in the “Very good” range, with some that I felt not dangerous at all or just less than I was hoping for. There were more than one or two stories that I really wondered about their inclusion, including “The Escaping“, a non-Moderan short story by David R. Bunch, and “From the Government Printing Office“, a short story by Kris Neville.

Aside from the two stories noted above, there were several stories by authors where it felt like the stories were included because they were friends of Harlan Ellison or because the authors had contributed to his career. “Evensong“, a short story by Lester del Rey, felt like one of these, and a rather weak story to begin the anthology with. “Lord Randy, My Son“, a short story by Joe L. Hensley, is another that I suspect was placed due to Ellison’s friendship with Hensley.

Ellison’s Introduction does allude to some authors that were not included, noting “The Thomas Pynchon story. The Heinlein anecdote… The Kingsley Amis afterword”. I would have loved to see a Kingsley Amis afterword. Ellison’s paragraph about who and what is present and not present is very on-target:

There are many authors familiar to readers of speculative fiction whose work is not included here. This was not intended as an all-inclusive anthology. By the very nature of what they write, many authors were excluded because they said what they had to say years ago. Others found they had nothing controversial or daring to contribute. Some expressed lack of interest in the project. But with one exception, this project was never closed to a writer due to editorial prejudice. Thus, you will find new young writers like Samuel Delany side by side with established craftsmen such as Damon Knight. You will find visitors from other fields such as TV’s Howard Rodman besides veterans of the s-f wars such as the charming (and in this instance frightening) Miriam Allen deFord. You will find traditionalists such as Poul Anderson chockablock with wildly experimental writers like Philip José Farmer. Only the new and different was sought, but in some cases a story was . . . so story (as a chair is very much chair), it forced itself to be included.

There is no doubt some of these stories include very uncomfortable or offensive elements, especially for 1967. I accept that as part of Ellison’s goal of being “dangerous” or revolutionary, although they don’t all succeed. It does make me wonder if the March 2024 Dangerous Visions re-issue addressed “trigger warnings”?

I also observe that only three out of 33 stories (9%) were by women. I don’t know how this came to be, but it is unfortunate. It may be that Ellison heard criticism on this point for Dangerous Visions. Looking at Ellison’s 1972 anthology Again, Dangerous Visions, there is a modest improvement, with nine out of 55 stories (16%) that feature women writers.

In our BSFFSF FB group, Paul Fraser brings up a very interesting point:

I don’t want to hijack Jim’s group read but thought it would be worth having a post that lists all the previous “Dangerous Visions” that appeared in the field–partially for interest, and partially because of the claims made by various parties as to the supposedly revolutionary nature of the Dangerous Visions anthology.
Jim lists two stories in one of his blog posts, “Fondly Fahrenheit” by Alfred Bester, and “Lot” by Ward Moore. I’ve added those in the comments and maybe Jim can explain why he chose those two.
If members are going to chip in with other examples please make a separate comment for each story so we can discuss the merits of your choices in a coherent manner. All entries must be dated 1967 or earlier (maybe early 1968 at a push–DV, according to ISFDB, appears to have been published October 1967).

This triggered my thinking in a similar vein. Confining it solely to authors working in 1966-67, what authors were missing from Dangerous Visions that I feel could have written a story that was dangerous, revolutionary, transgressive or which violated taboos? It’s easy to make suggestions now without how to put together an anthology. For all I know, some of these authors were approached but were not interested.

1. Ray Nelson, writer of the 1963 novelette “Turn Off the Sky” (suggested by Paul Fraser, and I agree).
2. Michael Moorcock, writer of the 1966 novella “Behold the Man” (suggested by Paul Fraser).
3. Mildred Clingerman, author of the 1952 short story “Minister Without Portfolio“.
4. Joanna Russ, who appeared in the 1972 “Again, Dangerous Visions”, but had a number of stories published and some reprinted by 1967.
5. Kit Reed, author of the 1964 short story “Cynosure“.
6. Kate Wilhelm, who appeared in the 1972 “Again, Dangerous Visions”, but had a number of stories published by 1967.
7. Harry Harrison, the author of the 1962 short story “An Alien Agony” (AKA “The Streets of Ashkelon”) and the 1971 novelette “Roommates“.
8. Mack Reynolds. While I’m not sure of any of his stories that were particularly transgressive or dangerous, he was a long time socialist and could bring a different perspective. To quote Wikipedia, his work “focused on socioeconomic speculation, usually expressed in thought-provoking explorations of utopian societies from a radical, sometime satiric perspective”.
9. Robert Sheckley, author of the 1959 short story “Store of the Worlds“.

My overall average rating for the 33 stories was 3.74/5, or “Very good”. I am glad I reread Dangerous Visions, rediscovering a number of great stories I had forgotten. I recommend that any serious fan of SF or speculative fiction read Dangerous Visions at least once. At the same time, I doubt I’ll read it again.

I know I’ll read The Last Dangerous Visions, just because of curiosity. I will probably read Greatest Hits, as there are some stories there that I have either forgotten or never read. I will have to consider whether to reread Again, Dangerous Visions.

DETAILED REVIEWS/COMMENTS: SPOILERS HERE

 “Foreword 1 The Second Revolution“, and “Foreword 2 Harlan and I“, essays by Isaac Asimov. Interesting although Foreword 2 was a bit superfluous.

“Thirty-Two Soothsayers“, an Introduction essay by Harlan Ellison. This is an extensive and perhaps excessive introduction, but it’s also a great and insightful discussion of what Ellison was attempting to do and how he went about doing it, and what he encountered. It’s a great supplement to the information in the story introductions and afterwords.

“Evensong“, a short story by Lester del Rey. A being flees the Usurpers. At the end, we find out that being is God, returned to Earth, and the Usurper is Man. Well told but not that novel today. This was a surprising choice for me for “Dangerous Visions”. Maybe it felt more dangerous in 1967, but I suspect this was included due to Ellison’s gratitude to del Rey for writing and career advice and support. Reprinted in a number of other anthologies, such as Other Worlds, Other Gods: Adventures In Religious Science Fiction, Mayo Mohs editor, 1975 New English Library, so perhaps others disagreed with me. Never reprinted in a Del Rey collection, which suggests to me that del Rey was not fond of it. Rated 3.6/5, or “Very good”.

“Flies“, a short story by Robert Silverberg. Not top Silverberg, but a great story of a man in a space wreck. His crew mates are unrecoverable, but the golden ones put him back together and make improvements to help them learn more of humans. He returns to Earth, and treats his three ex-wives as a boy might treat an insect. The golden ones are appalled, and he is recalled. Reprinted in a fair number of Silverberg collections; I read this in his 2004 Subterranean collection Phases of the Moon“, but not remembered. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“The Day After the Day the Martians Came“, a short story by Frederik Pohl. A great, short and understated story of Martians returning to the Earth with astronauts. The press is going crazy. We find out that many think they are ugly and perhaps not intelligent, and a lot of very racist and cliched jokes applied to them. Some speculate that the excitement will not last, and that they won’t matter. In the last line of the story, the bell boy says, “Going to make a difference to some people. Going to make a damn big difference to me.” To me, this implies that the bell boy thinks he will no longer be the recipient of as much racism derived behavior with these Martians as the new target of such. Reprinted mostly in Pohl collections such as Platinum Pohl: The Collected Best Stories, James Frenkel editor, 2005 Tor. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“Riders of the Purple Wage”, a novella by Philip José Farmer (tied for Hugo Award Best Novella winner, and a Nebula finalist). This is one of the very few stories from Dangerous Visions that I have never forgotten, although the details had deserted me. I remember reading this story a number of decades ago,  and loving it. Upon reread, I view this as a superlative story, with characters that were great (Chib the artist, his supposedly dead grandfather Winegann, and the last agent of the Internal Revenue Bureau) and a plot which really held my attention. While I find the child sex offensive, it does not wreck the story for me. Others agree; this was a Hugo winner and Nebula finalist. Reprints include more than a few Farmer collections and The Hugo Winners, Volume Two, Isaac Asimov editor, 1971 Doubleday, which is probably where I first read it. Rated 4.3/5, or “Superlative”.

“The Malley System“, a short story by Miriam Allen deFord. A great story I had forgotten, of a penal reform system that works. Never reprinted in a deFord collection or any other anthologies, which I find surprising. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“A Toy for Juliette“, a short story by Robert Bloch. A reprise of Bloch’s story “Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper“, with a time machine, presents from the past, and a very devastated world and universe. Reprints include the Bloch collection Fear Today, Gone Tomorrow, 1971 Award Books. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World“, a novelette by Harlan Ellison. A great sequel to Robert Bloch’s “A Toy for Juliette”. The story of Jack the Ripper in an evil future culture, where he ultimately finds out he is used for their twisted goals, with no way out. I love his last line, “MY NAME ISN’T JACK, AND I’VE BEEN BAD, VERY BAD, I’M AN EVIL PERSON BUT MY NAME ISN’T JACK!” Reprinted in several anthologies including Jack the Ripper, Susan Casper, Gardner Dozois editors, 1988 Futura, and a number of other Ellison collections. Rated 3.9/5, or “Great”.

“The Night That All Time Broke Out“, a short story by Brian W. Aldiss. I liked this story and wanted to find out what happened. Time gas is being piped to residences. A country couple is celebrating their time gas connection, when things go terribly wrong. This is a rather wacky story, but it’s not great Aldiss and does not seem dangerous. Not reprinted in an Aldiss collection until The Complete Short Stories: The 1960s (Part 4), 2015 Harper Voyager (UK), which tells us that Aldiss was not that fond of it either. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“The Man Who Went to the Moon – Twice“, a short story by Howard Rodman. A man goes to the moon, twice. A bit of a fairy tale on change, by a TV and movie writer. I understand Ellison’s goal of using stories from beyond the “SF ghetto”, but I wonder at it’s inclusion. No other reprints. Rated 3.6/5, or “Very good”.

“Faith of Our Fathers”, a novelette by Philip K. Dick (Hugo Best Novelette finalist). I don’t remember reading this other than here. A great story of a Party operative who, unfortunately, sees God, with hallucinogenic drugs and counter-agents involved. Reprints include Alpha Two, Robert Silverberg editor, 1971 Ballantine Books, and The Best of Philip K. Dick, 1977 Del Rey/Ballantine. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“The Jigsaw Man”, a Known Space short story by Larry Niven (Hugo Best Short Story finalist). One of Niven’s better stories for emotional impact. A man is in prison, and about to be tried. He knows that he will probably be convicted and his organs harvested and him killed per the law, although he states he “did not do anything.” An organlegger in the adjacent cell detonates a bomb built into a bone to commit suicide and not be harvested. This explosion lets him escape temporarily. He finds himself in a storage area for harvested organs; he decides to wreak as much damage and ruin as many organs as possible,  so that “…they’d have something to kill him for.” At the end, we find out his initial crime was running 6 red lights, speeding by up to 15 mph, etc. This story was a precursor to the Gil Hamilton/ARM organlegger stories. Reprints include the Niven collection All the Myriad Ways, 1971 Ballantine Books, and The Road to Science Fiction Volume 3: From Heinlein to Here, James Gunn editor, 1996 Borealis/White Wolf Publishing. Rated 4/5, or “Great”.

“Gonna Roll the Bones”, a novelette by Fritz Leiber (Hugo and Nebula Award winner for Novelette). A wonderful mix of fantasy, horror and SF as Joe Sattermill steps out and goes up against the Big Gambler and almost loses everything. I figure the Big Gambler might be the Devil, but it is not stated. My only regret here are several very racist terms. Many reprints, including Nebula Award Stories 3, Roger Zelazny editor, 1968 Gollancz, and The Leiber Chronicles: Fifty Years of Fritz Leiber, Martin H. Greenberg editor, 1990 Dark Harvest. Rated 4.1/5, or “Superlative”.

“Lord Randy, My Son“, a short story by Joe L. Hensley. A developmentally disabled child, a mother who committed suicide, and a dying attorney father. This could be genre, but not necessarily. I don’t remember any other fiction by this author. Harlan Ellison is quite taken by the author, who appears to be a friend. I do wonder if this story would have been included if Hensley had not been a friend? Reprints include the Hensley collection Final Doors, 1981 Doubleday/Crime Club. Rated 3.6/5, or “Very good”.

“Eutopia“, a novelette by Poul Anderson. A very good story of a very different timeline, and an unfortunate incident of an agent inadequately trained in the mores of the timeline. This story might have more shocking in 1967. Reprints include the Anderson collection The Dark Between the Stars, 1981 Berkley books, and The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century,  Martin H. Greenberg, Harry Turtledove editors, 2001 Del Rey/Ballantine. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“Incident in Moderan“, a Moderan short story by David R. Bunch. A flesh-bum (Old Man) finds not a shred of decency but instead only a pragmatic  pause in Moderan conflicts. This is not especially transgressive for Bunch, but a very appropriate inclusion. Reprints include the Bunch collection Moderan, 1971 Avon. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“The Escaping“, a short story by David R. Bunch. I read it, but this goes nowhere I give a damn about. No reprints other than in other editions of Dangerous Visions. I wonder at its inclusion. Rated 3/5, or “Okay”.

“The Doll-House“, a short story by James Cross. A very good story of a man with big ambitions, who is living a prosperous life but is putting on a front of doing much better. His finances are on the edge. His wife’s uncle gives him what is purported to be an Oracle in a doll house. He hopes to make a killing, but things go badly. I believe this is the only speculative fiction by “James Cross” (Hugh Jones Parry). He worked for the US government and is mainly known as an author for several thrillers under the name “James Cross”. Reprinted in Fantasy: The Literature of the Marvelous, Leo P. Kelley editor, 1974 McGraw-Hill. Rated 3.6/5, or “Very good”.

“Sex and/or Mr. Morrison“, a short story by Carol Emshwiller. A great and dangerous story, of an encounter where genders and natures are unknown. I’m not sure it goes anywhere, but I love the narrative. Including Carol Emshiller was an essential choice for me; you knew she would deliver with a story no one else could have written. Reprints include the Emshwiller collection Joy in Our Cause, 1974 Harper & Row, and the seminal anthology Women of Wonder, Pamela Sargent editor, 1975 Vintage Books. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“Shall the Dust Praise Thee?“, a short story by Damon Knight. Knight says he could not sell this; I guess that could have been true. God and seven angels return to a desolate Earth. There is no sign of life, except for words carved in a cavern, “We were here. Where were you?”. This fantasy is a great story. Reprints include Other Worlds, Other Gods: Adventures In Religious Science Fiction, Mayo Mohs editor, 1975 New English Library, and Knight collection God’s Nose, 1991 Pulphouse Publishing. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister?”, a novella by Theodore Sturgeon (Nebula Award Novella finalist), Not a story I remember, although you would think I would have remembered the Vexveltans, who believe incest is essential. A great story by Sturgeon, who credits Harlan’s request for a story and this result with helping him become unstuck. True? It could be; I have no idea, and I’m not going to put the effort into researching this point. Reprints include the Sturgeon collection Case and the Dreamer, 1974 Nelson Doubleday/ SFBC. Rated 3.9/5, or “Great”.

“What Happened to Auguste Clarot?“, a short story by Larry Eisenberg. A lovely, hilarious romp of a story, of a journalist investigating the disappearance of a Nobel winning chemist in Paris. I would not call this dangerous, but I love it. I have not read many of his stories; I might need recommendations. Reprints include the Eisenberg collection The Best Laid Schemes, 1971 Macmillan; I love the cover art. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“Ersatz“, a short story by Henry Slesar. I love this short short, of Sergeant Tod, Rocket Carrier, Second Class, in a devastating nuclear war. He finds a rather appealing civilian produced Peace Station, but flees in horror after its ersatz nature is revealed. This story is a rare mix of hilarious and horrific, and has tinges of Robert Sheckley. I might need recommendations for Slesar’s fiction, as this is the only one I am sure I have read. I am a bit surprised this has never been reprinted except in foreign language reprints. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“Go, Go, Go, Said the Bird“, a short story by Sonya Dorman. A superb and real story of a woman’s life after some kind of catastrophe, with deteriorated roads as a vague symbol of prior civilization, starvation, and cannibalism. This great story features a return to “nasty, brutish and short”. I am surprised the only “reprint” was in Pseudopod, #362. November 2013. Rated 4/5, or “Great”.

“The Happy Breed“, a short story by John Sladek. A story of a happy world where Machines have taken over and humans only job is to be happy, aided/forced by the Machines. Some of the effects of Machines taking over and removing human agency reminds me of Jack Williamson’s classic 1947 novelette, “With Folded Hands“, in many ways. Reprints include the Sladek collection The Steam-Driven Boy and Other Strangers, 1973 Panther. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“Encounter with a Hick“, a short story by Jonathan Brand. A somewhat over the top story of a hip everyman recounting his fatal encounter with a man at a bar, where he tells him that his dad created the man’s planet, with some parallels to God and the Creation. Not a dangerous vision to me. This is the second James Brand story I know I have read over the last few years, but If am not sure I need to read more. No reprints other than in Dangerous Visions. I found this a borderline choice for inclusion; perhaps it felt dangerous then. Rated 3.6/5, or “Very good”.

“From the Government Printing Office“, a short story by Kris Neville. This one did not grab me; I skimmed it. In a very different approach to education,  the US Government has decided to scare the hell out of little children to encourage creativity. Reprinted in the Kris Neville collection The Science Fiction of Kris Neville, 1984 Southern Illinois. I am surprised Ellison chose this story. Rated 2/5, or “Did not finish”.

“Land of the Great Horses“, a short story by R. A. Lafferty. Aliens remove a slice of the Earth’s surface for study, and encourage the residents to go elsewhere. This has the effect of leaving a mirage-like vision of the removed slice. The aliens bring it back, and all of the descendants originally from that area, the Romany or Gypsies, head back to the slice. I loved it. Reprints include the Laffety collection Nine Hundred Grandmothers, 1970 Ace Books. Rated 3.90/5, or “Great”.

“The Recognition“, a short story by J. G. Ballard. A man observes an unusual “circus” visiting his town, with hard to see occupants of cages. The two circus people, a young woman and a dwarf, are only in town overnight. No money is collected from any visitors. The man appears to recognize the cage inhabitants. I suspect they might be people, but it’s not clear to me. I like some things about this story, but it fails in some ways and is not great Ballard for me. The only reprint is the Ballard collection The Complete Short Stories, 2001 Flamingo. Rated 3.7/5, or “Great”.

“Judas“, a short story by John Brunner. A great story of a man who helped design and build an android God. He hopes to destroy God, but instead serves to further embed God as God. Reprints include the Brunner collection From This Day Forward, 1972 Doubleday, and Other Worlds, Other Gods: Adventures In Religious Science Fiction, Mayo Mohs editor, 1975 New English Library. Rated 3.8/5, or “Great”.

“Test to Destruction“, a novelette by Keith Laumer. In a dictatorship, Mallory is the leader of those about to revolt.  He is captured by the security police and put under extreme duress by an interrogation machine. He resists and comes to the attention of an advanced race who enter his brain to answer a question about humans. This alien intervention enables Mallory to resist and eventually overthrow the dictatorship, with him becoming the New Boss. This was interesting but not a great story, and I wonder about its inclusion. Reprints include the Laumer collection The Big Show, 1972 Ace Books. Rated 3.6/5, or “Very good”.

“Carcinoma Angels“, a short story by Norman Spinrad. I remember this story from long ago, but I’m unsure where I read it. A singular individual fights and beats cancer, kind of. This might be my favorite story by Spinrad. Reprints include the Spinrad collection The Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde, 1978 Nelson Doubleday/SFBC, and Cosmic Critiques: How & Why Ten Science Fiction Stories Work, Isaac Asimov, Ansen Dibell, & Martin H. Greenberg editors, 1990 Writer’s Digest Books. Rated 4.3/5, or “Superlative”.

“Auto-da-Fé“, a short story by Roger Zelazny. I struggle with how I feel about this story. A modern day toreador returns to the ring after dying twice. He defeats several cars, but finally loses. This occurs in a world where the narrator rides a horse, so there is an implication that cars are not the mass transit choice of today. I enjoyed the style, but it did not grab me. I am a huge Zelazny fan, but this is not one of his best for me. Reprints include Car Sinister, Martin Harry Greenberg, Joseph D. Olander, & Robert Silverberg editors, 1979 Avon, and the Zelazny collection The Last Defender of Camelot, 1980 Pocket Books. Rated 3.7/5, or “Very good”.

“Aye, and Gomorrah…”, a short story by Samuel R. Delany (Hugo Best Short Story finalist, and Nebula Award Short Story winner). A great story of neutered space people and frelk who love or lust them. This is an amazing story that packs a whole lot in. Reprints include Nebula Award Stories 3, Roger Zelazny editor, 1968 Gollancz, the Delany collection Driftglass, 1971 Nelson Doubleday/SFBC, and many, many others. Rated 4.1/5, or “Superlative”.