Inspired by Dangerous Visions, and driven by the same goal, to deliver “cutting edge” original science fiction, Redshift bills itself as “Extreme Visions of Speculative Fiction.” What happens when you mix numerous Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Bram Stoker and Joseph Campell Award winning authors? You get an intensive, impressive volume, containing new stories by some of the very best in the field, as well as authors who have never been associated with science fiction before. Thus, Redshift sports original fiction by Gene Wolfe, Joe Haldeman, Gregory Benford, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Larry Niven, Michael Moorcock, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Harry Turtledove, just to name a few of the big name genre authors. It also features the very first science fiction tale by Joyce Carol Oates, Rambo creator David Morrell, and previously unpublished author Laura Whitton.
So what’s the verdict? It’s ambitious and challenging. The stories within are fully representative of the scope and range of the genre. Whether it’s the tale of a son dedicated to bring his father back from the brink of death, or Saturday Night at the Surrealist Sporting Club, or even the disturbing story of Billy the Fetus, bad before he was born, the contents of Redshift deliver new and interesting takes on the field. There’s something to appeal to everyone, and something bound to offend or disquiet everyone. For original science fiction that dares to push what few limits remain, Redshift is definitely worth checking out.