Aha! You thought we were done talking about Harlan Ellison! You fools!

Actually, this episode is less about Ellison, and more about the contents of the anthology, Dangerous Visions, which Ellison organized and edited. The book is full of stories from well-known writers, such as Philip K. Dick, Damon Knight, Larry Niven, Poul Anderson, and others, as well as lesser-known authors whose work Ellison decided to promote. Dangerous Visions pursued a new model for anthologies, and is one of the important landmarks in the history of science fiction, speculative fiction, whatever label you want to apply.

But was it dangerous? And what did we think of the stories, Ellison’s introductions to each one, the authors’ own afterwards, and the revolutionary manifesto in Ellison’s introduction? Tune in to find out.

Because Ellison wanted people to submit stories that made readers uncomfortable and stretched the limits of the genre, we discuss of a handful of stories that include mentions of incest and fetishism.

The true face of reality! Organ banks! Transhuman groupies! God! Jack the Ripper! Bigotry against aliens! It’s all here.

Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks of a certain age re-visiting their youth. We were there when things like science fiction, fantasy, Tolkien, Star Trek, Star Wars, D&D, Marvel and DC comics, Doctor Who, and many, many other threads of modern geek culture were still on the fringes of popular culture. We were geeks before it was chic!

For feedback, contact [email protected]. You can also find us on Facebook, Reddit, and Bluesky. Also, check out the Ancient Geeks blog on Substack! And if you like what you hear, please tell a friend. Also, we always appreciate a review on the podcast platform of your choice.

© 2026 Tom Grant and Steven Taylor