In his introduction to ‘Some Dreams Are Nightmares’, James Gunn explains he thinks SF, unlike other genres, works best as short stories. In this collection of four stories, there are two short stories and two novelettes.
The first, ‘The Cave Of Night’ was written in 1955. Astronaut Lieutenant ‘Rev’ McMillan is trapped in Earth orbit when his fuel runs out. By eating sparingly, they figure he can last a month. Long enough to pick up the parts of his rocket on take-off and make a new top, carrying a crew of five to rescue. When you consider manned space flight had not happened when he wrote the story, his detail as to what would happen is close to what might happen. After you read this story, you’ll be grateful that we never had it happen here.
The second, ‘The Hedonist’ from 1954 is a novelette. A hedonist is someone who gives joy to people. In the future of 2035, being a hedonist is a profession, even if the lead character here sees sleeping with one of his patients, Beth, preparing her for her marriage as part of his job. However, he is seen as a threat by the ruling council and finds himself and Beth running for their lives. Gunn’s depiction of the future with bedrooms changed into offices, disposable clothes and algae-based foods, not to mention really high-rise buildings seeps through the story giving an unusual depth. Quaintly, keeping people happy all the time is a lot of hard work which shows an unusual change in balance in behaviour. I suspect that when this story was first released, it showed radical thinking. It’s still pretty much the same today. What Gunn doesn’t say is as important as what is in the story.
The third, ‘New Blood’, is from 1955 and part of his novel ‘The Immortal’, that later became a TV series. We barely see the long-lived Marshall Cartwright after he donates a pint of his unique O-type blood. What we do see is the effects on wealthy but dying Leroy Weaver as the blood rejuvenates him. He then wants Cartwright tracked down for his unique blood, convinced that he only needs more every 40 years and wants to preserve and keep him intact. The rest is spoiler.
The fourth, ‘Medic’, was written in 1957. Bear that date in mind because James Gunn sees the future of the American health care and multiplies the cost and insurance into the millions. If you couldn’t die, no access to the black market then you died. Hmm, that’s pretty much like it is now stateside, isn’t it? Benjamin Flowers is a seventh-year medical student, already out dealing with insured medical cases. He is literally captured by a blind Leah Pearce to see her dying father, Dr. Russell Pearce, who created the elixir vitae that prolonged life. Trying to do something about that gets him in trouble with his own bosses.
James Gunn (1923-2020), not to be confused with the film-maker, had a long writing career. If you haven’t come across his books, it’s well worth checking him out. He writes clearly and his decent page-turners covered a wide range of subjects, in short and novel-length form, as well as a lot of non-fiction on the genre. A lot of his books can be found at ReAnimus.
GF Willmetts
October 2026
(pub: ReAnimus Press. 2020. 226 page enlarged paperback. Price: varies. ISBN: 979-8-55119-508-5)
check out website: www.ReAnimus.com
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