Customer Reviews

Approaching Oblivion

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Having read lots of Harlan Ellison's collections, I can honestly say that this one is not one of his best. You won't find any Hugo-award winners in here, folks. Of course, I've read LOTS of Harlan stories that DIDN'T win awards and were absolutely WONDERFUL. There is one such story in this collection that comes to mind--Erotophobia. Remember the opening scene of Austin Powers? Where he's being chased by all these women. That's the basic idea for that story. Absolutely hilarious. As for the rest of the stories in this book, I didn't find any that were Harlan at his worst. Even the story Catman, the longest and least enjoyable of the bunch had a little something to it. I wouldn't recommend that first time Harlan-readers start here, though. But for those of us that have read our Harlan, this is definitely worth getting.

Approaching Oblivion: This is a short story collection by Science Fiction's great loudmouth. So begins the review blah, blah, blah. Harlan Ellison is mostly known for his strange off kilter plots and story devices. This is what you must know: it is the plots that drive his stories, not the characters; it is impossible to find one to like, get interested in. Okay Ellison is not much of a wordsmith. As for the 11 stories in this collection, they don't so much end as stop, with endings that are obscure, leaving you to say, "I don't get it.' And with beginnings, you wonder how people got themselves into such a messes. They had to have help, or they are just plenty dumb. Or maybe its because it's an Ellison book. Alas you cannot really call this book science fiction, it is more a cosmopolitan or metropolitan fantasy, with a healthy dose of sadism, with Ellison's artistic pretensions. Standard fare for Ellison fans, they will enjoy the book. (I got it for free; it was abandoned at an auction, and you can't beat free.)
One note about the physical book: my copy is a fist edition from Walker and Company, New York, the paragraphs although left justified, are not justified to the right, giving you the opinion of Walker Publishing practices as unprofessional and impatient.