Dangerous Visions
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''Dangerous Visions'' is an
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
of
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
edited by American writer
Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave science fiction, New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. His published wo ...
and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. It was published in
1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
and contained 33 stories, none of which had been previously published. A path-breaking collection, ''Dangerous Visions'' helped define the New Wave science fiction movement, particularly in its depiction of sex in science fiction. Writer/editor Al Sarrantonio wrote that ''Dangerous Visions'' "almost single-handedly ..changed the way readers thought about science fiction." Contributors to the volume included 20 authors who had won, or would win, a Hugo,
Nebula A nebula (; or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral, or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regions, such as in the Pillars of Creation in ...
, World Fantasy, or BSFA award, and 16 with multiple such awards. Ellison introduced the anthology both collectively and individually while authors provided afterwords to their own stories.


Awards and nominations

The stories and the anthology itself were nominated for and received many awards. " Gonna Roll the Bones" by
Fritz Leiber Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ( ; December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Along with Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock, Leiber is one of the fathers of sword and sorcery. Life ...
received both a Hugo Award for Best Novelette and a Nebula Award for Best Novelette, whilst Philip K. Dick's " Faith of Our Fathers" was a nominee for the Hugo in the same category.
Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy fiction, fantasy novels and short story, short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for two sequences of novels, t ...
tied for the Hugo Award for Best Novella for " Riders of the Purple Wage". Samuel R. Delany won the Nebula for Best Short Story for " Aye, and Gomorrah..." Harlan Ellison received a special citation at the 26th World SF Convention for editing "the most significant and controversial SF book published in 1967."


Reception

"You should buy this book immediately",
Algis Budrys Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, copy editing, editor and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome in collaboration with Jerome ...
wrote, "because this is a book that knows perfectly well that you are seething inside". He especially praised " Sex and/or Mr. Morrison". Dave Langford reviewed ''Dangerous Visions'' for ''
White Dwarf A white dwarf is a Compact star, stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very density, dense: in an Earth sized volume, it packs a mass that is comparable to the Sun. No nuclear fusion takes place i ...
'' #94, and stated that it "poked at all SF's taboos, remains a quirky mix of achievement and hype, of stories still brilliantly fresh and stories already moribund two decades ago."


Sequels

The collection was followed by a larger 1972 sequel, '' Again, Dangerous Visions''. The projected third collection, '' The Last Dangerous Visions'', was started, but controversially remained unpublished for decades. The final book has become something of a legend as science fiction's most famous unpublished book. It was originally announced for publication in 1973, but other work demanded Ellison's attention and the anthology did not see print in his lifetime. He came under criticism for his treatment of some writers who submitted their stories to him, whom some estimate to number nearly 150 (and many of whom have died in the ensuing more than four decades since the anthology was first announced). In 1993 Ellison threatened to sue New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA) for publishing "Himself in Anachron", a short story written by Cordwainer Smith and sold to Ellison for the book by his widow, but later reached an amicable settlement. British SF author Christopher Priest critiqued Ellison's editorial practices in a widely disseminated article titled " The Book on the Edge of Forever". Priest documented a half-dozen instances in which Ellison promised ''TLDV'' would appear within a year of the statement, but did not fulfill those promises. Ellison had a record of fulfilling obligations in other instances, including to writers whose stories he solicited, and expressed outrage at other editors who have displayed poor practices. On May 2, 2022,
J. Michael Straczynski Joseph Michael Straczynski, known as J. Michael Straczynski (; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is known as the creator of the science fiction televi ...
, the executor of the Ellison estate, announced on Twitter that ''The Last Dangerous Visions'' would be published in 2023 by Blackstone Publishers. On Mar 25, 2024, Straczynski announced on Facebook that ''The Last Dangerous Visions'' would be available from Amazon on Oct. 1, 2024.


Contents

Illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon accompany each short story. *"Foreword 1 - The Second Revolution" by
Isaac Asimov Isaac Asimov ( ;  – April 6, 1992) was an Russian-born American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. H ...
*"Foreword 2 - Harlan and I" by Isaac Asimov *"Thirty-Two Soothsayers" (introduction) by Harlan Ellison *"Evensong" by Lester del Rey. This is described by its author as an
allegory As a List of narrative techniques, literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a wikt:narrative, narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political signi ...
. It details the capture of a being, identified at the end of the story as
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
, by
Man A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the f ...
, which has usurped God's power. *"Flies" by
Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is a prolific American science fiction author and editor. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo Award, Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a SFWA Grand ...
. It was inspired by a quote from ''
King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...
'': "As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods. They kill us for their sport." *" The Day After the Day the Martians Came" by
Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American list of science fiction authors, science-fiction writer, editor, and science fiction fandom, fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first ...
*" Riders of the Purple Wage" by
Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy fiction, fantasy novels and short story, short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for two sequences of novels, t ...
(
Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by th ...
for best
novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...
) *"The Malley System" by Miriam Allen deFord *" A Toy for Juliette" by
Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime fiction, crime, psychological horror fiction, horror and Fantasy Fiction, fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and ...
*" The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World" by
Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave science fiction, New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. His published wo ...
*" The Night That All Time Broke Out" by Brian W. Aldiss *"The Man Who Went to the Moon — Twice" by Howard Rodman *" Faith of Our Fathers" by Philip K. Dick *" The Jigsaw Man" by
Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His 1970 novel ''Ringworld'' won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus, Ditmar Award, Ditmar, and Nebula Award for Best Novel, Nebula award ...
*" Gonna Roll the Bones" by
Fritz Leiber Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ( ; December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Along with Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock, Leiber is one of the fathers of sword and sorcery. Life ...
( Hugo and
Nebula A nebula (; or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral, or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regions, such as in the Pillars of Creation in ...
awards for Best Novelette) *"Lord Randy, My Son" by Joe L. Hensley *" Eutopia" by Poul Anderson *"Incident in Moderan" and "The Escaping" by David R. Bunch *" The Doll-House" by James Cross (pseudonym of Hugh Jones Parry) *" Sex and/or Mr. Morrison" by Carol Emshwiller *" Shall the Dust Praise Thee?" by Damon Knight *" If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister?" by
Theodore Sturgeon Theodore Sturgeon (; born Edward Hamilton Waldo, February 26, 1918 – May 8, 1985) was an American author of primarily fantasy fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and Horror fiction, horror, as well as a critic. He wrote approximately 400 ...
*"What Happened to Auguste Clarot?" by Larry Eisenberg *"Ersatz" by Henry Slesar *"Go, Go, Go, Said the Bird" by Sonya Dorman *" The Happy Breed" by John Sladek *"Encounter with a Hick" by Jonathan Brand *"From the Government Printing Office" by Kris Neville *" Land of the Great Horses" by R. A. Lafferty *"The Recognition" by J. G. Ballard *" Judas" by John Brunner *"Test to Destruction" by Keith Laumer *"Carcinoma Angels" by
Norman Spinrad Norman Richard Spinrad (born September 15, 1940) is an American science fiction author, essayist, and critic. His fiction has won the Prix Apollo Award, Prix Apollo and been nominated for numerous awards, including the Hugo Award and multiple N ...
*" Auto-da-Fé" by Roger Zelazny *" Aye, and Gomorrah" by Samuel R. Delany (
Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), a nonprofit association of pr ...
for best short story, 1967)


References


External links

* * * {{Harlan Ellison 1967 anthologies Science fiction anthologies Works edited by Harlan Ellison Books with cover art by Leo and Diane Dillon Books illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon Doubleday (publisher) books