Dangerous Visions and New Worlds: Radical Science Fiction, 1950–1985
by Andrew Nette (Editor), Iain McIntyre (Editor)
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In the period of major social change that spanned the 1950s through the 1970s, science fiction became an ideal vessel to illustrate a multifaceted upsurge of radical protest, with its focus on speculation, alternate worlds, and the future. Dangerous Visions and New Worlds details, celebrates, and evaluates how science fiction novels and authors depicted, interacted with, and were inspired by these cultural and political movements in America and Great Britain. It starts with progressive show more authors who rose to prominence in the conservative 1950s, challenging the era's narratives of technological breakthroughs and space-conquering male heroes, then moves through the 1960s, when authors shattered existing writing conventions and incorporated contemporary themes such as modern mass media culture, corporate control, state surveillance, the Vietnam War, and rising currents of counterculture, ecological awareness, feminism, sexual liberation, and Black Power. The 1970s, when the genre reflected the end of various dreams of the "long Sixties," is also explored along with the first half of the 1980s, which gave rise to new subgenres. -- show lessTags
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This anthology of essays covers "radical science fiction" from 1950 to 1985. The definition of "radical" is seemingly broad: it takes in sf radical in form, in content, and in politics. Some essays thematically cover certain ideas (e.g., apocalypse, sex, nuclear war, homosexuality, animals), others focus on specific authors or even texts (e.g., Judith Merril, R. A. Lafferty, the Strugatsky brothers, Philip K. Dick). Despite its seemingly broad mandate, it actually feels very coherent: one gets an impression of sf responding in a variety of way to a time of social change, and that it was a time when almost anything was possible in the genre. It does a great job of creating a coherent portrait without feeling repetitive; I never would show more have thought of putting some of this stuff together, but it really does fit. The essays are also generally of a very high quality, in-depth and analytical without feeling too academic. There were really just two I didn't like (one felt too much like a journal article, another a summary), and there were some obvious errors occasionally. I have some new works to seek out, and I think it would be fun to teach a course using this to organize. show less
FYI Review - This collection contains the following essays:
- Dangerous Visions and New Worlds: An Introduction by Iain McIntyre and Andrew Nette
- Imagining New Worlds: Sci-Fi and the Vietnam War by Rjurik Davidson
- Sextrapolation in New Wave Science Ficion by Rob Latham
- Radioactive Nightmares: Nuclear War in Science Fiction by Andrew Nette
- On Earth the Air Is Free: The Feminist Science Fiction of Judith Merrill by Kat Clay
- Women and Children First! John Wyndham and Second-Wave Feminism by David Curcio
- Bursting through the Boundaries: New Worlds Magazine by Iain McIntyre
- Vast Active Living (Possibly) Insane System: Paranoia and Antiauthoritarianism in the World of Philip K. Dick by Erica L. Satifka
- Flying Saucers and Black Power: show more Joseph Denis Jackson's 1967 Insurrectionist Novel The Black Commandos by Iain McIntyre
- Doomwatchers: Calamity and Catastrophe in UK Television Novelizations by Iain McIntyre
- The Energy Exhibition: Radical Science Fiction in the 1960s by Nicolas Tredell
- "We change - and the whole world changes": Samuel R. Delany's Heavenly Breakfast in Context by Daniel Shank Cruz
- Flawed Ancients, New Gods, and Interstellar Missionaries: Religion in Postwar SF by Iain McIntyre
- Speculative Fuckbooks: The Brief Life of Essex House, 1968-1969 by Rebecca Baumann
- God Does, Perhaps? The Unlikely New Wave SF of R.A. Laffery by Nick Mamatas
- The Tasty Worlds of Jerry Cornelius by Andrew Nette
- Hank Lopez's Afro-6 by Brian Greene
- "The Hell with Heroes": Rebellion and Responsibility in Roger Zelazny's Damnation Alley by Kelly Roberts
- Eco-Death: Catastrophe and Survival in 1960s and 1970s Science Fiction by Iain McIntyre
- Stepford Wives and Supercomputers: The Science Fiction of Ira Levin by Andrew Nette
- "Houston, we've had a problem": Technology, Mental Breakdown and the Science Fiction of Barry Malzberg by Andrew Nette
- The Stars My Destination: The Future According to Gay Adult Science Fiction Novels of the 1970s by Maitland McDonagh
- Higher than a Rocket Ship: Drugs in SF by Iaib McIntyre
- Freedom in the Mind: Louise Lawrence's Andra by Andrew Nette
- Mick Farren: Fomenting the Rock Apocalypse by Mike Stax
- Green Deaths and Time Warriors: Doctor Who Serials and Novelizations in the 1970s by Iain McIntyre
- A New Wave in the East: The Strugatsky Brothers and Radical Sci-Fi in Soviet Russia by Scott Alderberg
- The Future Is Going to Be Boring: The SF Present of J.G. Ballard by Cameron Ashley
- By Any Means Necessary: Revolution and Rebellion in 1960s and 1970s Science Fiction by Andrew Nette
- Performative Gender and SF: The Strange but True Case of Alice Sheldon and James Tiptree Jr. by Lucy Sussex
- Coming of Age between Apocalypses: Young Adult Fiction and the End of the World by Molly Grattan
- Crowded Worlds and False Dawns: 1970s Dystopian Science Fiction by Andrew Nette
- Cosmic Bond, Super Lover: William Bloom's Qhe! Series by Iain McIntyre
- Feminist Future: Time Travel in Marge Piercy's Woman on the Edge of Tine by Kirsten Bussiere
- Who Are the Beasts? Animals in Science Fiction by Andrew Nette
- The Moons of Le Guin and Heinlein by Donna Glee Williams
- Black Star: The Life and Work of Octavia Butler by Michael A. Gonzales
- Herland: The Women's Press and Science Fiction by Iain McIntyre show less
- Dangerous Visions and New Worlds: An Introduction by Iain McIntyre and Andrew Nette
- Imagining New Worlds: Sci-Fi and the Vietnam War by Rjurik Davidson
- Sextrapolation in New Wave Science Ficion by Rob Latham
- Radioactive Nightmares: Nuclear War in Science Fiction by Andrew Nette
- On Earth the Air Is Free: The Feminist Science Fiction of Judith Merrill by Kat Clay
- Women and Children First! John Wyndham and Second-Wave Feminism by David Curcio
- Bursting through the Boundaries: New Worlds Magazine by Iain McIntyre
- Vast Active Living (Possibly) Insane System: Paranoia and Antiauthoritarianism in the World of Philip K. Dick by Erica L. Satifka
- Flying Saucers and Black Power: show more Joseph Denis Jackson's 1967 Insurrectionist Novel The Black Commandos by Iain McIntyre
- Doomwatchers: Calamity and Catastrophe in UK Television Novelizations by Iain McIntyre
- The Energy Exhibition: Radical Science Fiction in the 1960s by Nicolas Tredell
- "We change - and the whole world changes": Samuel R. Delany's Heavenly Breakfast in Context by Daniel Shank Cruz
- Flawed Ancients, New Gods, and Interstellar Missionaries: Religion in Postwar SF by Iain McIntyre
- Speculative Fuckbooks: The Brief Life of Essex House, 1968-1969 by Rebecca Baumann
- God Does, Perhaps? The Unlikely New Wave SF of R.A. Laffery by Nick Mamatas
- The Tasty Worlds of Jerry Cornelius by Andrew Nette
- Hank Lopez's Afro-6 by Brian Greene
- "The Hell with Heroes": Rebellion and Responsibility in Roger Zelazny's Damnation Alley by Kelly Roberts
- Eco-Death: Catastrophe and Survival in 1960s and 1970s Science Fiction by Iain McIntyre
- Stepford Wives and Supercomputers: The Science Fiction of Ira Levin by Andrew Nette
- "Houston, we've had a problem": Technology, Mental Breakdown and the Science Fiction of Barry Malzberg by Andrew Nette
- The Stars My Destination: The Future According to Gay Adult Science Fiction Novels of the 1970s by Maitland McDonagh
- Higher than a Rocket Ship: Drugs in SF by Iaib McIntyre
- Freedom in the Mind: Louise Lawrence's Andra by Andrew Nette
- Mick Farren: Fomenting the Rock Apocalypse by Mike Stax
- Green Deaths and Time Warriors: Doctor Who Serials and Novelizations in the 1970s by Iain McIntyre
- A New Wave in the East: The Strugatsky Brothers and Radical Sci-Fi in Soviet Russia by Scott Alderberg
- The Future Is Going to Be Boring: The SF Present of J.G. Ballard by Cameron Ashley
- By Any Means Necessary: Revolution and Rebellion in 1960s and 1970s Science Fiction by Andrew Nette
- Performative Gender and SF: The Strange but True Case of Alice Sheldon and James Tiptree Jr. by Lucy Sussex
- Coming of Age between Apocalypses: Young Adult Fiction and the End of the World by Molly Grattan
- Crowded Worlds and False Dawns: 1970s Dystopian Science Fiction by Andrew Nette
- Cosmic Bond, Super Lover: William Bloom's Qhe! Series by Iain McIntyre
- Feminist Future: Time Travel in Marge Piercy's Woman on the Edge of Tine by Kirsten Bussiere
- Who Are the Beasts? Animals in Science Fiction by Andrew Nette
- The Moons of Le Guin and Heinlein by Donna Glee Williams
- Black Star: The Life and Work of Octavia Butler by Michael A. Gonzales
- Herland: The Women's Press and Science Fiction by Iain McIntyre show less
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- First words
- The "long sixties," an era which began in the late 1950s and extended into the 1970s, has become shorthand for a period of trenchant social change, most explicitly demonstrated through a host of liberatory and resistance move... (show all)ments focused on class, racial, gender, sexual, and other inequalities. There were as much about culture expression and social recognition as economic redistribution and formal politics. While the degree to which often youthful insurgents achieved their goals varied greatly, the global challenge they presented was a major shock to the status quo. -Dangerous Visions and New Worlds: An Introduction
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 809.3876209045
- Canonical LCC
- PN3433.D35
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- Literature Studies and Criticism, Fiction and Literature
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- 809.3876209045 — Literature & rhetoric Literature, rhetoric & criticism History, description, critical appraisal of more than two literatures Fiction Genre Fiction Mystery and Speculative Fiction Speculative Fiction Science Fiction
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- PN3433 .D35 — Language and Literature Literature (General) Literature (General) Prose. Prose fiction Special kinds of fiction. Fiction genres
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