2113: Stories Inspired by the Music of Rush by Kevin J. Anderson & John McFetridge eds

Author:Kevin J. Anderson & John McFetridge, eds.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ECW Press
Published: 2016-03-04T05:00:00+00:00

When Rush was working on their Roll the Bones album, Neil told me he had written lyrics that were inspired by a story he’d read a long time ago called (something like) “Roll the Bones,” but he couldn’t remember enough details to be able to track it down. When he described the story a little more, I thought I knew which one he was talking about.

I dug through my library, found a copy of Harlan Ellison’s seminal SF anthology Dangerous Visions (1967), which included the original appearance of Fritz Leiber’s “Gonna Roll the Bones,” which won both of science fiction’s most prestigious awards, the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award, in the year of its publication. I photocopied the story and sent it to Neil, who agreed that, yes, this was the story he remembered.

But I didn’t want to stop there. Fritz Leiber was an elderly gentleman at the time, a legend in the field, and I had met him a few times. I did a little more research and tracked down Fritz’s address and sent it to Neil, in case he wanted to write him a letter. I didn’t expect Fritz Leiber to be a Rush fan, but I thought he’d at least like to know that his story had inspired an album. Alas, I had found an old address for Fritz, and Neil’s letter came back undeliverable after a long delay. So I did more investigative work, found where Fritz had moved . . . and he passed away shortly after that, before Neil could send him a new letter. “That’s the way that lady luck dances.”

Considering the influence this story had on Rush, the anthology would not be complete without including it. Please note that this story was published decades ago and is a product of its times. Some language may be offensive.

— KJA

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