''Dangerous Visions'' is a science fiction short story

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

edited by American writer

Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...

and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. It was published in

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

. A path-breaking collection, ''Dangerous Visions'' helped define the New Wave science fiction movement, particularly in its depiction of sex in science fiction. Writer/editor Al Sarrantonio writes how ''Dangerous Visions'' "almost single-handedly ..changed the way readers thought about science fiction." Contributors to the volume included 20 authors who had won, or would win, a Hugo,

Nebula A nebula ('cloud' or 'fog' in Latin; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regio ...

World Fantasy In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

, or

BSFA The British Science Fiction Association Limited is an organisation founded in 1958 by a group of British academics, science fiction fans, authors, publishers and booksellers, in order to promote the writing, criticism, and study of science fictio ...

award, and 16 with multiple such awards. Ellison introduced the anthology both collectively and individually while authors provided afterwords to their own stories.

Description

Advertisements described ''Dangerous Visions'' as "For the first time anywhere—33 great new stories by all the science fiction masters of our time", and "Not collected from magazines, not collected from other books ... one of the biggest anthologies of original material ever assembled in any field".

Awards and nominations

The stories and the anthology itself were nominated for and received many awards. "

Gonna Roll the Bones "Gonna Roll the Bones" is a fantasy novelette by American writer Fritz Leiber, in which a character plays craps with Death. First published in Harlan Ellison's '' Dangerous Visions'', it won both the Hugo Award and Nebula Award for Best Novelette. ...

" by Fritz Leiber received both a

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...

and a

Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of profe ...

for Best

novelette Novelette may also refer to: * ''Novelette'' (ballet), a solo modern dance work choreographed by Martha Graham * Novelette (music), a short piece of lyrical music * Novelette (literature), a work of narrative prose fiction that is longer than a ...

, whilst

Philip K. Dick Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928March 2, 1982), often referred to by his initials PKD, was an American science fiction writer. He wrote 44 novels and about 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his l ...

's submission " Faith of Our Fathers" was a nominee for the Hugo in the same category. Philip José Farmer tied for the Hugo Award for Best

Novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

for " Riders of the Purple Wage". Samuel R. Delany won the Nebula for Best Short Story for " Aye, and Gomorrah..." Harlan Ellison received a special citation at the 26th World SF Convention for editing "the most significant and controversial SF book published in 1967."

Reception

"You should buy this book immediately", Algis Budrys wrote, "because this is a book that knows perfectly that you are seething inside". He especially praised " Sex and/or Mr. Morrison". Dave Langford reviewed ''Dangerous Visions'' for '' White Dwarf'' #94, and stated that it "poked at all SF's taboos, remains a mix of achievement and hype, of stories still brilliantly fresh and stories already moribund two decades ago."

Sequels

The collection was followed by a larger 1972 sequel, ''

Again, Dangerous Visions ''Again, Dangerous Visions'' (1972) is a science fiction short story anthology, edited by American author Harlan Ellison. It is the follow-up to '' Dangerous Visions'' (1967), also edited by Ellison. Cover art and interior illustrations are by E ...

''. The projected third collection, '' The Last Dangerous Visions'', was started, but controversially remains unpublished. The final book has become something of a legend as science fiction's most famous unpublished book. It was originally announced for publication in 1973, but other work demanded Ellison's attention and the anthology has not seen print to date. He has come under criticism for his treatment of some writers who submitted their stories to him, whom some estimate to number nearly 150 (and many of whom have died in the ensuing more than four decades since the anthology was first announced). In 1993 Ellison threatened to sue New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA) for publishing "Himself in Anachron", a short story written by Cordwainer Smith and sold to Ellison for the book by his widow, but later reached an amicable settlement. British SF author Christopher Priest critiqued Ellison's editorial practices in a widely disseminated article titled "

The Book on the Edge of Forever ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

". Priest documented a half-dozen instances in which Ellison promised ''TLDV'' would appear within a year of the statement, but did not fulfill those promises. Ellison had a record of fulfilling obligations in other instances, including to writers whose stories he solicited, and expressed outrage at other editors who have displayed poor practices. On May 2, 2022,

J. Michael Straczynski Joseph Michael Straczynski (; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series ''Babylon 5'' ...

, the executor of the Ellison estate, announced on Twitter that ''The Last Dangerous Visions'' will be published in 2023 by Blackstone Publishers.

Illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon accompany each short story. *"Foreword 1 - The Second Revolution" by

Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...

*"Foreword 2 - Harlan and I" by Isaac Asimov *"Thirty-Two Soothsayers" (introduction) by Harlan Ellison *"Evensong" by Lester del Rey. This is described by its author as an

allegory As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

. It details the capture of a being, identified at the end of the story as God, by Man, which has usurped God's power. *"Flies" by Robert Silverberg. It was inspired by a quote from '' King Lear'': "As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods. They kill us for their sport." *"

The Day After the Day the Martians Came "The Day After the Day the Martians Came" is a short story by American writer Frederik Pohl, first published in Harlan Ellison's anthology ''Dangerous Visions''. The story is set in the lobby of a Florida hotel, one day after the landing of a NAS ...

" by

Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American science-fiction writer, editor, and fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satelli ...

*" Riders of the Purple Wage" by Philip José Farmer (

for best

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

) *"The Malley System" by

Miriam Allen deFord Miriam Allen deFord (August 21, 1888 – February 22, 1975) was an American writer best known for her mysteries and science fiction. During the 1920s, she wrote for a number of left-wing magazines including '' The Masses'', ''The Liberator'', a ...

A Toy for Juliette "A Toy for Juliette" is a 1967 science fiction and horror short story by American writer Robert Bloch, appearing for the first time in Harlan Ellison's anthology '' Dangerous Visions''. Plot In a post-apocalyptic world, a time traveler randoml ...

" by

Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime, psychological horror and fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote a relatively small ...

The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World "The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World" is a science fiction short story by American writer Harlan Ellison, first published in his 1967 anthology '' Dangerous Visions''. It was intended as a continuation of a story by Robert Bloch, ...

" by

The Night That All Time Broke Out "The Night That All Time Broke Out" is a short story by Brian W. Aldiss from Harlan Ellison's ''Dangerous Visions ''Dangerous Visions'' is a science fiction short story anthology edited by American writer Harlan Ellison and illustrated by Leo a ...

" by Brian W. Aldiss *"The Man Who Went to the Moon — Twice" by Howard Rodman *" Faith of Our Fathers" by

*" The Jigsaw Man" by Larry Niven *"

" by Fritz Leiber ( Hugo and

awards for Best Novelette) *"Lord Randy, My Son" by Joe L. Hensley *" Eutopia" by Poul Anderson *"Incident in Moderan" and "The Escaping" by

David R. Bunch David Roosevelt Bunch (August 7, 1925 – May 29, 2000) was an American writer of short stories and poetry. He worked mainly in the genres of science fiction, satire, surrealism, and literary fiction. Although prolific and critically acclaimed, Bu ...

The Doll-House "The Doll-House" is a short story by Hugh Jones Parry, under the name "James Cross".Hugh Jones Parry Hugh Jones Parry (March 10, 1916December 3, 1997) was a British-born American writer and sociologist. He wrote fiction as James Cross. Hugh Jones Parry was born on March 10, 1916, in London, to Jane Myfanwy (Jones) and John Parry. The family came ...

) *" Sex and/or Mr. Morrison" by Carol Emshwiller *" Shall the Dust Praise Thee?" by Damon Knight *" If All Men Were Brothers, Would You Let One Marry Your Sister?" by Theodore Sturgeon *"What Happened to Auguste Clarot?" by Larry Eisenberg *"Ersatz" by Henry Slesar *"Go, Go, Go, Said the Bird" by Sonya Dorman *"

The Happy Breed "The Happy Breed" is a short story by American writer John Sladek, originally published in Harlan Ellison's anthology ''Dangerous Visions'' (1967). It is Sladek's first published story. Synopsis The last five adults discuss how their lives have im ...

" by

John Sladek John Thomas Sladek (December 15, 1937 – March 10, 2000) was an American science fiction author, known for his satirical and surreal novels. Life and work Born in Waverly, Iowa, in 1937, Sladek was in England in the 1960s for the New Wave ...

*" Encounter with a Hick" by Jonathan Brand *"From the Government Printing Office" by

Kris Neville Kris Ottman Neville (May 9, 1925 – December 23, 1980) was an American science fiction writer from California. He was born in St. Louis. His first science fiction work was published in 1949. His most famous work, the novella ''Bettyann'', is ...

*" Land of the Great Horses" by

R. A. Lafferty Raphael Aloysius "R. A." Lafferty (November 7, 1914March 18, 2002) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer known for his original use of language, metaphor, and narrative structure, Lafferty also wrote a set of four autobiographical n ...

*"The Recognition" by J. G. Ballard *" Judas" by

John Brunner John Brunner may refer to: * Sir John Brunner, 1st Baronet (1842–1919), British industrialist and Liberal Member of Parliament * John L. Brunner (1929–1980), Pennsylvania politician * Sir John Brunner, 2nd Baronet (1865–1929), British Libera ...

*"Test to Destruction" by Keith Laumer *"Carcinoma Angels" by Norman Spinrad *" Auto-da-Fé" by Roger Zelazny *" Aye, and Gomorrah" by Samuel R. Delany (

for best short story, 1967)

References

External links

* * * {{Harlan Ellison 1967 anthologies Science fiction anthologies Works edited by Harlan Ellison Books with cover art by Leo and Diane Dillon Books illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon Doubleday (publisher) books

Description

Awards and nominations

Reception

Sequels

Contents

References

External links