disappointment was inevitable

[gullyfoyle]

My Goodreads review of The Last Dangerous Visions.

 

 

 

I'd give this an extra half star if possible just for Straczynski's lengthy essay on Ellison and the DV books. It's more enlightening about Ellison than the full-length biography from a few years ago. But half stars aren't possible here, and I can't bring myself to give the book 4 stars, so consider it 3.5 stars. Most of the stories simply aren't exceptional. Should you read it? If you're a serious SF reader and have read "Dangerous Visions" and "Again, Dangerous Visions," then yes, of course you should read it, if only because of the historical significance of the book. But this isn't an outstanding anthology. Too many duds, too many stories that are past their prime and out of their time and that have become irrelevant or embarrassing. Perhaps Straczynski should have split the project into two volumes: one with some of the older stories that Ellison bought, giving us a time capsule look at supposedly dangerous SF from 1973 to around 2000, and another volume of newer material from 2000 onwards. One of Straczynski's purchases, the James S. A. Corey story, is one of the better ones in the book, and the other more recent stories by Doctorow, Tchaikovsky, and Hartenbaum (their first publication) have some strengths. It would have been interesting to see more stories by other younger writers.

Comments

[sovay]

Perhaps Straczynski should have split the project into two volumes: one with some of the older stories that Ellison bought, giving us a time capsule look at supposedly dangerous SF from 1973 to around 2000, and another volume of newer material from 2000 onwards.

That's an interesting idea and I haven't seen anyone else suggest it.

[gullyfoyle]

That's an interesting idea and I haven't seen anyone else suggest it.

Thanks! Just a few timelines over I am a publisher-editor.

[anelith]

I bought it but haven't read it yet. The impulse to buy it was mostly sentimental, but I'll get around to reading it one of these days. I'm glad JMS's essay is a good one. What do you think about his efforts to turn the house into a museum?

[gullyfoyle]

I got it for $2 during a Kindle sale, so at least I don't feel like I was ripped off fiscally. Emotionally, though, it was pretty disappointing.

Conversely, the idea of Ellison Wonderland as a museum makes a lot of emotional sense, but I have my doubts about the fiscal side of it. I'd certainly pay to see it, but is there a general audience for it? Perhaps they could also add some income by having it also be a writers retreat, like they're doing with Le Guin's house. Or maybe he could partner up somehow with the Museum of Science Fiction in Seattle for additional publicity and support. But I wonder how long MoSF would have stayed afloat if it didn't have Paul Allen's legacy behind it?

[anelith]

All good questions. I think JMS would be favorable to the idea of a writers' retreat, just going on his general respect for writers in general and Ellison's legacy. We loved the MoSF and so did our middle/high school aged kids at the time. I hope both it and Ellison Wonderland survive.

Totally different subject -- my library SF book club had our best meeting yet discussing Chiang's Exhalation. So many things to talk about in that collection.

[gullyfoyle]

If you don't read Ted Chiang's stories, you can't call yourself a science fiction reader. If you don't appreciate the magnificence and significance of his stories, well, you're just dumb.