Book Review: Dream Makers The Uncommon Men and Women Who write Science Fiction Vol. 1 by Charles Platt

 

Dream Makers The Uncommon Men and Women Who write Science Fiction Vol. 1 by Charles Platt

 

 Paperback

 Published May 16, 2021 First published November 1, 1980

 Hugo Award Nominee for Best Related Non-Fiction Book (1981)

This was an interesting reading experience, my thoughts and feelings changed greatly from the first couple of chapters to the end. My book collection about the history of Science Fiction seemed incomplete considering that I often see references to the interviews in this book.  I expected an experience like Stanley Wiater’s Dark Dreamers and Dark Visions with transcripts of interviews. First, I was bummed and annoyed that Charles Platt was often making these profiles about himself, and his experience doing these interviews.

 

When I read the Issac Asimov interview that opened the book, the profile annoyed me, and I felt I didn’t learn anything about an author I already knew much about. I like that Platt in the historical context section was brutally honest about Asimov being a sexist prick. It is also Ironic as this has zero women (profiled alone) Kate Wilhelm is there but she is with her husband Damon Knight) and Platt blames Leguin for turning him and down and makes some weak excuses.

 

Leigh Brackett? Andre Norton? Joanna Russ? Judith Merril, There were plenty he could have reached out to. It is a glaring weakness of the book.

 

Eventually, when I got used to the opinionated style of the profiles, I started to see the value in Platt’s painting the picture of the homes, and how the interviews went down. In my position as host of The Dickheads podcast and Dick scholarship I don’t say this lightly - some of the quotes in the PKD interview are some of the best I have seen. Better than most of the biographers. He is brutally frank about his VALIS experience in a way I liked.

 

This new edition comes with an important addition. Historical context, in 2021 Platt added up-to-date information. Many of these were worth getting the book altogether, with decades of reflection Platt adds tons of value. 

 

Dream Makers is a classic for a reason. Its flaws are serious but it appears the most major one he fixed in the second volume. I think for diehards interested in the history of Science Fiction this is a must-have volume. Now I feel I NEED the second one. I would love to have Platt on the podcast, So we’ll see. 

 

Interviews with: Philip K. Dick; (GREAT!) J. G. Ballard (Excellent); Michael Moorcock (meh); Isaac Asimov;(bad) Frank Herbert (so off-topic); Thomas M. Disch(insightful;) E. C. Tubb(he was new to me, so cool); Damon Knight; Kate Wilhelm; Ian Watson; John Brunner (Excellent); Gregory Benford; Robert Silverberg; Brian W. Aldiss; Robert Sheckley; Kurt Vonnegut; Hank Stine(Was this left out of the new edition?); Norman Spinrad (not my favorite Spinrad interview but interesting); Frederik Pohl; Samuel R. Delany; Barry N. Malzberg (Damn Barry was Grumpy then!) ; Edward Bryant; C. M. Kornbluth; Algis Budrys; Philip Jose Farmer; A. E. van Vogt; Harlan Ellison; and Ray Bradbury.