DISPATCHES FROM THE LAST DANGEROUS VISIONS: LOVE, A BIG BITE OF THE UNIVERSE, UFOS, AND MORE LOVE

 

My life is suddenly full of things that take me away from reading.There was that scorpion that stung my wife (nine times!) . . . And now we're checkingthe news to see if it’s World War Three yet . . . 

But enough of this . .. 

GOODBYE by Steven Utley

A short, bittersweet take on time travel. A man has an affair witha woman from the future is left only with anger, grief, and frustration. Daressuggest that a favorite fantasy probably isn’t a good idea. Somewhat dangerous,but it won’t change the world. It is a good story, though.

PRIMORDIAL FOLLIES by RobertSheckley

For you younger folks out there, Robert Sheckley deserves anintroduction. He is one of the funniest, and most original science fictionwriters. If you like Douglas Adams, you should check out Sheckley. You’ll bedamn glad you did.

He collaborated with Harlan on one of my all-time favorite stories,“I See a Man Sitting in a Chair, and the Chair is Biting his Leg.” It’s wayahead of its time and manages to live up to that title. It’s in the collection TheRobot That Looked Like Me, I have a paperback that quotes Harlan: “If theMarx Brothers had been literary fantasists, they would have been RobertSheckley,” yet Harlan isn’t credited for his contribution. There’s probably aninteresting story behind that . . .

And Harlan’s account of its writing in Partners in Wonder ishilarious.

Though not as good as “I See a Man . . .” in “Primordial Follies”Scheckley is in classic form. It cracks the confines of the science fictiongenre, barrages the reader with weird ideas in an absurdist romp thatchallenges all ideas about the universe, its creation, and destruction. It’salso about the dangers of eating.

Is it just me, or have people gotten batshit crazy about eating inthe last few decades? It could make an interesting anthology. Hmm . . .

MEN IN WHITE by David Brin

This one was a disappointment, even though Brin is a great writerand the story is well done. It reverses the Men In Black concept. Turns out allthe UFOs, the paranormal, and conspiracy theories are true. A dangerous enoughidea, but, even though I’m as skeptical about such things as Brin and Harlan,but I’ve exposed myself to a lot of UFO lit. Hell, I’ve even seen one. Thatstuff makes the story seem rather ho-hum.

I hesitate to recommend the book Hollywood Vs the Aliens byBruce Rux. My hesitation is because I swear that it felt like I could feelbrain cells dying while I read parts of it. Examples: Rux suggests that GeneRoddenberry enlisted Harlan in a media conspiracy to make the subject of UFOslook silly, and Nixon had The Rocky Horror Picture Show made todiscourage U.S. military personnel from having sex with aliens. Pursue at yourown risk.

INTERMEZZO 6: CONTINUITY by D.M. Rowles

Speaking of UFOs, this flash piece is a tale of alien abductionthat turns the whole idea of alien abduction inside out. A love story with ahappy ending. 

And now back to my dangerous, apocalyptic, crazy summer . . .

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