I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream: Stories

I'll pass on the literary criticism - others have done it well. But as a creative professional I love this work. It is different in a world of sameness. Gripping, yes. Entertaining? Oh yeah. But better than that it is original. Vibrant. Actually interesting. Even if you don't like this genre it will make parts of your brain long-dormant come out for a peek at what's going on. And that is hard to beat.

This book is a collection of old short stories by Harlan Ellison. It's a re-release of an older book, and each story has a forward/explanation about how it came to be written, or explaining its contents. These were all written by Mr. Ellison, and provide a nice insight into his mind. The stories are varied in content, by I found most to be interesting reads.

I enjoyed each of the science fiction works in this collection. Having never read any of Harlan's stories, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I ended up enjoying all of them, and would recommend this book to any sci-fi fan.

This is a great story and I owned the eponymous collection many years ago, so I was was really pleased to see it in the Kindle store and I bought it right away. Unfortunately, the Kindle version is just the story, not the entire collection. Huge disappointment. the store needs to correct this. Five stars because the story deserves it and I don't want to drag down ratings for Ellison's work, but I am not happy.

I was expecting something else perhaps; what I'm familiar with from TV and movies.
This collection is good but not what I'm into at this point in time.
I plan to return to this work at a later time and I may indeed buy more as my tastes change.

Since these stories were written during the era of which it was socially acceptable to make women out to be sex objects, Harlan Ellison is partially excused for that but it's still intolerable. One of the other most bothering things about his writing is that he has a typical structure: each story stars a male protagonist who expresses enmity to either himself or those around him, he must endure that somehow until in the end he dies by his hand or someone else's - exception being "World of the Myth" but instead of the protagonist, it was a similar character.

"Big Sam was my Friend" and "Eyes of Dust" were well written and I enjoyed reading them since they were different from the rest. The reason I installed this on my Kindle was to read "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" since I had played the game first which, by comparison, was more in-depth than the book. Not disappointed but a little surprised, although the characters were slightly one-dimensional except for Ted.

All things considered, however; Ellison's writing is debasing and unique; enough in which I might consider looking into his other works if 3 out of 7 of his collection were good. He did stay true to his motif explained in his introductory and I admire that.

Sorry, I just really hated this book. I read the first story and then just skimmed the others. Not sure how I wound up with it in the first place. The stories were beyond gross, but even worse, the writing was sophomoric and SO repetitive it just got plain old boring. Better to let some tension build than to just recite an escalating list of depravity. Ugh. Let me go take a shower.

Harlan Ellison requires a certain amount of sadomasochism to enjoy. And perhaps enjoy isn’t really the correct word. Love him or hate him, his writing has an electricity to it. It’s so brash, aggressive, and evocative, it feels like he’s there in the room with you, yelling at you, spittle flying from his mouth, seething with rage. To call Harlan a misogynist is to miss the point of him hating everyone. There are no heroes in this book. Only victims. And those victims dole out some serious injustice to others. Rape. Murder. Torture. And yes, the women characters don’t get to do a lot other than be abused, mistreated, objectified, etc. For me, being disgusted at these moments is part of the success of these stories. They drive you to think. They force you to juxtapose your own beliefs against the stories’ different viewpoints.

To give plot synopses of the contents here is missing the point, so I won’t do it. The stories are either pretty standard science fiction type plots or experimental dream stuff. Either way, it’s the voice that sets them apart. The title story is by now quite famous, and for me under-delivered, though it is certainly good. World of Myth was my favorite tale, and it may be the most offensive one, though it doesn’t offer any redemption to its characters or readers. In fact, reading this may end your life.

There’s a lot of controversy over Ellison these days as he approaches the end of his life. At some point, he quit writing stories and moved on to the full time job of suing others. What writing he did do mostly fell into the hating on other stuff or loving on his own stuff categories. He became a kind of anti-celebrity almost. None of that really changes the words on the page. Ellison isn’t somebody you’ll confuse with someone else as the years pass. The plots might escape, but that feeling of discomfort, awe, or revulsion will stay with you. And quite simply, there’s something to be said for that.

He is a unique talent.

I seem to have a habit of not reading works by certain famous/iconic authors until right after they've passed away. I didn't start reading the Discworld novels until after Terry Pratchett died, I purchased "The Left Hand of Darkness" but didn't get around to reading it until after Ursula K. Le Guin died, etc. So I'm not terribly surprised that I didn't get around to reading anything by Harlan Ellison, proclaimed by many to be a master of the sci-fi genre, until soon after his death. I figured I should see what all the fuss was about, and so opted for a story collection that contained one of his most iconic stories, "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream."

I don't know if I'll read anything by Ellison again... but I must admit that he has a vivid imagination and a fantastic gift with words, even if his subject matter can be uncomfortable.

The titular story of this collection centers on five humans held prisoner by an all-powerful, hateful sentient computer that is determined to make all of them suffer for humanity's perceived crimes... and the terrible escape one character finally manages to secure for his comrades. "Big Sam Was My Friend" has a circus performer telling the story of his friend, a gifted teleporter, and how he met his tragic end. "Eyes of Dust" takes place on a beautiful world where everything, including the people, is focused on beauty... until an ugly child with fantastic powers is born. "World of Myth" centers on an exploration ship that has crashed on an alien world, and how the native life forms have the power to reveal the true self and darkest secrets of the survivors. "Lonelyache" is a venture into magical realism, with a man going through a bitter divorce confronting horrific nightmares and a strange creature that seems to be borne of his own inner pain. "Delusion For a Dragonslayer" tells the story of a man who died an untimely death and is given a chance to create his own private heaven... and instead concocts a horrific hell. And "Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes" centers on a slot machine in Las Vegas that seems to be haunted by a ghost, and will give a down-on-his-luck drifter a fortune... for a price.

Ellison's writing is strong and vivid, not afraid to shy away from the ugliness of the world and the human psyche but also capable of finding beauty in even the most terrible of circumstances. He has a vivid imagination that comes through in even the weaker stories (such as "Eyes of Dust" and "World of Myth"), and uses his fantastic subject matter to explore the darker side of human nature and our flaws and failings. And as Theodore Sturgeon states in his foreword to this volume, his writing can certainly veer toward the psychedelic, melding realism with surreal and dreamlike imagery with incredible ease.

Ellison's writing does tend to be cynical, however, and none of these stories end very happily. His characters can be difficult to like, and the likable ones tend to have terrible things happen to them. Also, his treatment of women comes across as misogynistic at times, with many women portrayed as sluts or temptresses (though in some cases this can be written off as the delusions of an unreliable narrator) and some disturbing themes of rape cropping up in more than one story. Read at your own risk, especially if rape is a trigger for you...

I don't know if I'll read anything else by Ellison, but this story collection was wild and fascinating, and I can appreciate Ellison's gift for writing. If you enjoy Stephen King or Ray Bradbury, I'd recommend Harlan Ellison.

When I was in seventh grade in the early 60s, I ordered this book from some kind of monthly book club service. To this day I clearly recall reading the title story and it was like nothing I had ever read before. This story, and this book, led me to loving science fiction and fantasy over the next 50 years. If written today, people might not think much about I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream because technology surrounds us. But in those days, a computer was almost a mythical concept. Ellison, like Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein and others, were visionaries of the future, and those of us who have had the pleasure of reading their stories are better off from reading them.

And now that I think about it, I think this book would be appreciated today by those who enjoy excellent writing and story telling. Highly recommended.

Harlan Ellison is a terrific writer and the title story to this collection alone deserves five stars but I struggled to follow or get into the other stories. I guess I just like a more sci-fi/horror/post apocalyptic tone like "I Have No Mouth..". I think his other book collection, Strange Wine, is better but for the price it's worth it just for the title story and of course Harlan's excellent commentary to each story which is pure awesome in my opinion. I like it when an author provides a bit of history and back story to their work. Side note, Harlan would have made an excellent writer for video games since he did produce a video game based on "I Have No Mouth.." Imagine what he would have written for a game like Dead Space. Nothing but respect for this writer who was way ahead of his time.

The title story is great. A dark, claustrophobic nightmare of technological evil, body horror and paranoid exhaustion that feels several decades ahead of its time.

Unfortunately, almost everything after that is juvenile and boringly flat. I've heard people praise Ellison to the skies for years, but most of this stuff feels like 3rd rate garbage written by an irate, depressive 19 year old who lives in his mom's basement. Maybe there are better collections of his work out there, but I found a lot of this almost eye-rollingly bad. I'd say read the title piece and just skip the rest.

Great stories...too bad you start at 5% in, no title page, no table of contents...and missing the beginning of "I Have No Mouth." Will be looking for another version to download and glad that this one only cost me a buck.

I read it when it came out
It was a classic then as now
Ellison was the “ angry young men of speculative fiction and of the New Wave “ when I was growing up
I reread it because of his recent passing
Feeling morbidity and mortality of middle age and more now
Life is too short
Enjoy him
You will

This set of stories started strangely and I should have known it would not get better but then it did. I really did not like the author during or after the first and it did not seem to be getting any better. This guy is wordy, arrogant in plot and character but it all pays off for me in the gem of the last supremely ironic last story. Thanks, Harlan, for leading me down this too wordy path.

This volume is actually filled with some well written tales. It’s science fiction in a dark light. It seem weird when you start to read it, but it’s one of those books you can’t put down. I’m giving it 3 stars simply because of some of the dark nature was a bit much for me. However, the twists, turns and other entanglements make for a great read.

I read "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" many, many years ago, shortly after it was first published, and thousands of reads later, it is still, far and away, the most terrifying story I've ever read, and Harlan Ellison, is, in my humble opinion, one of the most brilliant writers in this genre.

Originally posted at FanLit.

Probably everyone who knows anything about Harlan Ellison knows he's a jerk (please don't sue me, Mr. Ellison). I had to consciously put aside my personal opinion of the man while listening to him narrate his audiobook I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream: The Voice From the Edge Vol. 1. I was disgusted by some of these stories, but I have to admit that even though I suspect Ellison delights in trying to shock the reader with his various forms of odiousness (mostly having to do with sex), the stories in this collection are all well-crafted, fascinating, and Ellison's narration just may be the best I've ever heard. Here are the stories:

"I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" -- (1967, IF: Worlds of Science Fiction) Harlan Ellison spends the introduction to I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream: The Voice From the Edge Vol. 1, arrogantly expressing his annoyance that this titular story, which he dashed off in one draft during a single evening, has been so well received while "Grail," his favorite story, which took him many hours of research, is almost unknown. I think "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" is so popular because it's so gut-wrenchingly horrible in exactly the right way. This is the story of AM, a supercomputer that has become conscious and resents not being able to break free from its programming. To take revenge upon humanity, AM has killed off all but five humans and made them essentially immortal while he constantly tortures them by creating a hellish virtual reality for them to live in. I will never forget some of the imagery in this story. It's both horrible and wonderful at the same time. I loved it, though I could have done without the occasional loud electronic sound effects in this audio version. "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" won the Hugo Award in 1968.

"`Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman" -- (1965, Galaxy Science Fiction) This story, which won both a Hugo and Nebula Award, is a social satire with an interesting premise: what if everyone was charged for the time they were late or caused others to be late? The currency? Minutes off your lifespan. "`Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman" was also written in only a few hours. I thought it was a little silly and the whole thing seemed too obvious to me, but maybe that's just because I've read too much Philip K. Dick.

"The Lingering Scent of Woodsmoke" -- (1996, Harlan Ellison's Dream Corridor Quarterly) A man who was one of the Nazis at Auschwitz is walking in the woods when he's accosted by a woman with a gun. This very short tale is a revenge story with a supernatural twist.

"Laugh Track" -- (1984, Weird Tales) A TV writer tells the story of how he's been hearing his dead aunt's distinctive cackling on the laugh tracks of stupid sitcoms for years, and even in live studio audiences. Eventually he solves the mystery. As the story unfolds, Ellison takes the opportunity to rail against insipid Hollywood writing, getting downright nasty in parts. (Harlan Ellison has plenty of experience writing for television.) Those familiar with sitcoms from the 60s and 70s may feel nostalgic about this one. I think I loved the science fiction element best. All of Ellison's narration has been superb, but this story really highlights what a great storyteller he is. He doesn't read the text exactly (I checked) but changes it slightly to make it sound better, even adding the occasional groans, chuckles, sighs, snorts, sound effects and such:

"...abruptly, out of nowhere -- out of nowhere! -- I heard -- huh! Ha! -- my Aunt Babe clearing her throat, as if she were getting up in the morning. I mean, that.. that phlegmy [hawking sound effects here]... that throat-clearing that sounds like quarts of yogurt being shoveled out of a sink."

"The Time of the Eye" -- (1959, The Saint Detective Magazine) Two lonely people in an insane asylum befriend each other. At first this seems like a sweet story, perhaps a romance. At first....

"The Very Last Day of a Good Woman" -- (1958, Rogue) A 40 year old man realizes that the world is about to end and decides he doesn't want to die a virgin. While reading this story I thought to myself "I bet this was published in Playboy because it has no value other than titillation." (Not that I have ever read an issue of Playboy, but I have read some stories originally published there.) It turns out I was wrong. It wasn't Playboy, but its competitor Rogue which was once edited by Harlan Ellison.

"Paladin of the Lost Hour" -- (1985, Universe 15) After Billy Kinetta saves Gaspar, an old man who's being mugged, Gaspar insinuates himself into Billy's life. Both of them are alone in the world and both have their secrets, regrets, and a lot of emotional pain. Billy finds himself opening up to Gaspar and eventually learns that Gaspar is more than he seems. This sweet story made me cry. It won a Hugo Award and is the basis for an episode of The New Twilight Zone.

"A Boy and His Dog" -- (1969, New Worlds) I was disgusted, yet fascinated, by this story. Reading it was sort of like gawking at a car wreck or a mangled animal in the road. It's a post-apocalyptic story about a boy named Vic and his dog Blood who share a telepathic bond. They live above ground on the ruined Earth, always hunting for food to eat and girls to rape, murdering whoever gets in the way. When they find and follow a girl who's come up from the civilized bunker below ground, a lot of trouble ensues and Vic and Blood's bond is tested. I loved the setting and the telepathic dog, but Vic is one of the most horrid people I've ever met in a book. Ellison's characterization of the girl and the way she reacts to being raped by Vic is totally off. In some ways, it feels like this story was written by a hyped up 14 year old. I was repulsed by "A Boy and His Dog" and I'm pretty sure my lip was curled in disgust the entire time I listened, but the story and the narration is brilliant. "A Boy and His Dog" won the Nebula Award in 1970. Ellison wrote more stories about Vic and Blood and, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'll probably take a look at those someday.

"Grail" -- (1981, Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone Magazine) This is the story that Ellison is so enamored of. It tells the tale of Christopher Caperton who is searching for True Love. As she was dying, Christopher's most recent girlfriend told him that True Love is an object, like the Holy Grail, and that she's been searching for it for years, so she gives her knowledge to Christopher and he continues the search. This involves magic and demon summonings, lots of money, and many years of travel, but eventually Christopher discovers where it is. There's an ironic lesson at the end of this story. It's at once depressing and hopeful. I liked it.

Summarizing my feelings about I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream: The Voice From the Edge Vol. 1 is difficult. There's an awful lot to like in this story collection. Some of these stories were unforgettable and there were one or two I loved, or almost loved. Most, if not all of them, were also crude, nasty, and disgusting in parts. All of them were wonderfully narrated. If you're a fan of Harlan Ellison's stories, you absolutely must hear him read them himself. If you haven't tried Ellison, this is the perfect starter collection.

Interesting note: As I was writing this review, the mailman delivered advanced review copies of two new Harlan Ellison story collections that will be published by Subterranean Press later this year. When I opened the package, my stomach kind of turned. I was both excited and revolted at the same time. I've never had such mixed feelings about books before. I'm still not sure whether or not I'll read them.

Publisher: Refers to the AUDIO version. A collection of stories written and read by the master of science fiction and the supernatural. Harlan Ellison has won more awards for imaginative literature than any other living author, but only aficionados of Ellison's singular work have been aware of another of his passions . . . he is a great oral interpreter of his stories. His recordings have been difficult to obtain-by his choice. In 1999, for the first time, he was lured into the studio to record this stunning retrospective.

Having never read Ellison, and having a bad first impression of him personally from his conduct at the World Horror Convention 2000, I didn't start listening to this in the best frame of mind. In fact, at first I cringed to hear his voice again--but by the end of the first story, a real tear-your-face-off classic with the same title as this collection, I couldn't stop listening. I have never heard an author--or actor, for that matter--read so well. From the accents to the cadence to the pacing, Ellison seems born for the stage. And then there's the stories themselves, displaying such a virtuosic breadth of style that each seems written by a different author. It spanned from horror to science fiction to humor, to some real classy drama with characters portrayed with great humanity and sensitivity. The endings were twisted nicely, too. So, how can I reconcile the grouchy old man I saw with this unbelievably well-written and well-performed audio collection? Perhaps Ellison is like Mozart; personally off-putting but a genius at his craft. The Horror Writers Association, at the convention, must have felt the same way, because they gave this audio book a Bram Stoker Award.

I have said elsewhere that _Ellison Wonderland_ (1962) reveals an original voice emerging from somewhat conventional material and that _Paingod and Other Delusions_ (1965) reveals the emergence of an artist along with the voice. In _I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream_ (1967), we see the artist in full force. That's the good news. The bad news is that you may not like what you read; the artistry is very much on the grim side.

There are seven stories in all: "I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream" (_If_, 1967), "Big Sam Was My Friend" (_Science Fiction Adventures_, 1958), "Eyes of Dust," (_Rogue_, 1959), "World of the Myth," (_Knight_, 1964), "Lonely Ache," (_Knight_, 1964), "Delusion for a Dragon Slayer," (_Knight_, 1966), and "Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes" (_Knight_ 1967). Most of the stories were published in the slicks rather than science fiction magazines, for reasons that Ellison explains in one of his story introductions.

The two best pieces are "I Have No Mouth..." and "Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes". The first is about the godlike and sadistic computer who makes Jehovah seem meek and mild in comparison. The second is about the woman's soul in a Vegas slot machine who exacts a grim price for love. "Mouth" was a Hugo winner in 1967, and Ellison says that the second is one of his personal favorites, based upon a real person. Both have been reprinted a staggering number of times. I think that they may fairly be called classics.

"World of the Myth," "Lonely Ache," and "Delusion for a Dragon Slayer" are almost as good. The first is about a trio of humans who crash on an alien planet where they will (perhaps) confront the truth about themselves. The second is one of the damndest dream stories that I have read in a long time. And the third is about a series of people who come to a number of terrible and senseless ends. It has a strange kind of solidity to it.

"Eyes of Dust" is smooth enough, but it says fairly obvious things about beauty, conformity, and the life of a scapegoat in a fantasy world. "Big Sam Was My Friend" matches the other tales in its downbeat plot. But it is an early story, a bit clumsy and obvious in the telling.

And that is almost all. But not quite. There is the introductory material, which tells much about the origins of the stories. It is true that an Ellison introduction is a performance that may be taken with a grain of salt. But I think that we may safely say that many of the stories come from deep emotional crises in Ellison's life. There is a power to at least several of them.

The All-Singing, All Dancing, Extremely Entertaining Audio Ellison#1:
Having recently purchased -- and seriously enjoyed the hell out of -- Vol. 4 & vol. 5 of Ellison's "The Voice From the Edge" series of Audio book/story & essay collections, I was moved to listen to the first three volumes (purchased as each one came out, earlier this century). I have to admit, like most readers, I have been emboldened and tapdanced by the intelligentsia, so I've always taken it for granted that the title story of this collection, "I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream", is (in addition to being an oft-reprinted storie, the latest reprint being in the Library of America's AMERICAN FANTASTIC TALES: 1940s to Now) in the top 10 of best Ellison stories ever. After many decades (in which, one hopes, some wisdom was achieved), I still see it as one of Ellison best, but certainly not one of his top ten best. Even Ellison, in an introduction, says that he feels the last story in this collection ("Grail") is a better-written, better-told, tale (and he's right). That said, "I Have No Mouth..." _does_ remain one of the starkest, bloodiest, most grim post-apocalypse stories ever written (think about that for a minute, and you'll understand how dark this story really is). The first line -- "Limp, the body of Gorrister hung from the pink palette; unsupported --hanging high above us in the computer chamber, and it did not shiver in the chill, oily breeze that blew eternally through the main cavern." -- is the beginning of a relentless barrage of adjectives and images that deluge the reader (or listener) like an nuclear attack. And Ellison's full-on reading of the story holds nothing back. Fortunately, the next offering, "'Repent Harlequin!' Said the Tick Tock Man" (one of the 12-most reprinted stories in the English language) is also one of Ellison's most comic, and whimsical stories (even though it deals with the importance of civil disobedieance). And Ellison lets loose with a wide range of voices and sounds, becoming a one-man radio show as he pulls out all the stops to deliver a showstopper of reading (and this is only the second story in the collection)!
"The Lingering Scent of Woodsmoke" and "The Time of the Eye" (the third and fifth stories, respectively) are what have been referred to (in my other reviews of these Ellison audio books) as "entertainments": nothing earthshattering, but still enjoyable listening, with the first story dealing with justice brought to an aging Nazis (by an unusual source) and the second dealing with madness. "Laugh Track", a story that would make my list of top 50 Ellison stories, is not only one of about...12 absolutely hilarious tales written by Ellison, it is also one of his most hilarious readings (and I include the readings of "'Repent..." and "Prince Myshkin" in that assessment). In a story that skewers the television industry -- and deals with the ghost of the Italian protagonist's aunt (who makes her self known in a most unusual way) -- Ellison-the-closet-comedian pulls out all the stops and manages to fit in anecdotes, puns, whimsical asides, and sound gags, all while spinning one funny-as-all-get-out yarn about a Television writer/producer, the strange doings behind the scenes (in the technichian's booths and in the offices of the producers) and a loveable aunt named, Babe. "The Very Last Day of a Good Woman" is another "entertainment," and probably the least worthy of the stories included here (another instance where I would've chosen some other tale..."Ediolons," "Mom", or a story from MINDFIELDS), but it's short, and doesn't subtract from this powerful first collection. A Hugo award-winning novelette (which was written at the same time Ellison penned his WGA-award-winning teleplay of the same name for "The Twilight Zone"), "Paladin of the Lost Hour" is a classic of Ellison's later years, and one of his most powerful stories about friendship and personal responsibility.
It involves a black Vietnam War veteran, Billy Kinneta, who meets and befriends an old man who is mugged in a cemetery, while visiting the grave of his long-dead wife. Kinneta discovers that the old man is charged with protecting a magical stopwatch, which contains one very special, very powerful hour of time. Ellison's reading is a heartstopper: funny in all the right spots, energized during the action scenes, and touching, at just the right times. Good stuff. The Nebula-award winning "A Boy and His Dog" is fairly well known (it was even made into an independent movie in the '70s), but for those not in the know: it is an apolcalyptic story set after the last World War, when the surface of the earth is populated mostly by savage boys (and one or two men), who rape (when they find a surviving female) and pillage and plunder and survive as best they can. Some of the boys have dogs with whom they have formed a telepathic link. Genetically altered dogs, which are as intelligent as the boys (sometimes much more intelligent than their human partners). The protagonist of the story, Vic, is partnered with Blood, a wise-cracking and very intelligent dog. Below the surface, there are a few, make-shift cities that survived the nuclear holocaust. And when their paths cross with that of a female, Quilla June, who has "come up" to look for a bit of adventure, the very survival of Vic and Blood is soon at stake. Even though it is set in a future where women are treated like chattel (or worse) by surviving, savage young boys, and even though it is a desolate landscape (and the Downunders are, in their own way, much worse), in addition to being action-packed, this story -- in which the humans are savages and the dogs are more civilized and intelligent --is one of Ellison's most compassionate. To wrap it all up, Ellison reads "Grail", the story mentioned in the introduction to "I Have No Mouth...", and (through a heartfelt, well-performed reading) proves that his story of a man in search of True Love (which, in the story, is a tangible thing, like the Holy Grail), who traverses continents and makes pacts with demons, is, indeed, one of his best stories (right up there with "'Repent...", "Jeffty...", "Soft Monkey", "A Boy and His Dog", "The Function of Dreamsleep" and about forty-three others). A powerful ending to an audio book filled with powerful stories and equally powerful readings.

I first read this paperback back in the late 60s, I was pretty impressed at that time. After giving it a reread recently, I was still impressed but not quite so captivated as when I was much younger. This is a very, very good group of short stories. My favorite was the title story, of people trapped in a computer. This was quite forward looking of the author when you consider when the story was first published. I do have to agree with a couple of the other reviewers in that I am not at all sure if the author had full control of his narrative at all times. On the other hand, this is sort of a part of the charm of the book. I can well see how this book recieved the Hugo and Nebula Awards during those times. If you are a student of the SiFi genre, then this is one you will probably want to read and own. Recommend it highly.

But Harlan Ellison is really the best possible narrator for this collection of some of his stories that I can imagine. Yes, he invests a lot in each story, and yes, this involves sometimes moving his mouth a little too far away from the mic, but not a word, not a syllable is lost and so much is gained. So much terror, so much suspense, so much authenticity. You'll feel like you're living in a series of demented worlds that could only have sprung from the demoniac mind of Harlan Ellison. I think it's a nice touch that the manufacturers were able to persuade the busiest man in the writing business to drop what he was doing and revisit his classics. Face it, he's not getting any younger and this narration might be the very last he'll ever do. Some fans however would prefer it if he had "no mouth" at all!

Like many other people, my impression of Harlan Ellison is colored poorly from a personal encounter. But this is a review of the material, and irrespective his personal conduct, the man can flat-out write a story. He's good - no doubt about it.

This collection has his most famous stories and they ought to be familiar because they've been retold and homaged and performed often enough to be mainstays of fiction. I have no complaints about the stories, no complaints at all. The only reason I gave this less than five stars is that I wanted more background from the collection - more insight into how the story's materialized and what makes the fiction writer tick. Other collections of suberb work do better in the 'fluff' or background material.

I recommend it to all.

CV Rick

Like many people, I've had an ongoing hot and cold relationship with Ellison's works ever since I was introduced to them in middle school. He is a solid example of a strong personality that has inextricably embedded itself into an author's work--not always a good thing, considering the personality in question. While I've always found Ellison's arrogance and damn-the-critics bravado annoying, I found them occasionally unbearable while listening to this collection.
Ellison's gritty, dystopian fiction really speaks for itself. Or should, anyway. It's painful to hear the author Disney-fy old favorites like "I Have No Mouth...", "Laugh Track," and "A Boy And His Dog," making his characters into glorified cartoon characters. (I did like the audio effects, however -- a nice touch.) He pops around between his "manic," "ethnic," and "heartbroken" settings at will, with an irritating preference for the former. The introductory audioessay is a nice bonus, too -- it provides an appropriate orientation both to the works and to their author. (I really don't understand his deep love for "Grail," but maybe you'll disagree.)
This is a good selection, and Ellison is not a *bad* reader -- just a little too personally involved with the text. Which is understandable, but distracting. Be sure that you've read the stories before you hear them, or you run the risk of thinking less of some of the best short form science fiction in the English language.

Harlan Ellison is one of the best writers we have. He feels a lot and his fiction hits us in the gut and makes us feel, too. Well, the performances--yes, not readings, PERFORMANCES--add an extra dimension to the tales. This is the best author-read book I've ever heard. Ellison drags you into the story the same way he does with his writing. He is uncompromising. Sure, some are better than others, but all are above average. To hear "I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream" and ""Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman." performed like this is worth the price alone. Buy two copies of this one, you'll wear out the first one by listening so much to it.

I usually don't read science fiction, but after reading some of the reviews for this book I thought I would give it a try.....am I glad I did!
Reality and dark fantasy had me gripped until the last page with exciting twists and turns and definitely shock value. His prose is smooth and there is no need to re-read a portion unless you want the kick again.
Recommended for people who think.

Anyone who is unfamiliar with Ellison's work should start here. I am amazed that science fiction written in 1966 could still come across as vibrant and visionary. Ellison writes with a surrealistic aggression and vividness that turns typical character based storytelling on its head, presenting great Technicolor washes of emotion instead. This is a phenomenal read.

One of my favorite short stories ever. What makes it even more interesting is the game that acts as a sequel to the story which is also very good and written by Ellison. Both are very interesting and bleak stories about humanity and how we will bring about our own end.

A couple of serious contenders for Ellisons best-ever story here, notably the title work as well as "Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes". Lost a star for one of the authors stated personal favorites, "Lonleyache" which I admit strikes me as a shambling, rambling, dark-but-not deep kind of a mess, one of his very few airballs. The rest is comfortably in between, stories good enough to beat your average author without really knocking my socks off.

I have a student in one of my colleges courses who asked if he could use this for one of his comparative essays. I usually encourage students to branch out, so of course I agreed. I had to read it to make sense of his paper, though, and I'm sort of regretting that.

This is eff'd up. It's one of the weirdest things I've ever read, and the type of work that leaves the reader shaking their heads and maybe twitching just a bit for days. The villain is beyond twisted, the characters themselves have issues about their issues, and I finished the tale with a sour taste in my mouth.

...and in spite of that, or perhaps for it, I really liked this. Yes, it was a lot more explicit than anything I'd usually read. Yes, the ending is almost traumatic, but the writing style is impressive. The fact that the reader is thrown into the story without any explanation for anything is confusing at first, but that only increases the shock factor and contributes to the terror of the entire thing. The way the characters react and the situations they encounter further add to this, and the ending couldn't have been more fitting, horrific as it was.

Overall, this is a creative, fascinating, and absolutely terrifying piece. I only dropped a star because it's truly that disturbing.

I bought this collection so I would have some entertainment on the Greyhound trip to Columbus and back for my bar exam. It helped time pass and Harlan is very enthralling storyteller. He brings a lot of dimension to all of his characters, from Blood, the telepathic dog in "A Boy and His Dog," to Ted, the paranoid narrator of "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream." "I Have No Mouth . . ." and "'Repent Harlequin' Said the Ticktockman" are among Harlan's most prolific stories and come first. The rest range from good to mediocre. I probably could have done without "The Time of the Eye" and "The Lingering Smell of Woodsmoke," but "Laugh Track" is quite hilarious and "Paladin of the Last Hour" is perhaps the most poignant story of Harlan's repertoire that I have heard.

Now for the criticisms -- I think the intro where Harlan discusses "Grail" would have been better placed near that particular story. It kinda stinks to be told about how great a story "Grail" is according to Harlan and have to sit through the entire collection to hear it.

The arrangement needs a little touchup, "A Boy and His Dog" is split between two discs, but the division makes little sense. The vast majority of the story is on one disc with the brief wrap-up on the next. This is bad editing.

Harlan's voice goes from clear to very murky throughout the stories. This makes the stories hard to listen to without constant fussing with the volume. This is especially a problem in "I Have No Mouth . . ." with incredibly loud sound effects throughout the story.

Review in Short

The Good: Good story selection overall, 3-dimensional characterization, good narration from the author.

The Bad: Some illogical placement, poor editing and arrangement, uneven volume.

This volume of Mr. Ellisons' imaginative fiction was the one that hooked me on his writings, years ago. He quickly became my most favorite author and has steadfastly remainded so. There are few other authors who can touch and infect your mind with such vivid imagery, and certainly those few others are only his peers and not his betters. If you are reading these reviews to determine if you should buy *this* book, do it. At least check it out from the library. You will not be disappointed, you may wonder why he is not better known or why it is so hard to find his books in the Mall. I know I still wonder. His name as a contributor pops up in the most unusual places, since I am a fan I notice it. Do yourself a favor, read something by this author, you won't be disappointed.

The All-Singing, All Dancing, Extremely Entertaining Audio Ellison#1:
Having recently purchased -- and seriously enjoyed the hell out of -- Vol. 4 & vol. 5 of Ellison's "The Voice From the Edge" series of Audio book/story & essay collections, I was moved to listen to the first three volumes (purchased as each one came out, earlier this century). I have to admit, like most readers, I have been emboldened and tapdanced by the intelligentsia, so I've always taken it for granted that the title story of this collection, "I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream", is (in addition to being an oft-reprinted storie, the latest reprint being in the Library of America's AMERICAN FANTASTIC TALES: 1940s to Now) in the top 10 of best Ellison stories ever. After many decades (in which, one hopes, some wisdom was achieved), I still see it as one of Ellison best, but certainly not one of his top ten best. Even Ellison, in an introduction, says that he feels the last story in this collection ("Grail") is a better-written, better-told, tale (and he's right). That said, "I Have No Mouth..." _does_ remain one of the starkest, bloodiest, most grim post-apocalypse stories ever written (think about that for a minute, and you'll understand how dark this story really is). The first line -- "Limp, the body of Gorrister hung from the pink palette; unsupported --hanging high above us in the computer chamber, and it did not shiver in the chill, oily breeze that blew eternally through the main cavern." -- is the beginning of a relentless barrage of adjectives and images that deluge the reader (or listener) like an nuclear attack. And Ellison's full-on reading of the story holds nothing back. Fortunately, the next offering, "'Repent Harlequin!' Said the Tick Tock Man" (one of the 12-most reprinted stories in the English language) is also one of Ellison's most comic, and whimsical stories (even though it deals with the importance of civil disobedieance). And Ellison lets loose with a wide range of voices and sounds, becoming a one-man radio show as he pulls out all the stops to deliver a showstopper of reading (and this is only the second story in the collection)!
"The Lingering Scent of Woodsmoke" and "The Time of the Eye" (the third and fifth stories, respectively) are what have been referred to (in my other reviews of these Ellison audio books) as "entertainments": nothing earthshattering, but still enjoyable listening, with the first story dealing with justice brought to an aging Nazis (by an unusual source) and the second dealing with madness. "Laugh Track", a story that would make my list of top 50 Ellison stories, is not only one of about...12 absolutely hilarious tales written by Ellison, it is also one of his most hilarious readings (and I include the readings of "'Repent..." and "Prince Myshkin" in that assessment). In a story that skewers the television industry -- and deals with the ghost of the Italian protagonist's aunt (who makes her self known in a most unusual way) -- Ellison-the-closet-comedian pulls out all the stops and manages to fit in anecdotes, puns, whimsical asides, and sound gags, all while spinning one funny-as-all-get-out yarn about a Television writer/producer, the strange doings behind the scenes (in the technichian's booths and in the offices of the producers) and a loveable aunt named, Babe. "The Very Last Day of a Good Woman" is another "entertainment," and probably the least worthy of the stories included here (another instance where I would've chosen some other tale..."Ediolons," "Mom", or a story from MINDFIELDS), but it's short, and doesn't subtract from this powerful first collection. A Hugo award-winning novelette (which was written at the same time Ellison penned his WGA-award-winning teleplay of the same name for "The Twilight Zone"), "Paladin of the Lost Hour" is a classic of Ellison's later years, and one of his most powerful stories about friendship and personal responsibility.
It involves a black Vietnam War veteran, Billy Kinneta, who meets and befriends an old man who is mugged in a cemetery, while visiting the grave of his long-dead wife. Kinneta discovers that the old man is charged with protecting a magical stopwatch, which contains one very special, very powerful hour of time. Ellison's reading is a heartstopper: funny in all the right spots, energized during the action scenes, and touching, at just the right times. Good stuff. The Nebula-award winning "A Boy and His Dog" is fairly well known (it was even made into an independent movie in the '70s), but for those not in the know: it is an apolcalyptic story set after the last World War, when the surface of the earth is populated mostly by savage boys (and one or two men), who rape (when they find a surviving female) and pillage and plunder and survive as best they can. Some of the boys have dogs with whom they have formed a telepathic link. Genetically altered dogs, which are as intelligent as the boys (sometimes much more intelligent than their human partners). The protagonist of the story, Vic, is partnered with Blood, a wise-cracking and very intelligent dog. Below the surface, there are a few, make-shift cities that survived the nuclear holocaust. And when their paths cross with that of a female, Quilla June, who has "come up" to look for a bit of adventure, the very survival of Vic and Blood is soon at stake. Even though it is set in a future where women are treated like chattel (or worse) by surviving, savage young boys, and even though it is a desolate landscape (and the Downunders are, in their own way, much worse), in addition to being action-packed, this story -- in which the humans are savages and the dogs are more civilized and intelligent --is one of Ellison's most compassionate. To wrap it all up, Ellison reads "Grail", the story mentioned in the introduction to "I Have No Mouth...", and (through a heartfelt, well-performed reading) proves that his story of a man in search of True Love (which, in the story, is a tangible thing, like the Holy Grail), who traverses continents and makes pacts with demons, is, indeed, one of his best stories (right up there with "'Repent...", "Jeffty...", "Soft Monkey", "A Boy and His Dog", "The Function of Dreamsleep" and about forty-three others). A powerful ending to an audio book filled with powerful stories and equally powerful readings.

P.S. Ignore the reviews by the mooks from Oz and Illinois, who gave it one star based on their lack of understanding (the perils of opening up the web to dweebs whose life experience revolves around gameboy, video games like "Doom" and "peekachoo") and the vast empty space between each of their ears. Following their advice, and/or their leader, will surely result in your intellectual doom and downfall.

This collection is named after the first story, which is a certain classic and is a must read. The last story is not a classic but still excellent. The other stories sandwiched between these are fillers and pale in comparison. Save time and skip the middle of this book. But whatever you do, get your eyes on the title story and read it. It is one of the best horror tales of the 20th century.

I was lucky enough to find a nice copy of the paperback original recently and highly recommend this story to anyone who may have yet to read it. If you can find it reprinted in another edition then go for that, too. Ellison is a wonderful, biting writer, one who long-ago defined cutting-edge, and deserves an extremely wide readership.

Highly recommended!

This is a great sampling of Ellison's stories, and Ellison's performance of them gives the listener a sense of the fervor which Ellison must have when he sits down to write. Thought provoking, and great entertainment. Favorites included in the collection: I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST SCREAM, GRAIL, and REPENT HARLEQUIN, SAID THE TICKTOCK MAN.

Some authors can interpret and perform their own work, take John Le Carre for instance, his pacing and phrasing let the story emerge on its own merits. Harlan Ellison writes challenging material and then allows no room for interpretation with his uncompromising oral style. Maybe the raw, breathy technique adds something for some people so I won't mark it down to 1 star. For me I like it best when the recording company puts in the effort to find the right voice for the story and with very few exceptions that job falls to professional performance artists.

Ellison is a good writer, but is overtly racist at times. This is understandable considering the time period, but it is hard to read without the racial overtones jumping out at you. I hated how Ellie was treated and portrayed in "I Have No Mouth...". She was a black women who "serviced" the flu men (who races were not identified) for over a hundred years. She especially liked he one man who was tans forms into an ape like creature with an oversized penis. The stereotypes of the over sexualized "Jezebel" black woman, and the sub-human black man with a large dick are well known, and Ellison had no problems expressing his belief in them in his famous short story. Ellie was beat by one of the men (Garrison), then ran to him for comfort about a page or two later. As if she enjoyed her abuse. I could not look passed this and that's why I'm giving a 3 star review. The insults to my people were uncalled for and took away from an otherwise entertaining story.

Buy everything that Harlan Ellison has ever wrote. He is the greatest short story writer of the 20th Century and the 21st century, a true American treasure, and "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" is utterly amazing, shocking, hopeful, and makes a reader feel absolutely, fully human. The world is a better place for this book, and people are better for having read Ellison.

I must be honest, i don't generally read fiction. After about 20 pages i generally start to wonder why i'm reading the title, because it's not real. Sometimes i can stick to it because it is fun. This is not one of those titles.

I bought this title, because of the title story and given that 1) it had been made into a game, 2) it was an acclaimed game, and 3) an acclaimed title (it won the Hugo Award, whatever that means), so i figured i couldn't go wrong. Also, some research in Harlan Ellison made me respect him and curious of what he's written.

Here is why i didn't like it - Short stories, means that i shouldn't be reaching my 20 page limit, because it's ... well short, by the second story, filled with generalities about life as a traveling circus freak, and i couldn't take it anymore. The setting wasn't being made out to be anything, but a form of generalities. The element of SciFi is used to explain that things are different, but really they are not. And last, though certainly not least, you just don't care about the characters.

Now I've talked this over with one person that does like SciFi and (reading) fiction and we concluded that nothing was here that made this intriguing, or in anyway rewarding. It's not even scifi, so much as horror with time ambiguous setting which by definition results in the interpretation "future" although this does not of itself add anything to the story.

Now, that was the second story that made me so ... angry, the first story (the one the volume is named after, and won the award) was quite good, though did not warrant the expense. Personally, i feel it could have been fleshed out more, because there was a great setting there, but it felt wasted. I hear that Mr Ellison sues people and i can't help but wonder if that is why there are no other reviews on this item :S (but then that was something about his character that intrigued me, so maybe i have to take this risk).

I'm sure others will like the stories, like i said, the tinge of the waste of money was not sufficient for me to continue because the escalating commitment issue that is the waste of time. If you have however read the review this far, you may enjoy the title ... because Mr Ellison definitely writes better than i can criticize his work. Oh yes, i also failed to find much humor, dark or otherwise in this title, which means i may simply lack the frame of mind.

I'm hoping this review encourages others to contradict me so i can learn what i missed.

I have just stumbled upon this book that I have forgotten to read from years ago.

Now however, I see that almost all other Harlan Ellison books already have a Kindle Edition, BUT NOT THIS BOOK!