I've finally finished the long journey of reading THE LAST DANGEROUS VISIONS, assembled by Harlan Ellison from 1973 until his death in 2018, and finally completed by his literary executor J. Michael Straczynski. I'm one of the people who's waited 50 years for it to appear. So allow me to congratulate all who were involved, both living and dead, and offer this list of my favorite stories from the book. Bear in mind that they're not necessarily the BEST stories (however that would be determined), simply the ones that moved and stimulated me the most.
1. J. Michael Straczynski, "Ellison Exegesis." Not a short story but a nonfiction account of Harlan's struggle with bipolar disorder. Revelatory and heartbreaking, but ultimately an inspiring paeon to friendship.
2. Stephen Robinett, "Assignment No. 1." I detected a touch of Bradbury in this short but powerful tale of what all of us might face.
3. Stephen Dedman, "The Great Forest Lawn Clearance Sale -- Hurry, Last Days!" The final line had some of the punch of Clarke's "Billion Names of God."
4. Cecil Castellucci, "After Taste." Perhaps my favorite story in the book. The shocker had some of the feeling of an EC Comcs SF tale, but goes far beyond it.
5. Steve Herbst, "Leveled Best." A short but powerful story touching on a classic SF theme.
6. Jonathan Fast, "The Malibu Fast." As a New Yorker who always wanted to live in California, I naturally loved this one.
7. Stephen Utley, "Goodbye." Utterly original and immensely moving.
8. Dan Simmons, "The Final Pogrom." Timely and timeless. As a Jew, I was particularly affected by it.
9. Ward Moore, "Falling from Grace." The funniest story in the book.
10. Adrian Tchaikovsky, "First Sight." The best "first contact" story I've ever read.
11. Kayo Hartenvaun, "Binary System." The author's first published story, and a memorable one.
12. Mildred Downey Broxon, "The Danann Children Laugh." The haunting Irish countryside atmosphere was beautifully done.
13. Edward Bryant, "War Stories." I confess I didn't fully understand this story, but it has some of the most powerful writing in the book.
A baker's dozen of delights.
The book is the third in a trilogy that includes DANGEROUS VISIONS (1967) and AGAIN, DANGEROUS VISIONS (1972), two classics of cutting-edge speculative fiction. It's very satisfying to see that the trilogy is now complete.
