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The Essential Ellison: A 50 Year Retrospective (Revised and Expanded)

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This truly is a godsend for those folks who always heard about Ellison's work, but were thwarted upon realizing that 90% of his written output is out-of-print. This tome was long-delayed [...] but thankfully delivered into the eager hands of any who wish to experience the vivid freedom of HE's pen. Ellison remains the classic "angry young man" of speculative fiction, even after all these years, and this compendium harbors so many of the highlights that make him, quite possibly, America's greatest living short-story writer.

There really is no way to put an exacting finger on what Ellison writes. It is certainly not your run-of-the-mill sci-fi, not cheap-shock horror, and not suspense dreck. It's thoughtful, highly engaging, sometimes allegorical, and always thought-provoking stuff that you just don't find in modern writers anymore. Almost like a prickly cross between George Orwell and Lewis Carroll. He is most certainly still ahead of his time, and will most likely require decades after his passing for the world to truly catch up to him and realize what a treasure he is.

So start here if you're curious about Ellisonia, then after your appetite is whetted and your curiosity piqued, track down the stuff in its original form so you can experience all of the good stuff, not merely highlights from a superb & lengthy career.

This is vital American literature.

Taken from the introduction, "Sublime Rebel," by Terry Dowling:

"In Egyptian mythology, Iai is a fascinating character. He is the rebel, the tester, the stubborn resisting force of intellect and insight which donkey-like stands its ground, refusing to budge, and challanges what is accepted and valued and thought to be sensible and true. The same sort of honest irrepressible rebel, in fact, which surfaced in the child who pointed out that the Emperor wore no clothes and in the Fool who told King Lear that he was wrong. Those dear precious rebels(for there are, and have been, many)not only dare to question but for their pains alienate themselves from those who haven't questioned, who didn't think to question, who are now made to look stupid because they didn't."

Throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, author and social critic, Harlan Ellison, was a seminal influence within speculative fiction, fantasy and science fiction. As though from some bygone era, his writing in the field of science fiction is thematically grounded in human dilemma. The emotionally qualitative properties of his stories are vivid and palpable.

Think stubbornly, cantankerously steadfast in personal conviction, artistic craft and vision. A true sort of sui generis, refusing to dillydally or sugarcoat the bitter truth. Appropriately overwrought, humorous, devilish. Dead on and justified, Harlan Ellison was watching.

Time after time, Harlan's words serve as a breaker bar to wrest truth's free from convenient, apathetic confinement. I can think of no other author whose work, be it fiction or otherwise, so diligently rummages the depths of the human condition; all of those secretive, quiescent corners of the collective unconscious, hidden in the shadow of the soul.

From our shameful indifference and distraction to the overwhelming din and pall of homogeneous, race lunacy, no other author was or is more aptly suited to chronicle our perceived time...the approaching the end of a millennium, or, perhaps more likely(and to borrow a title from Ellison) approaching oblivion.

I have some twenty-five books of his, collected over many years. Some purchased new, many found in little hole-in-the-wall used book shops. But those twenty-five or so are merely a drop in the bucket when considering the totality of his work. Most of his books are long out of print, making this comprehensive tome, "The Essential Ellison", a true necessity for those seeking Harlan's work. I've had the old Morpheus addition for fifteen years, however, I'm glad to see this vital compilation of Harlan's writing hasn't disappeared as mankind slowly circles the drain. The revised and expanded retrospective assembles several pieces not found in former additions.

Also noteworthy is the recently re-issued and long sought after "Strange Wine". Next to "Deathbird Stories", it's one of my favorites. However, "The Essential Ellison" is a fine place to start. Harlan's words leave a lasting impression.

I bought this book initially so I'd have a copy of the essay 'Xenogenesis', which scared seven shades of pea soup out of me when I first read it in IASFM. Further perusal gave me a thorough glimpse of the work of an author I'd been skipping, as I considered him a product of the 'second wave' of science fiction/science fiction-influenced authors (first wave involving Heinlein, E. E. 'Doc' Smith, and so on). Good to have been proven so wrong, and now it's a book I'll recommend to those of my friends who see 'Harlan Ellison' and only think 'that guy from Babylon 5'.

i ordered this book because i just recently discovered the awesomeness of mr. ellison's work, and i wanted more of it. more is what i got! nobody told me how huge a tome this thing is... it weighs at least 5 pounds and it's as thick as one of those dictionaries you get at the public library! portable it's not, but if you want absolutely as much of ellison you can get for the money, look no further.

If it were up to me Harlan would win the prize for the best author of the century. He does not waste words or time with any reader. He goes right to the heart of his subject matter with razor sharp intellegence. His short stories are a rude wake up call to humanity. Without spoiling it for any future readers...once you start reading Harlan's stories; all other writers are pale in camparison. You will never want to put this book down!

This is a real treat for not only Ellison fans, but any SF fan worth his salt. Features some of the best and worst pieces of fiction by Ellison. It could have been alternatively titled "How I became a writer - Harlan Ellison", for through the pages, we (literally) travel through time and realize how Ellison's writings matured and shaped over the years, from his early teens to the present.

I am not rating or dissecting the actual stories cos that takes half the suspense out of the plots .. Just a line of recommendation: GO BUY IT!

Harlan Ellison doesn't exactly have the best reputation for being personable. Tales abound of his abrasive demeanor and quick-rising temper, and more than once he's been thought of as a shocking person to encounter: a characterization that he himself doesn't seem to deny.

But nobody familiar with his work will contend with the truth that the man is as talented as he is vitriolic.

The Essential Ellison is a must-read for those who like their stories with edge. Ellison weaves horror, fantasy, science fiction, and remnants of his own life into a beautiful anthology that represents great works for good reading. From the hideous nightmare endured by survivors of an apocalypse in "I have no mouth and I must scream" to the classic science fiction themes of works like "Gloworm," Ellison is sure to please the reader with a diverse selection guaranteed to satisfy. Recommended with hearty approval!

Fans of the science fiction writer Ellison will want to acquire this for their permanent collections: The Essential Ellison provides a revised, expanded retrospective of 50 years of Ellison's works. The chapter choices are particular notable, organizing his works by general theme and making it easy to browse related aspects of his writings ("Worlds of Terror", "Worlds of Love", etc.)

This is an exhaustive collection packed with short fiction of very high quality. Ellison writes with authority about the shadows and their denizens. However, his stories are best digested in small doses as the disturbing and powerful prose deserves reflection. Highly recommended. The only discernible weakness to Ellison's fiction is his insistence on creating only worlds of unremitting darkness. One would hope such a talent could sprinkle some beauty into his horror.

Here it is: 50 years of the splenetic imaginings of Harlan Ellison, who writes like an angel on speed, and doesn't care, God bless him,

if he offends you or not. Read "REPENT HARLEQUIN! Said the Ticktockman,"

and "A Boy and His Dog." Ladies, don't let Ellison's misogynism spook you: you'll be better for having enjoyed the stories of this prolific, disciplined madman.