Customer Reviews

New Wave of Speculative Fiction: The What If Factor (Bk. 1)

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I've always cherished Dangerous Visions, an anthology edited by Harlan Ellison. I find it to be an extraordinary accomplishment in literature. I see it categorized as sci-fi, but I'm no sci-fi buff and its stories bear little resemblance to the Space Opera and Fantasy stories that one normally associates with the sci-fi genre. Instead, they are stories that focus on The Premise: a highly provocative and engaging idea that challenges the reader. While the premise isn't enough to carry an entire novel, in the hands of a skilled author it can make for an excellent short story, and Dangerous Visions is filled with just those kind of stories.

But, how to find another anthology in this vein? I came across the term "Speculative Fiction" which I think describes Dangerous Visions and encountered this book with that term in the title.

New Wave does indeed fit the Dangerous Visions mold. A series of stories, each based on a single premise which carries the narrative. Some futuristic (As Time Goes By), some metaphysical (The Curious), some suspenseful (Mission Rejected), some cautionary (The Rivers Ran Red to the Sea).

I was indeed very happy to find an anthology in the style of Dangerous Visions...happy to enough to overlook that the writing isn't up to the same level of its predecessor. Some are very well written (Obituary), others are not at the same level (Star Child). But, ultimately, with a book like this that aims to be provocative, it's important that it include some missteps. If it didn't, then the editor probably was playing it too safe. Any book that includes the mashup of ideas found in Black Forest Manoeuvres, is definitely keeping true to the spirit of Dangerous Visions.

Now at the end of the book, I'm pleased with having read it, in the sense that I feel like some interesting ideas were presented by skilled authors. All in all, a good collection of intriguing stories.