DISPATCHES TLDV: ARE WE DANGEROUS YET?

And now, the stories, the visions. The other stuff is fun, butthey’re what it’s all about.

But first, what is a dangerous vision?

The first volume was an attempt to break down the taboos of theAmerican science fiction magazines and their pulp traditions. By the time thesecond volume came out, a revolution in the genre was well on its way. The worldwas changing, too.

Just what is a dangerous vision all these decades later—in anothercentury?

I could write a long essay on the subject, but this is about TLDV,so let’s put my opinions aside and get to the stories–the visions themselves .. .

ASSIGNMENT NO.1 Stephen Robinett:

The AngloAmerican taboo of death and what we do when the old folksget old and nonfunctional gets addressed. Not bad, but after all these decades,it seems like typical fare. Or maybe I’ve just gotten too intimate with theAngel of Death in the last few years . . . 

HUNGER Max Brooks:

I sneered at first. Mel’s kid–who writes those zombie books? Butwhat do I know? It gets a WOW! Turns out Max is a senior fellow at the ModernWar Institute at West Point, New York, knows a lot of stuff and inherited sometalent from his parents. A near future war that ain’t the usual “military”sci-fi stuff where it’s all playing soldier with new toys. This time it affectsthe food industry. The next war always has an element of the unexpected, andusually changes civilization as we know it. And no zombies.

INTERMEZZO 1: BROKEN, BEAUTIFUL BODY ON BEACH - D.M. Rowels

A short poetic piece with images like an early Dalí painting,questioning the idea of what is beautiful. Short, bittersweet, and to thepoint. What I like to call aesthetic terrorism.

NONE SO DEAF Richard E. Peck

PTSD deafness triggered by grief. Interesting display of what it’slike to live without sound. I would have liked it more if it had gone morebadass sci-fi than literary depression.

INTRODUCTION TO ED BRYANT’S “WAR STORIES” Harlan Ellison

The only one of the intros he managed to write, so deserves to bereviewed. It’s a fun, witty blast of Harlan being Harlan. I enjoyed it, butdespite the pleasure, he’s avoiding the subject at hand. Probably a taste ofwhy he couldn’t write the others. 

WAR STORIES Ed Bryant

Another winner! A truly dangerous vision. What science/speculativefiction should be. Can our society survive a shark's-eye view of itself? Hey,transhumanists! Read this before going on with your foolish fantasies aboutleaving our magnificent animal and biological heritage behind. The hot, wet,sticky mess is a lot of fun, and we need it even with the newfangledcybernetics.

Also: Ed Bryant was one of the great writers of the New Wave andhe is largely forgotten today. Godfuckndamnit! Wonder if I can find any of hisbooks? He deserved a lot better.

INTERMEZZO 2: BEDTIME STORY D.M. Rowles

This one capsulizes the whole idea of science fiction—and dangerous visions—in a few paragraphs. Like a nonvisual Gahan Willson cartoon.

So far we have death and aging, war and starvation, beauty, thesense of hearing, war (again) and our bizarre species, and science fictionitself called into question. The inner punk kid in me is amused, and mycontemporary jaded adult was actually impressed a few times.

More to come . . .

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