England Swings SF. edited by Judith Merril. 1968
ENGLAND SWINGS SF
RATED 70% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE = 3.39 OUT OF 5
28 STORIES : 4 GREAT / 13 GOOD / 5 AVERAGE / 2 POOR / 4 DNF
This may be the most important SF book of the year … (or it may be the least. You must Judge for yourself.
- The back cover of the paperback edition
England Swings SF is a famous and influential anthology of the period of time in Science Fiction known as The New Wave. It was a moment in when some SF writers were trying to expand and transform what Science Fiction could be. Avant Garde literary techniques. An emphasis on character above science. More explicit sex, violence, and politics. A break from the traditional American SF which was seen as the opposite of all those things. Editor Judith Merril was one of the leading figures of the New Wave movement and her work continues to be quite controversial.
It is a work, a manifesto perhaps in the form of a group of most unusual SF stories, which everyone interested in Science Fiction ought to read. It will be a stimulating experience, whether you agree with Miss Merril or not. …
We reprint ENGLAND SWINGS SF not because we in agreement or in disagreement with it, but because we think it is part of Ace’s traditional service to science fiction.
- Donald A. Wollheim
When discussing the book on the wonderful Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Fiction Facebook Group, opinions ran the gamut from ‘it opened my eyes to new authors and new kinds of storytelling’ to ‘a particularly lacklustre selection.’ Other people found a quote that said the Merril caused ‘irreversible damage’ to the field of Science Fiction.
Whatever one’s opinion of Judith Merril and the New Wave, it is impossible to read England Swings SF with anything resembling the perspective that a reader in the time period who have had. The New Wave permanently changed Science Fiction and the stories that were inspired by it are better than the stories in this anthology. For the most part.
I’ll admit that I didn’t find this an enjoyable read. Many of the stories were borderline unreadable, with the highest number of DNF’d stories.
This anthology is deeper than merely the stories, because of the original way that Merril handled author biographies. They come after the story and are an interplay between Merril and the Author, taking place side-by-side. There is so much to enjoy here with an argument about the value of the New Wave with Brian W. Aldiss. We learn that the was the first published story for many of these writers and that everyone thinks J G Ballard is great. I agree, but there are more great stories than just Ballard’s.
You and Me and the Continuum • (1966) • short story by J. G. Ballard. Inscrutable, yet compelling. Structurally interesting with each very short section beginning with a consecutive letter of the alphabet. An abortive version of Christ’s Second Coming is told in tiny fragmented vignettes. I’m having great trouble trying to summarize it, but that’s kind of the point. You need to experience this story.
The Hall of Machines • (1968) • short story by Langdon Jones. This was the story that made me pick up the anthology. This is a beautiful, haunting, and plotless depiction of a few amazing machines from the Hall of Machines - which is possibly infinite in size. Different, but beautifully written. I wish the whole book had been this good.
All the King's Men • (1965) • novelette by Barrington J. Bayley [as by B. J. Bayley]. Aliens have conquered specific countries (England, Brazil, South Africa) but not the entire Earth, and are using them as pawns in a larger game. A smart and interesting version of alien occupation.
Sun Push • (1967) • short story by Graham Hall [as by Graham M. Hall]. A brutal human story of civil war in England told from the perspective of a solider with a desire to create art. Quite the visceral war story.
ENGLAND SWINGS SF IS RATED 70% POSITIVE
28 STORIES : 4 GREAT / 13 GOOD / 5 AVERAGE / 2 POOR / 4 DNF
How do I arrive at a rating?
The Island • (1965) • short story by Roger Jones
Good. Three men live on an island in a strong power dynamic until one explores
Ne Déjà Vu Pas • (1967) • short story by Josephine Saxton
Average. Woman finds herself in an alternate state where everything is reversed.
Signals • (1966) • short story by John Calder
Good. Scientist communication with signal from other civilizations that are - like us - atoms in something bigger.
Saint 505 • (1967) • short story by John Clark
Average. Structurally expirimental story involving religion, a computer, and an undeveloped cast of characters.
The Singular Quest of Martin Borg • (1965) • novelette by George Collyn
DNF. This was dreadful. A young man is infantalized by robot, adopted by aliens, and leaves for adventure. Written with the worst faux-humorous voice.
The First Gorilla on the Moon • (1968) • poem by Bill Butler
Good. Weird, but fun and very short. Gorilla in space. Maybe?
Blastoff • (1964) • short story by Kyril Bonfiglioli
Poor. Some weird fusion of Jesus and a Rocket Launch.
You and Me and the Continuum • (1966) • short story by J. G. Ballard
Great. Inscrutable, yet compelling. Structural interesting with each very short section beginning with a consecutive letter of the alphabet. An abortive version of Christ’s Second Coming is told in tiny fragmented vignettes.
Who's in There with Me? • (1968) • short story by Daphne Castell
Average. Various people spend time in some simulation.
The Squirrel Cage • (1966) • short story by Thomas M. Disch
Good. The internal mentality of a man held captive.
Manscarer • (1966) • novelette by Keith Roberts
Good. Well written weirdness of an artist who constructs giant mobil sculptures.
The Total Experience Kick • (1966) • short story by Charles Platt
Good. A more conventional story of corporate espionage and a new way to experience music as a Total Experience. Prescient.
The Silver Needle • (1967) • poem by George MacBeth
DNF. Reads like a juvenile internet troll trying to shock with vulgar sex talk and Nazi stuff. Bounced out of this fast!
The Baked Bean Factory • (1967) • short story by Michael Butterworth
Good. A girl dies of radiation poisoning as corporations turn advertising into actual war.
The Hall of Machines • (1968) • short story by Langdon Jones
Great. A beautiful, haunting, and plotless depiction of a few amazing machines from the Hall of Machines - which is possibly infinite in size.
The Run • (1966) • short story by Christopher Priest [as by Chris Priest]
Good. War has started. As a Senator tries to get back to The Base, he is disrupted by scores of young people.
All the King's Men • (1965) • novelette by Barrington J. Bayley [as by B. J. Bayley]
Great. Aliens have conquered specific countries (England, Brazil, South Africa) but not the entire Earth, and are using them as pawns in a larger game.
Still Trajectories • [Colin Charteris] • (1967) • short story by Brian W. Aldiss
DNF. Either Aldiss was on drugs or I am. I could not focus on anything in this story.
Sun Push • (1967) • short story by Graham Hall [as by Graham M. Hall]
Great. A brutal human story of civil war in England told from the perspective of a solider with a desire to create art.
Report on a Supermarket • (1968) • poem by Michael Hamburger
Good. Fun SF poem about a cynical supermarket of the future.
Dr. Gelabius • (1968) • short story by Hilary Bailey
Poor. Doctor has a bunch of fetuses for some eugenic program. Very short.
The Heat Death of the Universe • (1967) • short story by Pamela Zoline [as by P. A. Zoline]
Good. A comparison of the end of the universe to the daily life and work of a housewife.
The Mountain • (1965) • short story by Michael Moorcock
Good. The last two men on earth after a war follow a woman’s tracks over a mountain.
Psychosmosis • (1966) • short story by David I. Masson
Good. A strong primitive culture where the speaking of a wrong name transports you to a place between the living and the dead. Probably a fantasy story.
The Idea of Entropy at Maenporth Beach • (1967) • poem by Peter Redgrove
Average. A white woman submerges herself and comes out black.
Same Autumn in a Different Park • (1967) • short story by Peter Tate
DNF. OH HELL NO STOP A STORY TOLD ONLY IN TELEGRAM STOP JUST STOP STOP
The Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy Considered As a Downhill Motor Race • (1966) • short story by J. G. Ballard
Good. Fun and irreverent retelling on the Assassination of John F Kennedy. Experimental fiction, not SF.
Plan for the Assassination of Jacqueline Kennedy • (1966) • short story by J. G. Ballard
Average. Short snippets of people who want to kill Jackie Kennedy and have sex with cars.
