Search Worlds Without End

Pamela Sargent’s imagined worlds are so rich in detail as to become hallucinatory; a reader asked what attracted her to SF, Pamela Sargent replied as follows: “the idea that just about everything could be other than it is.” For more than five decades, she’s made full use of that idea, writing story after story and book after book, each tempering wild imagination with masterfully controlled literary technique. The result: a series of worlds glimmering brilliantly against the darkness of space.
       This massive collection assembles thirty-one of her stories, each followed by an original afterword. Together, they constitute a portrait of a restless mind working not just to dazzle us but to push against life’s limits.
       A crowd of people begins to experience telepathy, which is wonderful until it isn’t. A widow uses time travel to console herself after the death of her lover, but is it truly consolation or only a way to delay pain? A young woman trains to compete in the novella race; she hopes to bring home a gold medal. A cat with a voice like Jeremy Irons tells us, in rich prose, of his troubles and triumphs. An aspiring writer finds himself sitting next to the daughter of a late author whose work he loved. No matter the story and no matter the register — funny, horrific, awe-inspiring, or deeply sad — every word rings true.
       Among the best-known works here is “Danny Goes To Mars,” Hugo finalist and Nebula winner. It takes us to a world in which Vice President Dan Quayle, widely viewed as a dim but amiable man, finds himself on a mission to Mars. Written as a sort of holiday greeting card for friends and family, it didn’t see publication until Harlan Ellison urged her to publish it. No wonder he did: despite the lark of a premise, it’s gripping, powerful, and surprisingly moving. It’s the sort of thing you can only pull off once, except that Sargent does it twice; “Hillary Orbits Venus” may be even better.
       “Gather Blue Roses” was written early in her career, in time scrounged up between graduate studies and teaching introductory philosophy to freshmen. “I cannot remember ever having asked my mother outright about the tattooed numbers,” it begins. What follows is a carefully-drawn depiction of childhood in the shadow of the Holocaust. It’s a haunting reminder that trauma remains trauma even after the gates that trap us are opened.
       “A Smaller Government” sings in an entirely different key. Hector sits on a bench in Lafayette Park, listening to two homeless people debate, when the White House seems to disappear. But it hasn’t disappeared; it’s shrunk, alongside everyone in it. For years, people have advocated for smaller government. But is this what they meant?
       Time and again, these stories open to reveal at their core vision, wisdom, and heart. Be careful about reaching in, though, or even breathing too deeply. Once these stories get into your bloodstream, they’re a part of you. Then again, isn’t that exactly what you’ve been waiting for?

Contents:

• Introduction by Pat Cadigan
• Common Mind
• If Ever I Should Leave You
• The Summer's Dust
• Gather Blue Roses
• The Mountain Cage
• Fears
• Strawberry Birdies
• The Shrine
• Collectors
• Shadows
• His Two Wars
• Danny Goes to Mars
• Hillary Orbits Venus
• Venus Flowers at Night
• Dream of Venus
• A Smaller Government
• Monuments
• Puss in D.C.
• All Rights
• The Rotator
• The Sleeping Serpent
• Climb the Wind
• Erdeni's Tiger
• Out of Place
• Originals
• After I Stopped Screaming
• Utmost Bones
• The True Darkness
• The Drowned Father
• The Novella Race
• Too Many Memories