My life is suddenly full of things that take me away from reading. There was that scorpion that stung my wife (nine times!) . . . And now we're checking the news to see if it’s World War Three yet . . .
But enough of this . . .
GOODBYE by Steven Utley
A short, bittersweet take on time travel. A man has an affair with a woman from the future is left only with anger, grief, and frustration. Dares suggest that a favorite fantasy probably isn’t a good idea. Somewhat dangerous, but it won’t change the world. It is a good story, though.
PRIMORDIAL FOLLIES by Robert Sheckley
For you younger folks out there, Robert Sheckley deserves an introduction. He is one of the funniest, and most original science fiction writers. If you like Douglas Adams, you should check out Sheckley. You’ll be damn glad you did.
He collaborated with Harlan on one of my all-time favorite stories, “I See a Man Sitting in a Chair, and the Chair is Biting his Leg.” It’s way ahead of its time and manages to live up to that title. It’s in the collection The Robot That Looked Like Me, I have a paperback that quotes Harlan: “If the Marx Brothers had been literary fantasists, they would have been Robert Sheckley,” yet Harlan isn’t credited for his contribution. There’s probably an interesting story behind that . . .
And Harlan’s account of its writing in Partners in Wonder is hilarious.
Though not as good as “I See a Man . . .” in “Primordial Follies” Scheckley is in classic form. It cracks the confines of the science fiction genre, barrages the reader with weird ideas in an absurdist romp that challenges all ideas about the universe, its creation, and destruction. It’s also about the dangers of eating.
Is it just me, or have people gotten batshit crazy about eating in the last few decades? It could make an interesting anthology. Hmm . . .
MEN IN WHITE by David Brin
This one was a disappointment, even though Brin is a great writer and the story is well done. It reverses the Men In Black concept. Turns out all the UFOs, the paranormal, and conspiracy theories are true. A dangerous enough idea, but, even though I’m as skeptical about such things as Brin and Harlan, but I’ve exposed myself to a lot of UFO lit. Hell, I’ve even seen one. That stuff makes the story seem rather ho-hum.
I hesitate to recommend the book Hollywood Vs the Aliens by Bruce Rux. My hesitation is because I swear that it felt like I could feel brain cells dying while I read parts of it. Examples: Rux suggests that Gene Roddenberry enlisted Harlan in a media conspiracy to make the subject of UFOs look silly, and Nixon had The Rocky Horror Picture Show made to discourage U.S. military personnel from having sex with aliens. Pursue at your own risk.
INTERMEZZO 6: CONTINUITY by D.M. Rowles
Speaking of UFOs, this flash piece is a tale of alien abduction that turns the whole idea of alien abduction inside out. A love story with a happy ending.
And now back to my dangerous, apocalyptic, crazy summer . . .
