Harlan Ellison Books

Oz-story #6 is the annual anthology of stories, comics and verse generated by L. Frank Baum's legendary "Land of Oz" books. This wonderful, large format collection features contributions by L. Frank Baum, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Harlan Ellison, Philip Jose Farmer, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Glenn Ingersoll, Eric Shanower and others. Oz-story #6 is profusely and charmingly illustrated by the work of John R. Neil, Eric Shanower, Anna-Maria Cool, Marge, and others. There are comic panels by Walt Spouse, Steve Lieber, Tommy Kovac, Steven Weisman, W.W. Denslow and others. The center piece is perhaps L. Frank Baum's "Annabel", his least known children's novel which was originally published in 1906 and presents a rags-to-riches story of a young boy who finally wins the girl! With its flawless and pains-taking production values, Oz-story #6 is a "must" for all Oz enthusiasts of all ages.

Harlan Ellison fiction is a treat for those who enjoy imaginative and speculative. Here, Ellison dusts off an old manuscript and gives it the audio treatment. It's quite well done. Harlan admits that as he was performing the narrative that he improvised and made certain edits, though I could not tell where these instances occurred. RUN is one of Harlan's classic science-fiction stories, and even though Harlan will protest that he is NOT a science-fiction writer (just listen to any of his recorded lectures), it is clearly science-fiction. But it is good science fiction and smartly done. The price is amazing. I purchased a used copy through Amazon sellers for under $10 bucks and have already listened to the disks several times. We need more recorded Ellison stories and they should be recorded by Harlan himself. He may not be a "professional" actor per se, but no one reads his work in the same style as Harlan. It really makes the experience complete in my humble opinion.

Shatterday is Harlan's tribute to the sometimes symbiotic (but usually parasitic) relationship between an author and his stories. He uses the book to lay out the philosophy of writing he's been hinting at and refining after almost half-a-century as one of America's finest writers.

Ellison contends that the two are locked in something of a struggle for dominance, and if the writer can make the story work before the story totally crushes him under its own weight, that means he's succeeded. He also makes some very good points, such as anything more than twelve minutes of personal pain is just wanton self-pity. In the end, it's a guide for thinking, a new viewpoint or perspective; a bit disturbing, a bit dark, a bit pessimistic...but then, we certainly wouldn't have Harlan any other way.

This collection of short stories is absolutely wonderful. It includes Sci/Fi stories about Hell, Trolls, and the absolute worst wish ever imagined. I've read this book a number of times and it never fails to make me burst into laughter.

Ellison captures the fleeting emotions of life and shares them with us all. Whether it is the absurdity of just getting by (The three most important things in life) sharing the wonder of discovery (Saturn November 3) or showing us that it is still possible to live your life by your own rules and still succeed. Harlan's view of the world is honest, savage, vicious at times but never intentionally mean for mean's sake. He shares a wonderful truth about what the real meaning of marriage is in "Djinn, no chaser" that plucks away the romantic crap and common perceptions and leaves us with "..You are strong when I can't be and I am strong when you can't be. Nobody gets it right all the time" He also tells a heartrending and chilling tale about the nature of love in "Grail" I won't ruin the end of it, but it tells of the strength of the human spirit even when the love story does not have a happy ending. All in all, this runs the full gambit of emotions, smartly written and guaranteed to make you think

The book presents a mirror through the eyes or a genius child which we use to look at our own trespasses. Is what we do to others and to ourselves really right?

This is an excellent book for young and old and I highly recommend it.

This is book one of my favorites and I've often lent it out to friends. They like it so much they lend it to their friends... so I've bought several copies over the years. This time I was unlucky: I ordered the paperback version that does NOT include the introduction. This introduction includes excerpts from letters sent to Card about their reactions to the story along with insight into the his intentions. The paperback version I'd chosen omits this, and instead puts a cheesy "reading guide" for young readers at the back. Luckily Amazon lets you glance at the table of contents -- I wish I'd checked!

What more can be said about this book that hasn't already been mentioned in the thousands or preceding reviews. The accolades are all well deserved. This book isn't just a science fiction classic, it's a classic work of fiction that transcends the genera, right up there with Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World. A must read.

This is my favorite book! i read again in 2 days recently and i still picked up new things from it. its a great read for people of all ages younger people will like the action while as you get older you can appreciate the fine lines of an ethical struggle between the sacrifice of one for the good of many, and who decides what the good is. Hightly recommended!

do you like books? do you like characters with superhero-like abilities? do you like lasers that go pew-pew? Then you'll enjoy this novel.

I really enjoy Terry Pratchett's series about DiscWorld. This is one of the better books in the series. However, you need to have read some of the series in order to get all the little things about the different characters. The only bad thing about this book is that I don't really like the whole time travel concept of it. I liked seeing the characters when Sam Vimes is just starting out and is young and impressionable, but I didn't like having to go back in time and pretend to be someone else to do it. I love how Mr. Pratchett takes what's going on in our world today and gets his characters to make fun of and make statements about it. I really loved his social commentary about rebellions and political changes, not to mention how when a new man comes into an organization and slowly takes it over. I just find his series revealing about how others may see us and how we do what we do. How funny it really sounds to others. I would highly recommend this book to others who have read the series. If you haven't started the series then you definitely need to get on it.

This is my favorite book in the City Watch book and quite possibly my favorite book in the entire Discworld series. It gives you a little more background on some of the main characters(Vimes, Colon, Nobby, and even Vetinari)and makes for a thrilling read. Read it! I command you!

Having enjoyed Going Postal, my first Terry Pratchett, I jumped on "Night Watch" with a Christmas gift certificate and started reading it right away. Somewhat inexplicably, the book took me nearly a month to finish. Pratchett parodies modern societal infrastructure in his books (communications in "Going Postal"; law enforcement in "Night Watch"). Perhaps I'm just not clued in enough to police work to get all the jokes.

The story blends elements of "The Time Machine" (as protagonist Sam Vimes is accidentally thrown about 30 years into then past), Les Misérables (Signet Classics) (a citizens' revolt involving heavy use of barricades makes up much of the action) and The Streets of San Francisco - Season 1, Vol. 2, but with a time-twist as the veteran Vimes (the Karl Malden character) trains a young Vimes (the Michael Douglas character) thirty years in the past. I expect that there's a British TV version of this old cop/young cop story (without the time-shifting, of course).

But it doesn't work out as wackily as it sounds. Slowing down the fun, Pratchett devotes many pages to the drudgery of night policing (the "night watch" of the title) and to the inner workings of a precinct house. Sectioning the book into more chapters might have also helped the story flow better. I will say that the ending came together well, if a little on the sentimental side.

Though I didn't enjoy "Night Watch" (3 stars) as much as "Going Postal" (4 stars), I still plan to read more Pratchett. I'm told that some of the earliest books in the Discworld series have more of the jocularity that charmed me in "Postal".

Being a prison guard (no, not like the ones in this book, a REAL one) I find great comfort in Sam Vimes. Moralistic humor, nice twisty view of the world, yet always trying to do right - even to himself. This book has gotten me through hard times when I needed to be reminded to be true to myself, to do what I know is right, to look to the greater picture. I adore Terry Pratchett's view and agree wholeheartedly with it. Acceptance that people are who they are, but we need to be who we need to be also. I believe all his books are quite readable, enjoyable. I am currently in the process of reading the entire discworld series in chronological order and am impressed to watch not only the characters grow, but the author also. Thank you sooooo much Mr. Pratchett! Not only are your books entertaining, but provide the view more of us need to see the world through.

I tried to read this novel as my first Discworld novel many moons ago. I couldn't get into it. Having now read all of its precursors the book is FABULOUS. It will stand up as probably one of my favorite all time Discworld books (and let's face it they are my favorite books period). I love Vimes and the City Watch so that helps. This is, in addition to the standard humor, a really touching story. (yes, I used that description about a Discworld novel. really.) The lead up to the end is not quite satisfactory, but I've realized that when humor is the primary purpose the plot will, unfortunately, have to serve the humor rather than itself... and anyone complaining about holes in a story about a world revolving on the back of a turtle (not forgetting about the elephants as well) probably needs to take a harder look at their expectations.

This is my favorite comic book story. I was already a Gaiman fan, having read "Good Omens". But the intense intelligence and respect for the form of mythology in particular and story-telling in general, not to mention one of the all time great jumping off points (Lucifer's abdication of Hell), create a story that is breathtaking in it's scope and imagination.
AMAZING!
And I haven't even mentioned the stunning artwork, just beautiful, iconic and evocative.
All the "old gods" are represented and much intrigue and deal-brokering ensue.
These themes (the meaning and relevance of mythology) are further explored in at least 2 of his subsequent novels and many of his short stories.
This is still the definitive statement. Check it out, you will not be disappointed!

I've heard much about The Sandman series for many years, and so last summer I finally decided to experience it for myself. The first volume was adequate, but it didn't "wow" me as much as I expected. Probably because, by this point in time, Gaiman's concepts had been copied and recopied so many times by so many other writers that the original held little distinction.

I took solace in the fact that Volume III of the series was to be the one that set The Sandman beyond anything else in the comic book medium that came before or after. Sadly--for me--it didn't electrify. Good? Certainly. Great? No.

So, believing the opinions of several friends can't be wrong, I still pressed on. Volume IV, Season of Mists, proved to be the one. This is the volume that completely and utterly "wowed" me. From the beginning to the end, this was a tightly woven story packing emotional, philosophical, intellectual, and conceptual punches that did not fail to capture both my imagination and respect. The character of Morpheus is visually interesting, but it was not until this volume that he began to fascinate me as a well-rounded character.

The premise is simple in Season of Mists. Morpheus realizes he long ago made a mistake for which he must atone. It is how he deals with coming to this decision and the ramifications of going about executing it that astonished me. Gaiman's imagination is limitless in Season of Mists, pulling from established myths and legends as well as creating his own.

The art, like all of the volumes, is rather hit or miss. Luckily, the image of Morpheus is so striking and the stories so good that the art is easy to overlook.

Finally, I wouldn't consider myself a fan of Harlan Ellison by any stretch of the imagination, but his introduction to this volume is delightful and is alone worth the price of the entire book.

~Scott William Foley, author of Dr. Nekros: The Tragedian (Volume I, Episode I)

Spurred by the three Fates, Destiny calls a meeting of the Endless. This ends in Dream taking crud for getting pissed at an ex-girlfriend and sending her to Hell.

Spurred by the three Fates, Destiny calls a meeting of the Endless. This ends in Dream taking crap for getting pissed at an ex-girlfriend and sending her to Hell.

His older sister tells him off, so he goes to rescue her, knowing that Lucifer is likely to slay him. A bit nastier than that though, Lucifer abandons Hell and gives it to him, instead, without the old girlfriend.

Dream has to deal with all the mythologies that want this funky piece of supernatural real estate, while Lucifer gets to go and be a beach slacker.

For a short read, each episode is superbly written. Gaiman is the best of his genre.

As everyone knows who reads his stuff, Gaiman is as original as. In this installment, the Lord of Dreams (one of the Endless, all of whom begin with a "D") goes to Hell prepared to do battle with Lucifer in order to obtain the release of an ex-lover he condemned there some ten thousand years ago. But Lucifer surprises him by evicting everyone from the underworld, shutting the place down, locking it up tight, and handing the Dreamer the key. What happens in a Creation with no functioning Hell? For one thing, the dead come back (not "to life" -- just back). For another, a great many deities from an assortment of pantheons, not to mention the evicted demonic tormentors, want to get their hands on the vacant property for their own reasons. As I said: Extremely original. And very well worked out, too. Another strong hit from a true Big Leaguer.

I bought a copy of this when I heard Mr. Ellison speak in April, 1998 - it took me this long to get around to reading it. When I began, my husband said to me "Uh, oh, you'll be having wierd dreams for awhile". The stories do haunt you like that, in those quiet, creepy moments in the night. These are brilliant, violent, dark stories - you never forget them. While many reviews concentrate on the stories receiving wide acclaim, the one that hit me hardest was "Pulling Hard Time", a nightmarish vision of "capital punishment". It is a wonderful example of Mr. Ellison's ability to knock you between the eyes in relatively few words and the kind of work that is best appreciated by reading it out loud. He defies definition - honored in many fields of writing & superior in all of them. He is out-spoken & defiant in person, but I must say that the hour & a half I heard him speak was some of the best time I've ever spent, agree with him or not.

This collection will kick your posterier. It will grab you by your lappels and slam you against the wall and shake the @#$% out of you until you've had your complacent, comfortable litte existance irreperably shattered. Like its creater, its not to be taken lightly.

Do not hesitate. Buy it. Read it. If you dare. You will not view the world or your place in it quite the same again.

This is perhaps Ellison's best collection. It easily rivals Angry Candy (1988), which is widely considered to be his best work. The centerpiece of Slippage is the novella "Mefisto in Onyx." It is not only a well crafted story with too many twists to count, but it is a great commentary on race, gender, and human relations in general. Another jem in this collection is "The Man Who Rowed Christopher Columbus Ashore," which is a great tale of an unlimited man living in a limited world. This story is touching, contemplative, and horrifying at times. It was included in the 1993 Best American Short Stories. Many other stories are included as well as three essays: The introduction is worth the cost of the book, An essay on Ellison's writing process, and an essay about the dangers of television for writers. You also have to admire a man who puts someone else's short story in his collection and praises it. Included is Donald Westlake's striking "Nackles". A tale about hate, more or less. Many other stories are included and all are well polished. This is among my favorite Ellison collections.

I've been a fan of Harlan ever since first learning of him back in the early 90s. I picked up one of his story collections....and then another, and another, until now I've read just about all of them. I truly believe that when it's all said and done, Ellison will be remembered as being one of the absolute best writers of speculative fiction that have ever lived.

Note those key words: "speculative fiction". Harlan himself has mentioned before that he doesn't want to be pigeonholed into one genre (i.e. stuck with the constraining label of "science fiction writer", although much of his work would fall into the sci-fi field). And he doesn't limit himself to one genre. So I would tell you, whomever you are reading this review, to take some of the opinions of my fellow reviewers ("This book isn't sci-fi enough!!!") with a grain of salt.

"Slippage" is another masterpiece by Harlan. It's one of my favorites, and I feel that some of the work here rivals some of his best. It's a beautiful work, one that touches the soul in places, particularly in "The Man Who Rowed Columbus Ashore", as well as the award-winning "Mefisto in Onyx".

I strongly urge any fan of speculative fiction to pick up this book, and be welcomed into the wonderland of Ellison.

This great collection gives you a representative sampling of Ellison's best short stories, and prove that he is far from a science fiction writer, which is what most people think. Sure, some of his stories definitely are sci-fi, like "Chatting with Anubis" and "Midnight in the Sunken Cathedral". However, most of Ellison's tales are better described as speculative fiction, and mostly consist of biting social observation. The best example is the classic "Mefisto in Onyx" which adds the supernatural to a treatise on racial tension, and the "Nackles" stories which deal with the uncomfortable realities of child abuse in the guise of a Christmas fairy tale. Ellison even veers into fantasy ("The Dragon on the Bookshelf") and bizarre character sketches ("The Man Who Rowed Christopher Columbus Ashore") while keeping his offbeat but perceptive worldview intact.

Here you can see that Ellison as a writer is impossible to categorize, and also impossible to ignore. (Note: For an even better collection, see the similarly-packaged volume "Angry Candy".)

Not just essential to fans of Harlan Ellison, this book is mind-altering, beginning with the first line of the opener, "Paladin of the Lost Hour". I can't recommend this book enough. I kept it checked out of the library when I was younger and much broker; I got older and less broke; and now, much like another reviewer, I keep buying new copies after I loan them out and they never return. Combine this with "the Essential Ellison" and you will understand why people are so rabid about the works of Harlan Ellison.

Harlan Ellison is one the world's great short story writers. Forget about labels, SF, fantasy, etc. He is just one of the better practitioners of this art form. He also can be one of the most infuriating, writing experimental stories that take many pages to say nothing. ANGRY CANDY is bit of both with the good outweighing the incomprehensible.
"Paladin of the Lost Hour," "Prince Myshkin," "Laugh Track," and especially "Soft Monkey" ( an incredible tale of survival in the heartless city) are all fine examples of Ellison's ability to create a variety of stories that can grip you with suspense or put a mile on your face ( a rare talent in any writer). It is the few occasions where Ellison drifts off into the bizarre; with stories like "The Region Between" or "Eidolons" where the point is...well I'm not sure where the point is; this being the problem. It is these types of stories that keep me from giving this collection the highest rating, but one thing about Ellison's writing it is never boring and it will always challenge the reader's emotions and intellect. ANGRY CANDY is another example of Ellison's ability to do both of these things magnificently.

This World Fantasy Award-winning collection was the first taste of Harlan Ellison that I had, and boy, was it a good introduction. I have since read a great deal more of Ellison's work, and, while I find that pretty much all of it affects me deeply, the stories in _Angry Candy_ are the ones I find myself coming back to the most.

Death is the theme tying together the stories in _Angry Candy_--death, and our difficulty accepting it as an inevitable part of life. The book is saturated with anger and loss, yes, but also with dark humor and a sense that life is something worth fighting for.

Other reviewers have talked about the standout stories in this collection, including "Paladin of the Lost Hour," which picked up a Hugo Award, "Soft Monkey," and "The Importance of Dream Sleep." No one has mentioned "Stuffing," which is not generally considered one of Ellison's strongest stories, but which affected me deeply when I first read it and which remains one of my favorites. I read it while struggling through a profound depression, and the sense of futility and powerlessness it conveyed struck a chord in me. I think that typifies _Angry Candy_: while every story in this collection is admirable, there is almost certain to be at least one that resonates particularly strongly for you. And if that doesn't make you want to read this book, I don't know what will.

Angry Candy is considered by some to be Harlan Ellison's best collection of short stories. I think Slippage is a tiny bit better, but Angry Candy is powerful. The collection starts with an essay Ellison wrote after the deaths of many friends in a short time period (A list is provided; organized by month of death; human mortality is truely freightening). The common thread throughout these stories is death. Death shows up everywhere: from the Titanic to werewolves in Paris to an Aunt trapped for eternity on a "Laugh Track". The stars of the collection are "The Paladin of the Lost Hour," which was an episode of the New Twilight Zone. "Paladin" is a beautiful tale of race relations and human emotions. "Soft Monkey" is a tale of a New York bag-woman who chooses the wrong place to sleep one night and the relationship she has with a doll. "The Function of Dream Sleep" was written last and deals with Ellison's loss of friends. It seems it was written as a release from the pain of loss. All of the other stories in this collection are sound and most importantly entertaining. Ellison knows how to tell the story.

I couldn't get through much of this garbage, and I recommend anyone thinking of reading it do some browsing of the pages at a library or even via Amazon's nifty feature that lets you read a few pages, before you make a terrible mistake. This overblown windbag (Ellison) is so full of himself that his masturbatory writing style oozes filthy wetness right off the page. I had to look this guy up after reading some stuff, and it turns out he's a real jerk in person too, which explains a lot actually. I recommend doing some research on the author even more than even his books. You will be sickened by the thought of reading anything puked up from that mind. Just remember, you're reading a book written by someone who thinks he's better than you and wants everyone to know it.