Again, Dangerous Visions, Vol. 1 [Mass Market Paperback]

Harlan Ellison (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1973

The classic companion to the most essential science fiction anthology ever published. 46 original stories edited with introductions by Harlan Ellison. Featuring: John Heidenry • Ross Rocklynne • Ursula K. Le Guin • Andrew J. Offutt • Gene Wolfe • Ray Nelson • Ray Bradbury • Chad Oliver • Edward Bryant • Kate Wilhelm • James B. Hemesath • Joanna Russ • Kurt Vonnegut • T. L. Sherred • K. M. O'Donnell (Barry N. Malzberg) • H. H. Hollis • Bernard Wolfe • David Gerrold • Piers Anthony • Lee Hoffman • Gahan Wilson • Joan Bernott • Gregory Benford • Evelyn Lief • James Sallis • Josephine Saxton • Ken McCullough • David Kerr • Burt K. Filer • Richard Hill • Leonard Tushnet • Ben Bova • Dean R. Koontz • James Blish and Judith Ann Lawrence • A. Parra (y Figueredo) • Thomas M. Disch • Richard A. Lupoff • M. John Harrison • Robin Scott • Andrew Weiner • Terry Carr • James Tiptree, Jr.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Signet (November 1, 1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451075803
• ISBN-13: 978-0451075802
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,687,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forbidden Science Fiction from the 70's, April 8, 2000

By 

"ikvw" (SoCal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Again, Dangerous Visions (Mass Market Paperback)

To anyone who has read the original collection of science fiction stories by renowned Sci-Fi masters of the 70's that Harlan Ellison released, this sequel packs all these that were missed, such as Philip Jose Farmer's "Riders of the Purple Wage". Even doubters of repeat success will enjoy this book, as the one refreshing rule (rarely broken) is that each author could only submit ONE story. There were no other rules.

Oh yeah, and Kurt Vonnegut's in it too!

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ellison's second volume is too much of a good thing., May 30, 2000

By 

Chadwick H. Saxelid "Bookworm" (Concord, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Again, Dangerous Visions (Mass Market Paperback)

Flush with the success of the briliant Dangeraus Visions, Harlan Ellison and his publishers leapt into the creation of a mulit-volume sequel. They should have quit while they were ahead. Most of the stories are good, but they have not dated well. Also the book runs needlessly long, with Ellison's hyper ego prattling on in the introductions and needless double header works by the writers. It took me a year to read it all and, for someone who goes through 3 to 5 books a month, that is NOT praise.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars crikies, think of going to war with him in the ranks of Them., February 20, 2007

By 

MagicSinglez (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

Again, Dangerous Visions happens to include my favorite story 'Moth Race' by Richard Hill. It also includes 'With the Bentfin Boomer Boys on Little Old New Alabama' by Dick Lupoff. A story about a colony of whites at war with a colony of blacks.

I've read three reviews of this story. The editor himself remarked, "There has never been a thing like this one before, in or out of the field of SF. One expects some eye-openers... but nothing like Lupoff. He takes the solid gold award for chutzpah Above and Beyond the limits of Gall... Frankly, had no other story than this one been written for Again, Dangerous Visions, the book would have been worth reading."

Another reviewer echoed the editor saying the book was worth reading for this one story, "a truly dangerous vision, and a hoot to boot".

A third reviewer said, if you're going to write from the perspective of racists, "this is the only way they should ever be portrayed". I'll take the liberty of assuming he meant, if you're going to write from the perspective of a white racist. . . Or am I being redundant?

The story is written as a sort of parody. At one point, after attending mass, a character remarks, "Good to know God is on our side. Thanks chap old chap, crikies, think of going to war with him in the ranks of Them. How many divisions does he have, buy the weigh?" Another time they pass by a military surplus store looking for the bentfin boomer for their uniform, "military supplies (one-fourthmaster was out of stock bentfin boomers two months, three? local merchant had a-plenty, yes: old story, yes)" The story makes fun of their government, religion, and military. By extension, it's making light of our society really. I think this is done perhaps more to establish the credentials of the narrator than as simply a deconstruction.

I've reviewed this story myself now too, twice. I'm a lonely man.

It's in part a war story. When I watched the movie Saving Private Ryan a scene in the movie would remind me of this story.

'New Alabama' was nominated for a Nebula award (best SF story of the year) but didn't win. It's come to remind of 'New Riders of the Purple Wage', by Jose Farmer, a story that appeared in the original Dangerous Visions anthology, that won the Nebula.

'New Riders' received some odd criticism for being too far left (it's sometimes considering a satire of the left). New Alabama could be considered a response to the original story.

'New Riders' is about a young artist whose grandfather, the last capitalist alive, is a fugitive wanted by the leftest government. Said to be satire of the socialist nanny-state, the story in fact presents a great many interesting progressive ideas. 'New Alabama', on it's surface, is a satire of the racist right, while in fact presenting a great many ideas of it's own.

'New Riders' left quite an impression on me. I liked the society it presented more than the story itself which I probably didn't understand all that well. I liked it so much, im my own mind I'd always though of it as 'the book' (perhaps analogous to a Star Trek episode where a civilization had based their entire society on a book from Earth). As a note, the young artist in the story is in a competition that might be a bit similar to 'American Idol'. It's been a long while since I've read the story. I might note too that the 900 + page Dangerous Visions was a near iconic work (for the field of SF) that can still be found on most library shelves. This shorter and better positioned on the coat-tails follow up, for whatever reason, is hard to find. I also wonder how many who actually bought the book read this story. I didn't the first go-round. Never really liked the stories with Southern accents.

I definitely remember New Riders too. We're always told we live in a racist society (racism that benefits, whites) and this may be part of why I liked the story actually. In New Riders, health care, housing and everything, is free, and each and everyone, receives a minimum and equal amount of credit just for being alive. The 'unconscious racism' I carry around may be a big part of why I liked the society presented in New Riders so much.

The government in New Riders also trys to make sure young people have a sex parter, so, that could be another reason I liked it. . .

Unconscious racism may be why I Liked the story but the thing I really remember is that people were encouraged to cry.

I would go further, than suggesting one story is a response to the other, 'nice try but I see a different future!' or even, 'two can play at that game'. I would go further and suggest the entire Dangerous Visions project (Dangerous Visions, Again, Dangerous Visions, and the never completed Last Dangerous Visions) was simply a project to get this one story in print, by hook or by crook.