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White Fang Goes Dingo (SF) - Thomas Disch ***(*)

In the 1960s, science fiction underwent a revolution, often called the new wave. For many authors of the time, the 'hard' science and two-dimensional characterisation of Isaac Asimov and other writers from the 30s-50s was considered naive. The new young things preferred more human-centred stories, more experimental writing, darker topics and would sometimes indulge in total abandonment of the conventional story form.

A lot of the output of the period could be classed as interesting but failed experimentation - which is not a bad thing. It is arguably an essential for real creativity. This means that much of the output doesn't stand the test of time. But some authors, including Thomas Disch, produced some remarkable fiction. This collection of short stories, first published in 1966 under the title 102 H-bombs is an effective illustration of both what was good and bad about the period. Some of the stories are powerful, effective and original - others don't work at all.

Interestingly, the cover of my 1971 edition (which has some extra material) doesn't include the subtitle, but inside we read this is, in full, White Fang Goes Dingo and other funny s.f. stories. This isn't a bad description, as long as you accept that 'funny' can mean both humorous and odd. Some of the stories are very odd. But all are worth at least trying.

For me, three stand out. The first is the opener, the long 102 H-bombs, where what appears to be a fairly conventional future dystopia takes a sudden, unexpected and shocking twist. Another excellent long short is the closing White Fang Goes Dingo. Here, as is often the case with stories of this period, it can take the reader quite a while to work out what is going on, but Disch presents us with a classic dissection of the concept of utopia and what it is to be human.

The third story I particularly like is totally different: much more clearly intended as humour, in the form of a mock-scientific paper, written with another of the new wavers whose work has to some extend stood the test of time, John Sladek. Titled The Discovery of the Nullitron, it feels like an affection dig at the physics of the period, when new particles seemed to be discovered every other week and the nature of physics was undergoing a radical change, becoming extremely difficult for the lay person to understand. The authors describe their discovery of nullitron (and antinullitron), particles, which have mass, charge and spin of zero. Things soon veer into the absurd when we discover that a nullitron is red and about a metre across (and has a distinct flavour of liquorice). The surrealism gets deeper and deeper, but somehow the writing continues to be amusing rather than silly.

There are a total of 19 stories in the collection (a few are more fantasy than SF) - there's enough variety here to appeal to most SF tastes that aren't limited to space opera. Somehow, this collection manages to demonstrate both why the new wave was so important in advancing the quality of science fiction - and why I'm really pleased that we have moved on from it. A fascinating period piece. 

Unfortunately, this book is out of print, but there are second-hand copies around.

Paperback: 

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Review by Brian Clegg
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