And Walk Now Gently Through the Fire & Other Science Fiction Stories

by R.A. Lafferty (Editor), Roger Elwood (Editor)

Man will forever seek his destiny, no matter what his vehicle. In the past, science fiction has served as one such vehicle, combining phantasmagorical illusions with sensationalism. But science fiction has been realistically grounded and forced to evolve with the problems of today. Choosing this course, it has shifted its emphasis toward a bizarre mix of biochemistry and religion, reaching a maturity which few literary genres have yet displayed. This new science fiction represents a subtle union of these two, precision and sharp technicalities meeting with the mystical reverence of the occult.

This anthology confirms this union. Roger Elwood's collection of never-before-published stories are fascinatingly entwined around this central theme of biochemistry, subtly laced with the hidden mysteries of the occult.

R. A. Lafferty's "And Walk Now Gently Through the Fire" is an absorbing encounter between the ancient Queer Fish (the Ichthyans) and their evolutionary counterparts, the Odd Fish. A chilling dip into the occult.

"Caught in the Organ Drift," a splendid contribution from Robert Silverberg, explores the possibilities of a society where man's vital organs are draftable for transplant from the nation's young to its senior citizens, the leaders of the society.

In "A Sense of Difference," Pamela Sargent examines the loneliness of a "family" of clones, a group derived from a single individual through a type of asexual reproduction. The conflict centers around the struggle of one of these clones to overcome his alienation both from his fellow clones and from his colleagues at the university he attends.

Also included are contributions from such well-known science fiction masters as Ted White, Barry N. Malzberg, Joan C. Holly, Robert Bloch, Rachel Cosgrove Payes, Philip José Farmer and K. M. O'Donnell.

The entry of this anthology into the depths of biochemistry and its mingling with religion and the occult signal a new age for science fiction, a new vehicle through which man may continue his speculation of destiny.

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction

185 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1972

About the author

Raphael Aloysius Lafferty, published under the name R.A. Lafferty, was an American science fiction and fantasy writer known for his original use of language, metaphor, and narrative structure, as well as for his etymological wit. He also wrote a set of four autobiographical novels, a history book, and a number of novels that could be loosely called historical fiction.

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooooh this one hit hard. I mean, it's some rather hardcore horror/SF coming out of '72, and obviously referring to the Draft and the meat grinder of wars, it got my ire up.

Transplants. What a dystopian hellscape.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

In between the era of Moskowitz and Conklin and prior to Martin H. Greenberg, Roger Elwood was one of the most noted and notable and notorious editors in the science fiction field. He was most active in the 1970s, when this book was published. Elwood was deeply interested in religion, and there's a subtext of that in many of these original stories which were loosely written on a biochemical theme. I particularly liked the two Barry N. Malzberg stories (one under his K.M. O'Donnell pseudonym), the titular one by R.A. Lafferty, and an interesting one by Robert Bloch. The best piece in the book is Caught in the Organ Draft by Robert Silverberg.

[Danyel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Science Fiction. In this short story Robert Silverberg imagines a world where young people, who meet the requirements, are required to join the organ draft. Their organs are given to older, wealthier folks who are deemed important to society. I liked the exploration of bodily integrity.

[serprex]

Some stories were interesting, some were bad, the religious subtexts throughout the book were awkward