Last Dangerous Visions

A fascinating anthology of stories, many originally collected by Harlan Ellison but completed and released by J. Michael Straczynski. In an essay, Straczynski gives a summary of who was Harlan Ellison, his importance to the field of speculative fiction and why he never completed this anthology.

The anthology has changed, with some additional material acquired by Straczynski. But it is like an artifact from the past, created at a time when many of the stories would be considered cutting edge and 'dangerous': but released today, the anthology merely feels 'edgy', with startling but not dangerous stories. Even so, it is still an enjoyable anthology, with good stories by Stephen Dedman, Cecil Castellucci, A. E. van Vogt, Howard Fast, Adrian Tchaikovsky, P. C. Hodgell and Mildred Downey Broxon.

• “Assignment No. 1” by Stephen Robinett: a child discovers his grandfather is to be sent to a retirement home where he would be immersed in a virtual environment for the rest of his life. While the child does not understand his grandfather's words, he does know that his grandfather hates the idea.

• “Hunger” by Max Brooks: the leader of China sends a letter to the President of the United States, warning it from supporting Taiwan in a confrontation. In support of the warning, China describes the steps it has taken, using copyright infringement, fake news and disinformation, to bring down the US.

• "Intermezzo 1 : Broken, Beautiful Body on Beach" by D.M. Rowles: six 'things' fight over a body found on a beach.

• “None So Deaf” by Richard E. Peck: a man goes functionally deaf after the death of his wife. He goes on with his life, not hearing anything. But one day, an event occurs that would cause him to hear one kind of sound.

• “War Stories” by Edward Bryant: connected stories about a future war machine: genetically engineered sharks. They patrol the oceans for their enemy. But to a shark, almost any human can be an enemy.

• "Intermezzo 2: Bedtime" by D.M. Rowles: on how science came about, as told to children in the future.

• “The Great Forest Lawn Clearance Sale—Hurry, Last Days!!” by Stephen Dedman: dead people can be resurrected into the bodies of the brain-dead. Among those resurrected is Jesus, who now appears on talk shows with a popular evangelical. But a murder in the company that does the resurrection reveals that all is not right with the resurrected Jesus; if he is Jesus.

• "Intermezzo 3: Even beyond Olympus" by D.M. Rowles: a boy shows what he can create with his hand.

• “After Taste” by Cecil Castellucci: a food critic goes to a little known planet to taste its cuisine for a galactic version of the Michelin Guide. Before tasting the food, she gets to know one member of the aliens and finds herself developing an emotional relationship with the alien. This would turn out to be important when she tries the food at a restaurant and discovers how they breed.

• “Leveled Best” by Steve Herbst: a political prisoner prepares himself for interrogation by the government. He knows he may well lose his mind, but he hopes to keep enough about himself intact to pass on the need to rebel to the next person.

• “The Time of the Skin” by A. E. van Vogt: a group of aliens gathers at a spaceport where a VIP is passing through. These aliens have the ability to hypnotise others, but the purpose of the gathering is not known, even to the security personnel who seek them, but it involves their ability to 'change' their skin.

• “Rundown” by John Morressy: a brief story of a future where things are breaking down and coming apart, with one person at the centre of it all.

• "Intermezzo 4: Elemental" by D.M. Rowles: what a woman saw inside a display.

• “The Weight of a Feather (The Weight of a Heart)” by Cory Doctorow: a man is sent to a rehabilitation town for unstated crimes. It is while he is there, and through his conversations with others, that we get an idea of the heinous crimes he committed against others, and what he needs to do.

• “The Malibu Fault” by Jonathan Fast: a screenwriter wanders along Malibu, waiting for an event that would forever change its character.

• “The Size of the Problem” by Howard Fast: a patient at a psychiatrist's office talks about the problems he has with ants while informing the psychiatrist that he is part of the patient's dream. A twist at the end provides a change of perspective to the story.

• "Intermezzo 5: First contact" by D.M. Rowle: a woman startles an alien in her house.

• “A Night at the Opera” by Robert Wissner: people settle down to hear what the composer has to say about his opera that about to be performed. What they hear is an opera that may be a comedy or a tragedy, and will definitely change some lives.

• “Goodbye” by Steven Utley: a man is convinced that his lover is not from his time.

• “Primordial Follies” by Robert Sheckley: the first primordial carnivore born is devouring the universe. It would need some multidimensional tinkering to halt its progress; for now.

• “Men in White” by David Brin: about the opposites of the Men in Black, who try in vain to warn humanity.

• “Intermezzo 6: Continuity” by D. M. Rowles: on life on a distant world, with late delivery.

• “The Final Pogrom” by Dan Simmons: a rather realistic portrayal of the implementation of the Final Solution to the Jewish problem, along with the conspiracy-like involvement of a virus that may have given rise to Anti-Semitism. In secret, a vaccine is developed; but the cure may be worse than the disease.

• “Intermezzo 7: The Space Behind the Obvious” by D. M. Rowles: a rat powers off the world.

• “Falling from Grace” by Ward Moore: in a future where computers have stopped working and 'researchers' struggle to interpret whatever writings they can find, two people consider having a relationship, with a 'magic' pill that can prevent pregnancy, or so they hope.

• “First Sight” by Adrian Tchaikovsky: first contact with an alien race goes badly when an innocent question causes a genocide. But that may not be the end of the question of who is really an alien.

• “Intermezzo 8: Proof” by D. M. Rowles: on what it takes to prove something is real.

• “Binary System” by Kayo Hartenbaum: a lighthouse keeper in space reflects on his life, alone in the lighthouse, and whether he wants to return to civilisation in the end.

• “Dark Threshold” by P. C. Hodgell: a touching story of a young girl who loses her beloved cat. She searches for it all over the house and gardens, except for one room that is always kept locked. Then she is told that the cat has gone behind the door, along with all the things she knows have been lost. But then, she is giving the opportunity to see exactly what is behind that locked door.

• “The Danann Children Laugh” by Mildred Downey Broxon: an English nurse visits the house of an Irish couple to find out why they did not send their son to school. There, she discovers that the Irish couple believe that he has been 'taken away' by The Good Folk, leaving behind only his body. The nurse does not believe the story and tries to arrange for the boy to be taken care of in a home. But then, it is revealed to her the truth behind the story.

• “Judas Iscariot Didn’t Kill Himself: A Story in Fragments” by James S. A. Corey: a small cultist colony finds itself behind torn apart when a member is found to be holding on to items considered very Not Safe For Work: or for Home. Then it is revealed that the person may not be whom the others think he is, in a society where people can 'change skins' whenever they like.