Bookstooge's Reviews On the Road: Terry Carr

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Universe 2 ★★★☆☆

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Title: Universe 2
Series: Universe Anthology #2
Author: Terry Carr (ed)
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 231
Words: 70K

Marginally better than the previous volume, but with some of the names involved, I expected a LOT better. Here’s the TOC:

RETROACTIVE

by Bob Shaw

WHEN WE WENT TO SEE THE END OF THE WORLD

by Robert Silverberg

FUNERAL SERVICE

by Gerard F. Conway

A SPECIAL CONDITION IN SUMMIT CITY

by R. A. Lafferty

PATRON OF THE ARTS

by William Rotsler

USEFUL PHRASES FOR THE TOURIST

by Joanna Russ

ON THE DOWNHILL SIDE

by Harlan Ellison

THE OTHER PERCEIVER

by Pamela Sargent

MY HEAD’S IN A DIFFERENT PLACE, NOW

by Grania Davis

STALKING THE SUN

by Gordon Eklund

THE MAN WHO WAVED HELLO

by Gardner R. Dozois

THE HEADLESS MAN

by Gene Wolfe

TIGER BOY
by Edgar Pangborn

The weirdest, out there, completely bonzo’d gourd story was without a doubt the one by Grania Davis. A couple of druggies go to Mexico or South America, or some place south of California and get stoned out of their gourd and eventually turn into monsters. It was very disturbing.

However, I still wasn’t sold on this series. I’ll give it one more book to try to actually interest me but if it doesn’t, I’m going to have to call it quits. I’d probably be better off quitting now but I don’t have another anthology series lined up and I want that. Now that I just wrote that, that is absolutely silly. I would be better served simply not reading something than something that is sub-par, like this Universes series. So I’m done.

And this is one reason WHY I write reviews as well as rate the books I read. Being introspective sometimes takes time to allow my thoughts to stop swirling and to settle and that is when I have moments of clarity like the above paragraph.

★★★☆☆

Universe 1

Friday, January 13, 2023

Universe 1 ★★☆☆☆

Title: Universe 1
Series: Universe Anthology #1
Author: Terry Carr (ed)
Rating: 2 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 213
Words: 63K

Man, I had forgotten what utter balderdash was written by hippy wannabe’s in the 70’s for SF. Bunch of prententious wanktards thinking sex and psychology are enough to sell a story without having to actually write a good story. There’s a reason most of the authors in this collection are completely forgotten today and probably made zero impact back in their own time. What a bunch of losers. People like them are what gave SF a bad name.

And yet.

There are at least 14 volumes in this series. I’ve got some random ones and despite my trashing above, I’m going to give the editor, Terry Carr, one more chance. But after this book, each one has to impress me or I’m dnf’ing the series and consigning Mr Carr to the dust bins of forgotten history, where he already appears to be though if I’m being honest.

★★☆☆☆