Again, Dangerous Visions
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- Create Date：2023-11-07 07:21:41
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Harlan Ellison
- ISBN：B0CLFPPK8Z
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Reviews
Nathan Anderson
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Short Fiction September: Book #4I bought an original copy of Dangerous Visions years back after one of my relatives mentioned it when we were talking about books （Thanks Uncle Ray！） and it more or less jumpstarted my love for the New Wave SFF movement of the 60s and 70s。 I found its first followup， Again， Dangerous Visions a few years ago after becoming more acquainted with authors associated with said movement-- namely Ursula Le Guin， Gene Wolfe and M。 John Harrison， among others。 Needless to s Short Fiction September: Book #4I bought an original copy of Dangerous Visions years back after one of my relatives mentioned it when we were talking about books （Thanks Uncle Ray！） and it more or less jumpstarted my love for the New Wave SFF movement of the 60s and 70s。 I found its first followup， Again， Dangerous Visions a few years ago after becoming more acquainted with authors associated with said movement-- namely Ursula Le Guin， Gene Wolfe and M。 John Harrison， among others。 Needless to say， this is a great collection overall-- I *might* prefer the first DV installment more， but this one also has more authors in it that I consider as favorites。 Highlights include Le Guin's The Word for World is Forest-- a scathing criticism of military expeditions and the inevitable erasure of indigenous culture。。。 Gene Wolfe's Mathoms from the Time Closet-- a trio of very short stories concerning robotics and artificial constructs in rather unusual ways。。。 Ray Bradbury's longform poem， Christ， Old Student in a New School。。。 and M。 John Harrison's viscerally weird and grotesque but beautifully written short， Lamia Mutable。 。。。more
Darrell
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Again， Dangerous Visions， published in 1972， was the follow up to the successful anthology Dangerous Visions。 Each story has an introduction written by Ellison and an afterword written by the author。 In some cases， the introduction and afterword are longer than the story itself。 In many of the introductions， Ellison tells us a third anthology in the series titled The Last Dangerous Visions is going to be published soon， and even shares the names of some of the authors who will appear。 Alas， this Again， Dangerous Visions， published in 1972， was the follow up to the successful anthology Dangerous Visions。 Each story has an introduction written by Ellison and an afterword written by the author。 In some cases， the introduction and afterword are longer than the story itself。 In many of the introductions， Ellison tells us a third anthology in the series titled The Last Dangerous Visions is going to be published soon， and even shares the names of some of the authors who will appear。 Alas， this third volume was never published during his lifetime。 I get the impression Ellison wanted to include every prominent science fiction author of the time in these three volumes， but wasn't able to pull it off since new writers kept coming along。 （Ellison's executor， J。 Michael Straczynski， announced plans to publish a slimmed-down version of The Last Dangerous Visions in 2020， but it still hasn't seen the light of day as of this writing。）With 46 stories， each with its own introduction and afterword， Again， Dangerous Visions is quite a hefty volume。 The stories were written in the late 1960s and early 1970s and certainly show their age， especially in how female characters are treated。 Male authors outnumber female authors about 5 to 1。 The Dangerous Visions series was meant to showcase stories which couldn't get published in traditional venues due to shocking content， however， with a few exceptions， these read like normal sci-fi stories you could read anywhere。 Maybe they were shocking by 1970s standards？There's a lot of big name writers included。 Some were big names at the time and others became big names later。 I personally rank 17 of these stories as above average， 7 as average， and 22 as below average， but of course， your own rankings will vary。 I won't review all 46 stories， just the ones that stood out to me。One of the worst stories in the collection is "In the Barn" by Piers Anthony。 A man travels to a parallel universe in which human woman are milked like cows。 Our "hero" even has non-consensual sex with one of them。 Charming。Another of the worst stories is "And the Sea Like Mirrors" by Gregory Benford。 A man and woman are adrift on a life raft surrounded by alien creatures in the water。 The man routinely beats the woman for being stupid but he's supposed to be the hero of the story。In his introduction to "Bed Sheets are White" by Evelyn Lief， Ellison tells us Lief was a writing student of his。 After she wrote a bad story， he threatened to beat her and shove the story up her ass if she wrote another horrible story like it。 She left the room crying and immediately wrote this story， which was so good he bought it。 Was Ellison trying to be funny by telling us this or does he think threatening writing students is the best way to get them to write better？ Ellison looks bad either way。In Kurt Vonnegut， Jr。's contribution， Earth is doomed due to pollution， overpopulation， and many extinct species。 Swearing is no longer considered bad and everyone does it。 The people of Earth fire a rocket full of jizzum into space in order to continue the human race。 In this world， children can sue parents for not raising them right。 It's kind of funny， I guess， but it reads like it was written by a twelve-year-old。 Definitely one of the subpar stories in this collection。K。 M。 O’Donnell's "Still-Life" focuses on the domestic problems of an astronaut。 He has non-consensual sex with his wife and assaults the babysitter， but neither of these acts is portrayed as a bad thing。 Overall， an average story。Another average story， Leonard Tushnet's "In Re Glover"， at least made me think。 The Supreme Court tries to decide if a cryogenically frozen man should be considered alive or dead， but the case is rendered moot when a power outage kills him。 I can't help wondering what would happen if this came up in real life。 Should a person in suspended animation be considered legally dead or not？Ben Bova's "Zero Gee" is another average story in which an astronaut assigned to go to space with a photographer is looking forward to being the first man to have sex in zero g。 However， he first has to deal with a a second woman assigned to the mission who might stand in his way。 It didn't end up being as bad as I thought it would be。"Ching Witch！" by Ross Rocklynne was a fun story。 The only man to survive the destruction of Earth travels to the planet Zephyrus where he's an instant celebrity。 He doesn't tell them Earth has been destroyed， just that Earth doesn't hold a grudge against them anymore。 The teenagers of the planet want to know the latest Earth slang and dances。 They ride low gravity brooms for fun。 There's a lot of funny parts。 It's a bit creepy that he's into teenage girls， though。"Time Travel for Pedestrians" by Ray Nelson is one of the few stories a traditional outlet wouldn't have published due to its sex， violence， cussing， and sacrilegious nature。 I didn't think much of it until the end which made me like it。 It's a reincarnation story。 The narrator lives several lives。 Mary Magdalene expressed the interesting idea that if Jesus wanted a book written about him， he would have written it himself。 There's no need for a book when God can speak directly to us。 Those who love a book more than God are able to justify committing all manner of atrocities。H。 H。 Hollis is a lawyer and his story "Stoned Counsel" has a science fiction legal setting。 The narrator's opponent is defending a company responsible for pollution。 Hallucinogens are used in court to learn the truth。 Opposing lawyers share a hallucination full of trippy images。 Fascinating。Bernard Wolfe provided two stories。 "Biscuit Position" isn't a science fiction story at all， but rather literary fiction。 In it， a war reporter flirts with a married woman and discusses the Vietnam War at a dinner party。 A dog dies a gruesome， drawn-out death which will stick with you for a while。 The characters exchange witty repartee throughout， but I thought it was poor taste when the narrator said something witty about the dead dog。His second story， "The Girl With Rapid Eye Movements"， features a creative writing teacher who has trouble relating to his stoner student who wants to write rock lyrics。 Their discussions are reminiscent of the dialog in Philip K。 Dick's Through a Scanner Darkly。 It's really fun。 Two characters have the ability to influence each other's dreams when they sleep in proximity to each other （I think a machine is also involved somehow）。 The author claims this isn't a science fiction story even though it clearly is。 （What's realistic about two different people sharing the same dream？） In his afterword， the author bad mouths scientists and science fiction authors for being slaves to capitalism。 It seems strange to bad mouth sci-fi in a sci-fi anthology。I quite liked "Eye of the Beholder" by Burt K。 Filer in which a sculptor's artistic work is used to achieve weightlessness。 Art gets turned into science， which is a neat idea。In "Moth Race" by Richard Hill， people are able to vicariously experience what celebrities eat and drink。 They can even experience sex vicariously， but it's not exactly the same as the real thing。 People take pills that keep them happy and also keep them from being prejudiced。 Everyone in the world has enough to eat， a sexual partner， and a comfortable life， but not everyone gets to have children。 Normal people's food is not as good as what celebrities get。 People compete in a death race for a chance to become a celebrity， but only one man has ever lived through it。 A good story。James Blish （with Judith Ann Lawrence） wrote "Getting Along" which details the erotic adventures of a woman who visits various relatives who turn out to be a vampire， Dr。 Frankenstein， Dr。 Moreau， a Lovecraftian horror， etc。 It's funny in places。In his introduction to "The Milk of Paradise" by James Tiptree， Jr。， Ellison says he saved the best story for last。 （It's the last story in the collection， however I'm reviewing them out-of-order， saving my favorite stories for the end of my review。） Ellison says Tiptree is the man to beat， a shoo-in for the Hugo Award。 （He didn't know at the time that Tiptree was a pseudonym for female writer Alice Sheldon， which amuses me。） The story itself is about a man raised by aliens who is disgusted by humans。 However， he finds going home isn't what he remembered either。 It's a pretty good story。The title for Gahan Wilson's story is a picture of a spot or inkblot。 A man discovers a stain in his house that disappears when you stop looking at it， but reappears somewhere else， bigger than it was before。 It appears to be two dimensional， but actually has depth。 Spooky。"Chuck Berry， Won't You Please Come Home" by Ken McCullough has a narrator who keeps bugs as pets。 He once walked a wasp around on a thread which， started a fad at his school。 In the present， he's feeding a tick he named Chuck Berry from a cadaver which gave him a wink。 He gives the tick drugs and it grows big。 His writing style reminded me of William S。 Burroughs。I was surprised to find Dean R。 Koontz had a story in this collection。 It's titled "A Mouse in the Walls of the Global Village"。 In the story， empathy circuits installed in the brain make everyone telepathic， except for a few who are called Stunted。 Even in utopia， some unfortunates will fall through the cracks and get discriminated against。 It's really well written。"Ozymandias" by Terry Carr is another one of the good stories。 To protect against grave robbers， cryogenically frozen people are placed in tombs rigged with traps。 Superstitious grave robbers think they need to dance in a certain way to avoid the traps。 Great world building。In "The Funeral" by Kate Wilhelm， 14-year-old Carla has never seen a male before and has no last name。 She is considered property of the state。 She is a student in a school， assigned to become a teacher。 This story has really impressive world building， revealing how things work a little at a time。 Creepy。 In her afterword， Wilhelm complains that store clerks and soda jerks serve middle-aged people before teenagers who were waiting longer。 I hadn't realized discrimination against teenagers like this was a thing。Earthlings colonize a planet called New Tahiti in "The Word for World is Forest" by Ursula K。 Le Guin。 Many animals back on Earth have gone extinct and the colonists are cutting down trees and making animals go extinct on this new planet。 Evolution on New Tahiti happened similarly to how it happened on Earth， but the humans died out on this planet。 Green monkeys called creechies are the closest thing this planet has to humans。 The creechies are used for slave labor and sex。 They don't require sleep because they dream while they're awake。 The story alternates between different points of view: a human in favor of colonization， a creechie， and a human opposed to colonization。 Le Guin does a great job of writing from different points of view。 The principle conflict， that humans don't have lumber on Earth， doesn't make a lot of sense， but I suppose lumber is just a stand in for resources in general。 One of the best stories in this collection。 Despite Ellison predicting a different story in this collection would get the award， this story won the Hugo Award for Best Novella。"When it Changed" by Joanna Russ won the Nebula Award for Best Short Story。 In the introduction to this story， Ellison admits that he was a male chauvinist in the past， calls out a fellow sci-fi writer for being a chauvinist， and declares "the best writers in sf today are the women。" （Which makes you wonder why he included so few women in this collection。） He also praises the women's lib movement and declares， "I see more kindness and rationality in the average woman than in the average man。" This surprised me， since every story in Ellison's collection "I Have No Mouth， and I Must Scream" was quite sexist。 Although， to be fair， that was written a few years before this。 Russ's story takes place on a planet in which all the men died 30 generations ago。 The women live in a steam-powered， agricultural， honor-based society in which duels are common。 A group of men from Earth arrive and want to reintroduce men to the planet。 The narrator feels small for the first time in her life since the men are bigger than her。 The men are clearly sexist， but claim sexual equality has been reestablished on Earth。 This story has great characterization。 I loved this line: "When one culture has the big guns and the other has none， there is a certain predictability about the outcome。" In her afterword， Russ mentions that men get served on airplanes before women。 It's easy to forget how many ways society has progressed over the years。 。。。more
Tim
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This is a big collection of short stories。 It felt never ending。 All the introductions and after-words bulked it up too， so excellent value for money。The Red Barn is the most unhinged， but all too accessible， of the stories。 In the year since I started reading this most of the others have already faded from memory。 Some need more cogitation than just turning the page to start the next story - I needed time to think through more than just "that was weird"。 Some needed less thinking as a product o This is a big collection of short stories。 It felt never ending。 All the introductions and after-words bulked it up too， so excellent value for money。The Red Barn is the most unhinged， but all too accessible， of the stories。 In the year since I started reading this most of the others have already faded from memory。 Some need more cogitation than just turning the page to start the next story - I needed time to think through more than just "that was weird"。 Some needed less thinking as a product of when they were written in the late 1960s and early 1970s。 。。。more
L
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- The Counterpoint of View （John Heidenry）: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Ching Witch！ （Ross Rocklynne）: 😶- The Word for World Is Forest （Ursula K。 Le Guin）: 😶- For Value Received （Andrew J。 Offutt）: ⭐️⭐️- Mathoms from the Time Closet （Gene Wolfe）: ⭐️⭐️？- Time Travel for Pedestrians （Ray Nelson）: 😶- Christ， Old Student in a New School （Ray Bradbury）: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- King of the Hill （Chad Oliver）: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- The 10:00 Report is Brought to You By。。。 （Edward Bryant）: 😶- The Funeral （Kate Wilhelm）: 😶- Harry the Hare （James - The Counterpoint of View （John Heidenry）: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- Ching Witch！ （Ross Rocklynne）: 😶- The Word for World Is Forest （Ursula K。 Le Guin）: 😶- For Value Received （Andrew J。 Offutt）: ⭐️⭐️- Mathoms from the Time Closet （Gene Wolfe）: ⭐️⭐️？- Time Travel for Pedestrians （Ray Nelson）: 😶- Christ， Old Student in a New School （Ray Bradbury）: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- King of the Hill （Chad Oliver）: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- The 10:00 Report is Brought to You By。。。 （Edward Bryant）: 😶- The Funeral （Kate Wilhelm）: 😶- Harry the Hare （James B。 Hemesath）: ⭐️⭐️- When It Changed （Joanna Russ）: ⭐️⭐️ （R）- The Big Space Fuck （Kurt Vonnegut， Jr。）: ⭐️- Bounty （T。 L。 Sherred）: ⭐️✨？- Still-Life （Barry N。 Malzberg [as K。M。 O'Donnell]）: 😶- Stoned Counsel （H。H。 Hollis）: 😶- Monitored Dreams and Strategic Cremations （Bernard Wolfe）: 😶- With a Finger in My I （David Gerrold）: ⭐️⭐️⭐️？- In the Barn （Piers Anthony）: 😶- Soundless Evening （Lee Hoffman）: ⭐️⭐️⭐️- █ （Gahan Wilson）: ？- The Test-Tube Creature， Afterward （Joan Bernott）: ⭐️⭐️？- And the Sea Like Mirrors （Gregory Benford）: 😶- Bed Sheets Are White （Evelyn Lief）: ⭐️⭐️？- Tissue （James Sallis）: 😶- Elouise and the Doctors of the Planet Pergamon （Josephine Saxton）: ⭐️⭐️？- Chuck Berry， Won't You Please Come Home？ （Ken McCullough）: ⭐️⭐️？- Epiphany for Aliens （David Kerr）: 😶- Eye of the Beholder （Burt K。 Filer）: 😶- Moth Race （Richard Hill）: 😶- In re Glover （Leonard Tushnet）: 😶- Zero Gee （Ben Bova）: 😶- A Mouse in the Walls of the Global Village （Dean R。 Koontz）: 😶- Getting Along （James Blish and Judith A。 Lawrence）: 😶- Totenbüch （A。 Parra （y Figueredo））: 😶- Things Lost （Thomas M。 Disch）: 😶- With the Bentfin Boomer Boys on Little Old New Alabama （Richard A。 Lupoff）: 😶- Lamia Mutable （M。 John Harrison）: 😶- Last Train to Kankakee （Robin Scott Wilson）: 😶- Empire of the Sun （Andrew Weiner）: ⭐️⭐️？- Ozymandias （Terry Carr）: 😶- The Milk of Paradise （James Tiptree， Jr。）: 😶 。。。more
Skallagrimsen
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Please see The Glass Teat by Harlan Ellison。
Luke Dylan Ramsey
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Overall grade: B+/A-Video review: https://youtu。be/-V8QSmgXbekI actually enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed Dangerous Visions。 I think Dangerous Visions is still in print， while this one is not。 I also think dangerous visions is more widely read today than its sequel， which is a shame。 There are more big names in DV than in ADV but the overall quality of the stories was better and there was a higher percentage of enjoyable and actually dangerous stories。DV really leaned in on being religiousl Overall grade: B+/A-Video review: https://youtu。be/-V8QSmgXbekI actually enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed Dangerous Visions。 I think Dangerous Visions is still in print， while this one is not。 I also think dangerous visions is more widely read today than its sequel， which is a shame。 There are more big names in DV than in ADV but the overall quality of the stories was better and there was a higher percentage of enjoyable and actually dangerous stories。DV really leaned in on being religiously blasphemous， while this one did not really have near as many stories with that focus。 I think there were more big names in DV but ADV had some of my favorite authors like Gene Wolfe and Ursuka K Le Guin and Vonnegut， whereas the only author I am obsessive about from DV is JG Ballard。Ellison’s introductions were again kinda annoying and presumptuous and pretentious。 Some of them were somewhat useful but most of them were basically just filler and platforms for Ellison to brag about either being friends with the author or having taught the author。 There were more women included in this one。 This is a good thing。 I’m unsure of how many people of color were included but there are at least two stories written by Jewish authors。Anthologies are always going to be somewhat hit or miss and I can’t think of an anthology where I enjoyed every single story。Overall there are few very few misses in this book and a lot of solid stories。 Some of the stories are spectacular， though， and the highs of this book are higher than DV or any other anthology I have read。 Favorites1 the word for world is forest - Ursula k Le guin 2 With the Bentfin Boomer Boys on Little Old New Alabama"， novella by Richard A。 Lupoff3 Time Travel for Pedestrians - Ray Nelson4 [A spot]， by Gahan Wilson 5 Bed Sheets Are White"， by Evelyn Lief6 The Big Space Fuck"， by Kurt Vonnegut7 For Value Received - Andy offutt8 Stoned Counsel"， by H。 H。 Hollis9 When It Changed"， by Joanna Russ10 Still-Life"， by Barry N。 Malzberg （as K。 M。 O'Donnell）Least favorites1 "Christ， Old Student in a New School"， poem by Ray Bradbury2 Totenbüch"， by Albert Parra， as A。 Parra （y Figueredo） 3 In the Barn"， by Piers Anthony4 Chuck Berry， Won't You Please Come Home"， by Ken McCullough5 Harry the Hare"， by James B。 HemesathIndividual stories1 Keynote: The Counterpoint of View - John Heidenry - B/B+Really just a Borges pastiche， which it wears on its sleeve。 Too short to really have much of an impact。 Kinda an odd keynote or intro given that there is only one other metafictional story in the book。2 Ching-Witch by Ross Rocklynne - B/B+Solid story。 Seems like a commentary on youth culture in the late 60s and early 70s and how quickly fads pass。 Kinda reads like old white guy wish fulfillment。 3 The Word for World is Forest - Ursula k Le guin - A/A+I did a stand alone video for this novella。 I had read it once before separate from ADV。 at heart it’s a piece of protest literature that seems to condemn the Vietnam War。 Basically a companion piece to Lathe of Heaven。 Check out my other video for more about the book。 4 For Value Received - Andy offutt - A-/AAbout a girl being born。 she lives in the hospital until she is in her 20s because her parents found their hospital bill exorbitant。 A send up of health insurance and non socialized health care and how ridiculous health care costs are in this country。5 Mathoms From the Time Closet - Gene Wolfe - B+/A- - comprises "Robot's Story"， "Against The Lafayette Escadrille"， and "Loco Parentis"3 flash fiction pieces all dealing with time travel in one way or another。 That being said， the stories read like literary fiction rather than sci fi。 Typical Wolfe: literary and inventive but not as spectacular as some of his other books and stories。 6 Time Travel for Pedestrians - Ray Nelson - A-/AA fucking trip。 Super trippy and very dangerous。 I have to imagine that this one caused a stir。 Seems to describe a drug trip caused by something like datura or morning glory seeds， which are both very strong deliriant。 The narrator jumps around in time experiencing a variety of different scenarios， mainly focusing on various types of western mysticism。 I’ve seen it described as past life regression but that’s not clear in the story。 A mixture of druggy montage and spiritual exploration。 I wish this one was a novel length story。 Apparently Nelson wrote the story that They Live is based on。 7 "Christ， Old Student in a New School"， poem by Ray Bradbury - FDidnt even finish this one。 Why was a poem even included？ I didn’t understand this one or why it was included。8 King of the Hill"， by Chad Oliver - B/B+Seems to predict climate change and some of its effects。 Only somewhat prescient。 The story concerns overpopulation and rampant extinction。 The story does meander some。 I found it inventive and well-executed。9 "The 10:00 Report is Brought to You By。。。"， by Edward Bryant - B/B+The story is about a news station paying to be the first to report a story by paying criminals to commit crimes then documenting the crimes。 There is a rape scene in this one， which is quite haunting。 Seems like a precursor to stuff like Nightcrawler。 One of the more dangerous visions in this book。10 "The Funeral"， by Kate Wilhelm - B+/A-I found this story to be fairly mysterious and difficult to pin down。 Seems like a reaction to the hippie youth movement and a parody of the 1950s in America。 What I’ve read of Wilhelm seems like it was pretty influential in the sci fi genre。 11 "Harry the Hare"， by James B。 Hemesath - C+/B-A flash fiction piece。 Seems like an ode to cartoons， also a commentary on copyright law。 I was kinda unsure of what was going on in this story。 There is some gore and violence but it’s not a particularly dangerous vision。 12 "When It Changed"， by Joanna Russ （Nebula Award for Best Short Story） - B+/A-About a colonized planet where men have gone extinct and there have only been women for hundreds of years。 Men from Earth show up and fuck up the status quo。 The story kinda subverts the expectations of someone who has just heard the summary， though。 13 "The Big Space Fuck"， by Kurt Vonnegut - A-/AThe tone and plot of this story are very Vonnegut。 It’s like it is almost logical， but not quite。 About earth going to shit and humanity trying to artificially inseminate the universe。 The story reminded me of Ariana Grande’s song “NASA”。 14 "Bounty"， by T。 L。 Sherred - B/B+About vigilantism being legalized and rewarded monetarily， so people bait others into crimes that they can be rewarded for violently stopping。 People also kill themselves so their families will get paid。 Short and disturbing and misanthropic。15 "Still-Life"， by Barry N。 Malzberg （as K。 M。 O'Donnell） - B+/A-About an astronaut slowly going crazy and eventually leaving 2 other astronauts on the moon and going home。 The main character rapes his wife in the story’s opening。 The main character is basically a villain: short tempered and self centered。 Seems like a commentary on how bureaucracy drives you crazy， as he really doesn’t like how nasa tells him not to swear during his mission to the moon。 16 "Stoned Counsel"， by H。 H。 Hollis - B+/A-This story is trippy and vivid and super inventive。 It reminded me of an adult version of adventure time。 It’s about 2 lawyers doing drugs and then mind melding as they fight over a legal case。 It’s almost a climate fiction story as well。 17 "Monitored Dreams and Strategic Cremations"， by Bernard Wolfe—comprises "The Bisquit Position" and "The Girl With Rapid Eye Movements" - B/B+Two stories connected by them both having the same main character。 The first story is about a rich journalist helping a woman with a husky cheat on her husband， who is heavily tied up in the military industrial complex。 The dog accidentally dies in a demonstration of the effects of napalm。 It reminded me of Joan Didion’s play it as it lays。 The second story is concerned with incomprehensible rock lyrics and how dreams affect reality。 Seems to parody songs like “In A Gadda Da Vida”。 The story is much more playful and absurd than the first one。 Both seem to protest the vietnam war and capitalism。 Some parts are really funny。 18 "With A Finger in My I"， by David Gerrold - B/B+Maybe a B-/B。 It’s a lot like Borges’ tlon uqbar story。 Mass hysteria and hallucinations， how the quirks of our perceptions color the world around us。 Too peculiar to be incisive and rather unfocused。19 "In the Barn"， by Piers Anthony - C+/B-This one is a dangerous vision。 It is also pretty damn disgusting。 It’s basically about vegetarianism and veganism and how we would never treat humans like we treat people。 Kinda reminded me of Michel Faber’s Under the Skin。 20 "Soundless Evening"， by Lee Hoffman - B/B+Solid and rather innocuous。 Basically about a society with limits on how many children you can have。 You can still have as many babies as you want but they are killed at the age of 5 if you have more than two。 It’s too short and low stakes to really affect you emotionally。 21 [A spot]， by Gahan Wilson - A-/AReally fucking good。 Inventive and silly and absurd。 A simple idea but it’s very well executed。 Basically about a spot on a wall growing and eventually consuming everything。 Almost an A/A+ but just a bit too short to have that kind of impact on me。 22 "The Test-Tube Creature， Afterward"， by Joan Bernott - B/B+A piece of flash fiction。 About a genetically engineered pet that other causing or stopping its owners suicide。 It reeks of depression and anhedonia。 Definitely a dangerous vision。 23 "And the Sea Like Mirrors"， by Gregory Benford -B/B+Pretty close to a B+/A- but way too misogynistic。 stated to be a response to Heinlein’s competent man。 Reminded me of the show Yellowjackets and the book the Kar Chee reign。 A literary thriller， sf-lite。 It explores madness and toxic masculinity。24 "Bed Sheets Are White"， by Evelyn Lief - A-/AReminded me of the long walk by Richard Bachman slash Stephen king。 It is hallucinatory and very of its time。 Some of it is about white nationalism， some of it seems like a dream sequence。 Short and sweet and no excess language。 Seems like it’s a memory but it couldn’t be， as the world of the story is completely alien， 25 "Tissue"， by James Sallis—comprises "At the Fitting Shop" and "53rd American Dream" - B-/BThot these were just fine。 The first story is about a teenage boy getting lost in a department store shopping for a new penis。 The second story is about the highs and lows of parenting。 Lot of shock value and subversion in this one。 26 Elouise And The Doctors of the Planet Pergamon"， by Josephine Saxton - B+/A-A haunting and and disgusting visceral story。 Kinda ballardian， as it’s the closest thing to the atrocity exhibition I’ve ever read， besides gravitys rainbow。 About a perfectly healthy woman on a planet where everyone has grotesque disabilities and horrible illnesses。 Kinda like a Beckett play。 27 "Chuck Berry， Won't You Please Come Home"， by Ken McCullough - C+/B-Too low stakes for me。 Not really dangerous and not really sci fi。 It’s about a guy growing a tick to a humongous size。 Very stylized and repetitive。28 "Epiphany For Aliens"， by David Kerr - B/B+About a team of scientists that discover a group of Neanderthals that are still alive in Europe。 It has its own logic。 The woman who sacrifices herself for science seems like a stand in for bleeding heart liberal types。 Perhaps somewhat racist。29 "Eye of the Beholder"， by Burt K。 Filer - B/B+About an artist who creates sculptures that are mathematically impossible， as they defy the rules of gravity。 The cia and a female scientist are quite interested in creating an insterstellar engine from the sculptures。 It reminded me of Ballard’s early stories and explores the differences between art and science， 30 Moth Race"， by Richard Hill- B+/A-This story is seemingly about a utopia where everyone is given everything they need by the government。 A man goes to watch a race where the drivers have to survive racing around a track with randomly generated obstacles。 The only one to ever conquer the track is called the champion and he lives like a modern celebrity。 The main character is part of the race’s audience and drunkenly tries to participate in the race。 31 "In Re Glover"， by Leonard Tushnet - B/B+Solid and vaguely funny story， comedic but not hilarious。 Somewhat kafkaesque， in that it portrays endless and convoluted bureaucracies。 It is more or less about the legal ramifications of cryogenesis tech。 Could’ve been more in depth。 32 "Zero Gee"， by Ben Bova - B-/BAbout a male astronaut trying to be the first human being to have sex in outer space。 The woman he is supposed to fuck is a time life photographer， a civilian in a nasa space station。 Too long and technical and meandering。 Not very exciting as a story。 33 A Mouse in the Walls of the Global Village"， by Dean R。 Koontz - B/B+This is the only thing I’ve ever read by Koontz。 I didn’t realize he wrote sci fi。 The story is about a world where almost everyone can communicate telepathically and centers on one of the few who has to communicate normally。 His life is quite hellish， as he is beat up and abused for making sounds。 The narrator sometimes can’t stop himself from screaming and crying。 A visceral story。34 Getting Along"， by James Blish and Judith Ann Lawrence - B/B+A series of 9 letters detailing a woman’s super odd family and her search for a home。 It apparently parodies 9 or 10 different genre fiction authors， which I wouldn’t have realized if not for Ellison’s intro to the story。 The concept and idea of the story are better than the actual execution。 Seems somewhat random and weird for the sake of being weird。35 Totenbüch"， by Albert Parra， as A。 Parra （y Figueredo） - D+/C-I didn’t understand this story at all。 I found it confusing and faux deep and random and unfocused。 I had no idea what was going on or what I was supposed to take away。36 Things Lost"， by Thomas M。 Disch - B+/A-I didn’t understand what the point of the story was but I enjoyed it a lot。 It’s about a generation ship populated by old immortal people。 It’s ostensibly the journal of a scientist whose claim to fame is mapping the genome of mice。 He is an amateur author who wants to start writing a novel。 There’s a lot of references to Proust。 Breezy and low stakes。 37 With the Bentfin Boomer Boys on Little Old New Alabama"， novella by Richard A。 Lupoff - A-/AI really hated this story at first but I grew to love it。 I didnt understand ellison comparing it to riders of the purple wage until a while into the story but that is actually a pretty good comparison。 Parts of it are written in a mixture of good ol boy talk and phonetic spelling like in finnegans wake。 It’s basically about a war between the planets New Alabama and New Haiti， although there’s a lot of more details than that， as there are zombies and some avatar type stuff。 A supremely odd story but it is super inventive and consistently surprising。 38 "Lamia Mutable"， by M John Harrison - B-/BI’m not sure I understood this story。 It seems somewhat random， also apocalyptic。 Just okay， maybe too referential and reliant on allusions。 Kinda disappointing as I have heard really good things about the author。39 Last Train to Kankakee"， by Robin Scott - B/B+About a con artist who dies and gets frozen and then reincarnated。 He can’t find a purpose and kills himself multiple times， and eventually succeeds。 His cells are then spread into the universe。 Solid and low stakes。 Does mention rape and murder。 40 "Empire of the Sun"， by Andrew Weiner - B+/A-A hallucinatory montage that plays by its own rules。 About a man drafted into a war on mars where he is really just fighting other conscripts from earth。 The war might be meant to lower earths population。 Parts of it are a dream sequence I think。 Solid story。41 "Ozymandias"， by Terry Carr - B/B+Post apocalyptic tomb robbers journey to an area like the valley of the kings in Egypt。 Once there they loot a vault。 I didn’t necessarily understand why this one was so long and why some stuff was included。 There were some cool details tho。 Pretty solid story。42 "The Milk of Paradise"， by James Tiptree， Jr B/B+I feel similarly about this one as to how I felt about the story by the author included in nova 2 （and I have come upon this place by most ways）。 I felt it was solid and pretty good， not amazing， and I’m not sure I fully understood it。 Think it’s about a human slave revealing the name and location of its home world。 The people who got that info go to the home world and are disappointed， so they kill the slave。 I felt like there should’ve been more description and more worldbuilding。 Overall grade: B+/A-Same grade as DV but I liked this one more。 More on the A- side while DV was more on the B+ side。 。。。more
Max Rohde
，
Picked up this anthology for the story 'The Word for World is Forest' by Ursula K。 Le Guin。 I quite enjoyed this story， which in length is really a not too short novella。 The Word for World is Forest was great - a thought provoking mediation of colonialism and war。I tried reading a few of the other stories in the anthology， but I didn't quite enjoy them - nor did I enjoy the lengthy introductions presented to the stories - but I guess it would be easy to skip them。 Picked up this anthology for the story 'The Word for World is Forest' by Ursula K。 Le Guin。 I quite enjoyed this story， which in length is really a not too short novella。 The Word for World is Forest was great - a thought provoking mediation of colonialism and war。I tried reading a few of the other stories in the anthology， but I didn't quite enjoy them - nor did I enjoy the lengthy introductions presented to the stories - but I guess it would be easy to skip them。 。。。more
Anthony Bracciante
，
An interesting collection of Science Fiction stories。 Some good， some excellent and one or two almost impossible to read。 Considering that this book is over 50 years old now it's not surprising that several stories were very dated。 Definitely of interest to any fan of the genre。 An interesting collection of Science Fiction stories。 Some good， some excellent and one or two almost impossible to read。 Considering that this book is over 50 years old now it's not surprising that several stories were very dated。 Definitely of interest to any fan of the genre。 。。。more
Christian
，
Oh my GOSH what a massive time-suck。 This was 734 pages of stupid， stupid sci fi short stories， most of which were borderline unreadable。 There are so many sci fi bohemian authors who are in love with their writing style which is to be ironic and flip while boring things like plot and characters fall by the wayside。 The main character is dialogue - usually inner but fairly often outer。 There is so much dialogue and so little story and description。I guess I can’t completely pan it because there a Oh my GOSH what a massive time-suck。 This was 734 pages of stupid， stupid sci fi short stories， most of which were borderline unreadable。 There are so many sci fi bohemian authors who are in love with their writing style which is to be ironic and flip while boring things like plot and characters fall by the wayside。 The main character is dialogue - usually inner but fairly often outer。 There is so much dialogue and so little story and description。I guess I can’t completely pan it because there are occasional flashes of talent here。 But even when a few stories are OK Ellison makes every author do an introduction and an afterward to every story！ Every story， no matter how bad。 It’s sooo tedious。 。。。more
Joseph Carrabis
，
Harlan Ellison was the enfant terrible of the sf/f/h industry for most of his writing life。 I often viewed him as the anti-Robert Silverberg。 Both flooded the market because they wrote so much and submitted so much they couldn't help but be published as often as possible。 Many markets now have a "no multiple submissions" policy and I wonder how either Ellison or Silverberg would fare。It quickly became obvious to me why many of the stories in Dangerous Visions， Again made it。 They hit all the his Harlan Ellison was the enfant terrible of the sf/f/h industry for most of his writing life。 I often viewed him as the anti-Robert Silverberg。 Both flooded the market because they wrote so much and submitted so much they couldn't help but be published as often as possible。 Many markets now have a "no multiple submissions" policy and I wonder how either Ellison or Silverberg would fare。It quickly became obvious to me why many of the stories in Dangerous Visions， Again made it。 They hit all the historical Ellison buttons。 When Ellison was good he was brilliant， but his other mode was WTF？ I scratched my head in disbelief as often as I sat back wowed by his work。There are some massive standouts in Again， Dangerous Visions （Le Guin's The Word for World is Forest is one， Russ' When It Changed is another。 A blow-me-away standout is Bernard Wolfe's two-fer Monitored Dreams & Strategic Cremations， which is a graduate course （no pun intended if you've read it） on dialogue and character development （and would probably come with trigger warnings if published today）I'd read the first two in other anthologies so， while still entertaining and good reads， they weren't revelatory。 Some stories I really wondered about。 Vonnegut's entry is pure Vonnegut; amusing and （to me） only included because Vonnegut was Vonnegut when this anthology came to be and if you didn't include Vonnegut you were a fool or an idiot （several stories are from authors in this category。 SF/F was making it's mainstream push at this time。 Specific to Vonnegut， the industry spent lots of time and money trying to make Vonnegut fit in the sf/f author category。 He didn't accept it as anything sf/fish made up only a small part of his work）。Some stories are beautifully written but don't do anything or go anywhere。 I read many purely on the strength of the writing only to finish them wondering "What was this about， again？"The other side of this is remembering what the SF/F community was like during the period this anthology came to be; seeking validity， seeking recognition， wanting desperately to reach beyond its original audience of geeks and nerds （before such terms existed）， and disenfranchised， pimply-faced teenage males。 An example of this is a story about a third of the way through which has the following words in its first paragraph （of only seven lines）: glissando， paroxysmal， deliquesce。 I'm positive these words gave many original audience members pause。But they do go a long way to establishing some kind of effetery， don't they？David Gerrold's With a Finger in my I was， to me， well-written dreck。A few stories later one finds "Eye of the Beholder" by Burt K。 Filer。 This one story is so standout I'm not sure what it's doing in the anthology。 Brilliant， brilliant， brilliant。The gem is， of course， James Tiptree， Jr。's The Milk of Paradise and here I confess a bias。 Everything I've ready by her is brilliant， amazing， breathtaking and The Milk of Paradise is no exception。 She grabs you in the first sentence and doesn't let go or let you breathe until the end。The book could easily have been a third shorter if Ellison didn't feel the need to introduce each story， something he recognizes in his intro to Tiptree's piece with "For those of you who hate my introductions， you'll have decided to forego them at this point， 。。。"I read the stories and， as I always do when reading anthologies （including those in which my work appears）， wonder what caught the editor's eye。 About 4/5ths through， I began to notice an oft occurring thread of effete intelligence。 Many of the stories （not all， simply a lot） were snarky smart， what I would call an in-your-face intelligent， almost an arrogance。Yeah， well， nobody ever accused Ellison of that。But that led me to "What was going on that such was the vogue？" and I remembered something my high school sophomore year English teacher， Mrs。 Baraniak， told the class one day， "I love it when Time magazine comes in the mail because I know I'm going to have an afternoon's good reading and I'll need a dictionary， a thesaurus， and a couple of foreign language dictionaries to get me through。"Time magazine was muchly different than it is today。 And she was exhilarated just from anticipating the next issue based on memories of past issues。 It enlivened her。 Being intellectually challenged excited her。Such were the 1960's-70's。 The world was in chaos （when isn't it？ And most of it man made）， we beat the Russians to the moon， we lost Jimmy and Janis， Nixon was a liar and a thief， 。。。 What a marvelous escape that must have been， escaping into arrogance （which is an alternate spelling of "ignorance" in my dictionary）。 。。。more
Timothy
，
（5/49 read） （# = read）49 stories:The Counterpoint of View • John HeidenryChing Witch！ • Ross Rocklynne***** The Word for World Is Forest • Ursula K。 Le GuinFor Value Received • Andrew J。 OffuttMathoms from the Time Closet • Gene WolfeRobot's Story • Gene WolfeAgainst the Lafayette Escadrille • Gene WolfeLoco Parentis • Gene WolfeTime Travel for Pedestrians • Ray NelsonChrist， Old Student in a New School • Ray BradburyKing of the Hill • Chad OliverThe 10:00 Report Is Brought to You by 。。。 • Edwar （5/49 read） （# = read）49 stories:The Counterpoint of View • John HeidenryChing Witch！ • Ross Rocklynne***** The Word for World Is Forest • Ursula K。 Le GuinFor Value Received • Andrew J。 OffuttMathoms from the Time Closet • Gene WolfeRobot's Story • Gene WolfeAgainst the Lafayette Escadrille • Gene WolfeLoco Parentis • Gene WolfeTime Travel for Pedestrians • Ray NelsonChrist， Old Student in a New School • Ray BradburyKing of the Hill • Chad OliverThe 10:00 Report Is Brought to You by 。。。 • Edward Bryant***** The Funeral • Kate WilhelmHarry the Hare • James B。 Hemesath**** When It Changed • Joanna RussThe Big Space Fuck • Kurt Vonnegut， Jr。Bounty • T。 L。 SherredStill-Life • Barry N。 MalzbergStoned Counsel • H。 H。 HollisMonitored Dreams and Strategic Cremations • Bernard WolfeThe Bisquit Position • Bernard WolfeThe Girl With Rapid Eye Movements • Bernard WolfeWith a Finger in My I • David GerroldIn the Barn • Piers AnthonySoundless Evening • Lee Hoffman"*" • Gahan WilsonThe Test-Tube Creature， Afterward • Joan BernottAnd the Sea Like Mirrors • Gregory BenfordBed Sheets Are White • Evelyn LiefTissue • James SallisAt the Fitting Shop • James Sallis53rd American Dream • James SallisElouise and the Doctors of the Planet Pergamon • Josephine SaxtonChuck Berry， Won't You Please Come Home？ • Ken McCulloughEpiphany for Aliens • David KerrEye of the Beholder • Burt K。 FilerMoth Race • Richard HillIn re Glover • Leonard Tushnet* Zero Gee • Ben BovaA Mouse in the Walls of the Global Village • Dean R。 KoontzGetting Along • James Blish and J。 A。 LawrenceTotenbüch • Parra y FiguéredoThings Lost • Thomas M。 DischWith the Bentfin Boomer Boys on Little Old New Alabama • Richard A。 LupoffLamia Mutable • M。 John HarrisonLast Train to Kankakee • Robin Scott WilsonEmpire of the Sun • Andrew WeinerOzymandias • Terry Carr***** The Milk of Paradise • James Tiptree， Jr。 。。。more
Stephen
，
The two "Dangerous Visions" collections are notable as negative historic moments in the history of science fiction。 The first one largely wrecked the genre and launched it into the wastelands of fantasy。 The second one sealed the deal。 Both are awful except for a handful of representatives of the Silver Age。 Avoid。 The irony is that Harlan Ellison wrote some decent true science fiction。 I think the decision to lurch into fantasy etc。 was driven by money and， yes， changing times and tastes。 Afici The two "Dangerous Visions" collections are notable as negative historic moments in the history of science fiction。 The first one largely wrecked the genre and launched it into the wastelands of fantasy。 The second one sealed the deal。 Both are awful except for a handful of representatives of the Silver Age。 Avoid。 The irony is that Harlan Ellison wrote some decent true science fiction。 I think the decision to lurch into fantasy etc。 was driven by money and， yes， changing times and tastes。 Aficionados of true science fiction will have to dwell in older landscapes。 There's so much there， and it can never all be read， so try to smile。 。。。more
j
，
Perhaps overall weaker than the predecessor， but probably because of the sheer amount of material。 And also， because Ellison's introductions are less inspired （he doesn't have the same familiarity with these writers as the last group -- a ton of them he hadn't even met yet。） As with DV， most stories are middling to bad， a few particularly bad， and a small handful are absolutely worth reading。The stories I found rewarding were:-The Funeral by Kate Wilhelm， is hardly a great story， but it is an ex Perhaps overall weaker than the predecessor， but probably because of the sheer amount of material。 And also， because Ellison's introductions are less inspired （he doesn't have the same familiarity with these writers as the last group -- a ton of them he hadn't even met yet。） As with DV， most stories are middling to bad， a few particularly bad， and a small handful are absolutely worth reading。The stories I found rewarding were:-The Funeral by Kate Wilhelm， is hardly a great story， but it is an example of Wilhelm as a great writer -- approachable and entertaining。-When It Changed by Joanna Russ， is a story I have read before and I will happily read it again -- perhaps right after I finish writing this -- because it is so immense。 Masterfully composed， with such staggering weight despite being remarkably concise。 It's known as a classic for a reason， and it's a rightful one。-The Bisquit Position by Bernard Wolfe， is the better of Wolfe's two selections， and a total fucking barnstormer。 It has nestled itself into my brain， and it just pops up as a nightmarish mental image fairly routinely。 While it does （purposefully， I suppose） on tedium a bit， it sticks the ending so well it's something of a miracle。 I quickly bought a copy of Wolfe's Limbo on the strength of this story alone。-In the Barn by Piers Anthony， is laudable for just how far it manages to take the idea -- for the pure commitment to the shtick。 Additionally， it delivers the supplemental brain-tickle of knowing as you read it that real people out there have most definitely masturbated while reading this absolutely nauseating piece of snickering body horror。 Most people will hate this one， but I found it nothing but sickeningly delightful。-Soundless Evening by Lee Hoffman， is hardly remarkable， but it is brief and effectively somber。-And the Sea Like Mirrors by Gregory Benford， deals with less tired and familiar topics than so many of the other stories， and held my interest greatly。 I found it smart and rousing。-Moth Race by Richard Hill， is， to the contrary， very typical， but no less cute for that fact。-Things Lost by Thomas Disch， is a delight。 I've been meaning to read Disch forever， but this is the first time that I've actually done so。 The story is confounding in a way that is highly gratifying， and exciting。 It sparked my interest enough that I am sure I will be digging into his major works pronto。-Lamia Mutable by M John Harrison， is a delight。 I've been meaning to read Harrison forever， but this is the first time that I've actually done so。 The story is confounding in a way that is highly gratifying， and exciting。 It sparked my interest enough that I am sure I will be digging into his major works pronto。（hehehe）-The Milk of Paradise by James Tiptree Jr， is （along with the Russ） the collection's best story （Ellison claims this his favorite）。 Enormously powerful stuff that will knock around in my brain for a long time I'm sure。 This is one of those rare， great science-fiction short stories that manages to build a world with compelling details while telling an engaging narrative in but a few clear and artful pages。 It is a similar type of story （and something of a counter-part） to Delany's stand-out from DV， and it is of a similar caliber （and I fucking love the Delany）。 Almost every other story I actively loathed or found completely unremarkable。 Lupoff's novella is admirable for its prose experimentations （which I got a kick out of）， but I didn't like much of anything about it besides that。 Saxton， Sallis， Bernott， Oliver and Gene Wolfe offer stories that have some merit。 I absolutely adore Gene Wolfe， so I was somewhat shocked that I didn't care all that much for his selections （although they are -- as with the Sallis pieces -- clearly the work of an immensely gifted writer）。 I know the LeGuin novella is acclaimed， and I typically love LeGuin， but I found it trite and cliche and melodramatic in an unappealing way。 The Vonnegut story fucking sucks。 。。。more
Virginia
，
DNF
Mike Baker
，
It’s very dated， but still excellent stories。 Not all science fiction， some more towards fantasy， but by then relatively unknown， now popular authors。 Neat to read their beginnings。
Cjmckeever
，
One really good story （the word for world is forest）。 Most of the rest either hard to follow or annoyingly caught in 1950s stereotypes。 A couple made it to pretty good。
Efti
，
Unreadable， had to abandon
sharon wangeer
，
Short storiesSome good， some meh。 Interesting insight into sci fi of the period and the topics covered by these writers and Ellison's choices。 Short storiesSome good， some meh。 Interesting insight into sci fi of the period and the topics covered by these writers and Ellison's choices。 。。。more
Bill Ramsell
，
This is not the last word in difficult-to-publish science fiction， it's pretty much every word。 Slightly dated stuff， but worth reading if only for Ellison's long， rambling， and funny anecdotes about how he knew the contributors。 This is not the last word in difficult-to-publish science fiction， it's pretty much every word。 Slightly dated stuff， but worth reading if only for Ellison's long， rambling， and funny anecdotes about how he knew the contributors。 。。。more
Ace
，
Really not worth it。 A few stories were interesting， one or two were excellent， but overall， I had to force myself to finish this （and nearly didn't; life is too short）。 Really not worth it。 A few stories were interesting， one or two were excellent， but overall， I had to force myself to finish this （and nearly didn't; life is too short）。 。。。more
Hans Otterson
，
This took me a long time to read， not because it's so long （which it is）， and not because it has so many introductions and afterwards （which it does; I skipped nearly all of them except those for my favorite authors， of which this collection contains three*）， but because I have not yet scoured out of myself a certain unthinking schoolboy stick-to-it-iveness that makes me feel like I have to keep reading things even when they are markedly terrible。That's not to say this collection is terrible！ It This took me a long time to read， not because it's so long （which it is）， and not because it has so many introductions and afterwards （which it does; I skipped nearly all of them except those for my favorite authors， of which this collection contains three*）， but because I have not yet scoured out of myself a certain unthinking schoolboy stick-to-it-iveness that makes me feel like I have to keep reading things even when they are markedly terrible。That's not to say this collection is terrible！ It's only one-third terrible--I did finish two-thirds of the stories on offer here， and five of them are unsurpassingly excellent。 It's just that so many of the others are wastebin halfdrafts that Ellison must have forgotten to read。These are the best stories， in the order they show up:1。 THE WORD FOR WORLD IS FOREST （Le Guin， so what else do you want me to say？ An absolute treat and I'm sorry I hadn't read it earlier）。2。 AGAINST THE LAFEYETTE ESCADRILLE （Gene Wolfe; "haunting" is such an over-used descriptor in blurbs， but I've never read such a compact story suffused with such a sense of the haunting of time。 The most beautiful story in the collection， and the saddest。 I re-read it immediately and a day later sat my wife down and read it to her。）3。 WHEN IT CHANGED （Joanna Russ; One could be facile and say the story is about "sexual politics and gender identity"， or one could be honest and say it's an incredibly close and insightful look into what it means to be a born female in a world of men。）4。 EYE OF THE BEHOLDER （Burt Filer; It has more potential than execution， but it does have execution。 Coulda shoulda been a novella。）5。 A MOUSE IN THE WALLS OF THE GLOBAL VILLAGE （Dean Koontz; I read a few Koontz novels in high school and LOVED one （Dragon Tears， if I recall correctly） and thought the rest were dreck and haven't revisited him since。 In any case， this story is harrowing and heartbreaking and totally believable。）And out of forty-six stories， those are pretty much the unmissables。 You can page through and find a few others that are fun， enjoyable， or have their moments， but more often than not you'll run into junk （even Vonnegut's entry is no good as a story！ It's short enough， though， and funny， even if you end up feeling cheated）。*Le Guin， Gene Wolfe， and Vonnegut。 。。。more
Marsha Valance
，
An award-winning anthology of 46 mind-bending short stories chosen by Harlan Ellison。 Hugo Award for Best Short Story for “When It Changed” （1972）， Nebula Award for Best Short Story for “When It Changed” （1972）， Locus Award for Best Original Anthology & Nominee for Best Short Story for “When It Changed” （1973）。 A Science Fiction Book Club selection。
Richard
，
"If you haven't read Harlan Ellison， you haven't read。" ~ Richard Halasz "If you haven't read Harlan Ellison， you haven't read。" ~ Richard Halasz 。。。more
Sue Chant
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Originally read in '70s when it first came out。 It still stands up well after 40 years。"An Assault of New Dreamers" （introduction） by Harlan Ellison"The Counterpoint of View" by John Heidenry - Very good - a bit Jorge Luis Borges crossed with something out of the Vandermeer's "Thackery T。 Lambshead" concoctions。"Ching Witch！" by Ross Rocklynne - dated and poor"The Word for World Is Forest" by Ursula K。 Le Guin - a bit dated with all the Vietnam references but still a good read"For Value Received Originally read in '70s when it first came out。 It still stands up well after 40 years。"An Assault of New Dreamers" （introduction） by Harlan Ellison"The Counterpoint of View" by John Heidenry - Very good - a bit Jorge Luis Borges crossed with something out of the Vandermeer's "Thackery T。 Lambshead" concoctions。"Ching Witch！" by Ross Rocklynne - dated and poor"The Word for World Is Forest" by Ursula K。 Le Guin - a bit dated with all the Vietnam references but still a good read"For Value Received" by Andrew J。 Offutt - very good"Mathoms From the Time Closet" -- "1: Robot's Story"， "2: Against The Lafayette Escadrille" and "3: Loco Parentis" by Gene Wolfe - good"Time Travel For Pedestrians" by Ray Nelson - ok"Christ， Old Student in a New School" （poem） by Ray Bradbury - dull"King of the Hill" by Chad Oliver - quite good"The 10:00 Report Is Brought to You by。。。" by Edward Bryant - quite good"The Funeral" by Kate Wilhelm - depressing but good"Harry the Hare" by James B。 Hemesath - ok"When It Changed" by Joanna Russ - excellent"The Big Space Fuck" by Kurt Vonnegut - funny"Bounty" by T。 L。 Sherred - excellent"Still-Life" by K。 M。 O'Donnell （Barry N。 Malzberg）- dull"Stoned Counsel" by H。 H。 Hollis - excellent"Monitored Dreams & Strategic Cremations" -- 1: "The Bisquit Position" and 2: "The Girl With Rapid Eye Movements" by Bernard Wolfe - well written and effective but not SF - also a bigoted rant against science in the afterword which was extremely off-putting。"With A Finger in My I" by David Gerrold - funny and strange。"In the Barn" by Piers Anthony - a bit sledgehammer"Soundless Evening" by Lee Hoffman - ok（the title is an ink blot） by Gahan Wilson - ok"The Test-Tube Creature， Afterward" by Joan Bernott - ok"And the Sea Like Mirrors" by Gregory Benford - good"Bed Sheets Are White" by Evelyn Lief - quite good"Tissue": "At the Fitting Shop" and "53rd American Dream" by James Sallis - excellent and surreal"Elouise And The Doctors of the Planet Pergamon" by Josephine Saxton - quite good"Chuck Berry， Won't You Please Come Home" by Ken McCullough - forgettable"Epiphany For Aliens" by David Kerr - drivel"Eye of the Beholder" by Burt K。 Filer - ok"Moth Race" by Richard Hill - ok"In Re Glover" by Leonard Tushnet - excellent and funny"Zero Gee" by Ben Bova - ok"A Mouse in the Walls of the Global Village" by Dean R。 Koontz - disturbing"Getting Along" by James Blish and Judith Ann Lawrence - excellent and funny"Totenbuch" by A Parra （Y Figueredo） - dull and irritating"Things Lost" by Thomas M。 Disch - dull"With the Bentfin Boomer Boys on Little Old New Alabama" by Richard A。 Lupoff - very good"Lamia Mutable" by M John Harrison - excellent"Last Train to Kankakee" by Robin Scott - good"Empire of the Sun" by Andrew Weiner - good"Ozymandias" by Terry Carr - ok"The Milk of Paradise" by James Tiptree， Jr。 - excellent 。。。more
Debbie
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This was definitely a mixed bag of SF。 I really enjoyed The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K Le Guin。 It absolutely made you think and kept you thinking。 The Big Space Fuck by Kurt Vonnegut had his usual flair of humor and message。 The most disturbing story was by Piers Anthony called In the Barn。 I’m still thinking about it， like I wish I could scrub it from by brain。 If you like eclectic collections of SF this is the book for you。
Frank
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While I appreciate the purpose of this collection it was a bit too far out in left field for me。 I enjoyed some of the stories but most left me flat or confused。 I guess I like my sci-fi a bit less nuanced。
S。A。 Bradley
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A personal favorite， because this is the book that gave the teenage me permission to think critically。 I'm sure the stories have dated considerably， but I'll always be true blue to the collection of stories。 Realizing that most science fiction and fantasy authors were frustrated by the heavy amount of censoring of their work had in the various magazines in the 1960s， Harlan Ellison requested some of the most famous authors of that time to deliver their favorite story that was deemed unpublishabl A personal favorite， because this is the book that gave the teenage me permission to think critically。 I'm sure the stories have dated considerably， but I'll always be true blue to the collection of stories。 Realizing that most science fiction and fantasy authors were frustrated by the heavy amount of censoring of their work had in the various magazines in the 1960s， Harlan Ellison requested some of the most famous authors of that time to deliver their favorite story that was deemed unpublishable and he would add it to this volume。 The sheer defiant stance of this compilation makes me praise it。 But， just as important are brilliant and acerbic Editor notes written by Ellison。 Each of these are calls to arms to courageously tell your story。 These are dreams with sharp teeth。 。。。more
Rex
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Worth re-reading every 5 years or so。
Marie
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Wow。 I set myself up to read 100 books this year and then give myself this doorstopper in December。 Smart， self。Some day I'll find a copy of "Dangerous Visions" which is what I was recommended to read and why I picked up its sequel。 The introductions frequently reference a third volume called "Last Dangerous Visions" but it doesn't appear to have been made， or if made， didn't have that title。 The premise of the collection is "Stories too taboo for traditional markets。" And I suppose taboos were Wow。 I set myself up to read 100 books this year and then give myself this doorstopper in December。 Smart， self。Some day I'll find a copy of "Dangerous Visions" which is what I was recommended to read and why I picked up its sequel。 The introductions frequently reference a third volume called "Last Dangerous Visions" but it doesn't appear to have been made， or if made， didn't have that title。 The premise of the collection is "Stories too taboo for traditional markets。" And I suppose taboos were pretty tight in 1972 because most of the stories just have a little sex in them and tons of misogyny but I sadly don't think that was taboo in 1972。 There are some gems in here。 Joanna Russ' excellent "When It Changed" which is often reprinted， Monitored Dreams & Strategic Cremations"--really two stories by Bernard Wolfe， has a real literary feel， the first "Bisquit Position" is an excellent short play on the horrors on napalm， and I hope in the second story "The Girl With Rapid Eye Movements" the author meant for us to feel the misogyny internalized by said girl that she doesn't realize she's the smartest and most creative person in the story， however the author's afterword was pure bunk about 'the muse'。 "Eye of the Beholder" by Burt K。 Filer had a good mix of cool invention and motorcycle chases， plus a female character who is competent at something --shockingly rare-- though of course the two women in the story are both marked for how they can't do something the men do。 At this point in the collection I was wondering if men used to only use female characters when they wanted a character to fail at something， because gosh they couldn't bear to see a man do that。 "Moth Race" by Richard Hill was a good classic SF piece。 For me it really captures the ineffable joy and madness of sports。"In Re Glover" by Leonard Tushnet is pure hard sf for lawyers。 Reads like a legal brief but fascinating！"Zero Gee" by Ben Bova has moments of "hey maybe this is toxic masculinity" insight but I felt the ending robbed its meaning。 "With the Bentfin Boomer Boys on Little Old New Alabama" will stay with me but I'm not sure if for good or ill。。。 military SF with New Haiti fighting New Alabama， and the Haitians are written in standard English and the New Alabamans in thick dialect。 Problematical things all over the board。 Are the Alabaman's being gay meant to be a slur against them or just an example of hypocrisy？ Did I lose a character in there？ Some of the people run together。 It's a long piece and。。。 yeah ok I see why this one is a dangerous vision， if only for all the use of the N-word。 "Ozymandias" by Terry Carr is lovely， one of those stories that says a lot that isn't on the page。 "The Milk of Paradise" is classic Tiptree， so beautiful writing， but the story itself felt a little weak and rapey。 Mostly rapey。 Those are the ones I liked。 Among the ones I didn't like there were a few that were so awful。。。 I suppose Harlan would be glad to hear that。 But not awful in the way he'd think。 I love sex and drugs and taboo-breaking。 I loathe flat characterizations and lack of structure。Now about the introductions and afterwords。 Like a good completionist， I read them all， and as is usual when I force myself to read things just because I can't bear to skip stuff， I regret almost every single one。 You know what the worst type of wedding toast is？ The one that begins "I met Kevin when。。。" You know this wedding toast。 It's a painful ten minutes of personal exposition saying nothing interesting but giving the toaster a chance to talk about himself。 Almost all of Harlan's intros are like that。 Also， more than half of the afterwards are "Harlan made me write an afterward and I hate afterwards my work should stand on its own。" So skim those at will， my friends， or just read the ones for your favorite authors because you want to know more about them。 。。。more
warren v sherwood
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