Weekly Short Stories: 1974 Science Fiction, Part 1

Today I review the first two short stories...technically these are novella-length...appearing in the anthology The 1975 Annual World's Best SF, edited by Donald A. Wollheim with Arthur Saha and covering their selections of short science fiction from the previous year.  In 1974 the Watergate scandal reached a breaking point in the summertime when the "smoking gun" tape of Nixon trying to cover it all up was released and he resigned the Presidency to avoid a Senate impeachment trial and conviction.  I also graduated from high school that year and began college.  There will be more about '74's history and my personal memories in the weeks to come, but for now here are my reactions to those first two stories, the first of which was written by a very well-known figure...

A SONG FOR LYA by George R.R. Martin

This was one of Game of Thrones creator Martin's early stories, and it deals (as does the next tale) with the theme of immortality.  Two telepaths are sent to a distant planet where humanity is beginning to engage in trade with the indigenous humanoid population which, although predating us with its civilizations by millennia seems in a state of stagnation.  The most disturbing part of their culture, though, is their practices of Joining and Union...voluntary joining with a horrible parasitic creature and then eventually allowing it to uttering consume them in "union".  From their perspective, though, the act brings them into close fellowship with all intelligent beings and guarantees immortality.  The task for our protagonists is to investigate this phenomenon, which has begun to entice humans into their fold.  Here Martin contrasts spiritual immortality with physical immortality in the starkest terms...a very thought-provoking tale... 

DEATHSONG by Sydney J. Van Scyoc

On another world, an exploratory party has discovered both a small number of humanoids, in a generally stuporous state and on the verge of starvation, who engage in a strange nightly practice playing their flutes within an elaborate, specially constructed temple as a living light show surrounds them.  The explorers, upon entering a special room in the temple, are also provided flutes and play them as well...by doing so they discover the very dark side of this planet's history and inhabitants.  As for those emaciated humanoids, a surprise is in store for readers at the story's end. The flutes and lights show deal with immortality, too, but with a completely different...and much more sinister...focus than what the previous story presents.  

Next week I continue looking back at the year 1974 in science fiction short stories...