Customer Reviews

Repent Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When the subject of what one must do in order to enable real social change comes up, and the inevitable names are mentioned - Jesus, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X (the list, sadly, goes on and on) - someone inevitably makes a remark along the lines of, "Yeah, and look what happened to THEM". One of the things Mr. Ellison's fine story points out is that sacrifice is a necessary part of change. Ellison's parable-like tale shows us that someone must be willing to play the fool, the harlequin, to rage against convention, in order for any real change to be made.

Form follows content perfectly on this story - like Joyce, like cummings & Kerouac, Ellison delights in playing with language, just as his story's hero delights in playing with the rules of his society. Ellison has sometimes gone overboard in trying to show how hip & clever he is, but in this instance, he gets everything right.

In short - highly recommended.

Tremendous illustrations by Rick Berry add to harlan Ellison's prose, but the story speaks powerfully even without illustration. Noting that the publication is (appropriately) two years late for a thirty year anniversary of publication, Ellison shows us who the Harlequin and Ticktock man are - us...

I hope Ellison has a *lot* more time to show the world the mask of the Ticktock man, and live the life of the harlequin. Now, it's time to find some jellybeans, and a place to scatter them like seeds in the wind....

Ellison is frustrating because he is so uneven - he's so uneven, because he's so fearlessly prolific. That being said, REPENT is Ellison at his best as GREAT AMERICAN AUTHOR. The Ticktockman's rebellion in our Future Shocked world is even more relevant today than it was when written. There are obvious spiritual connections to CATCHER IN THE RYE, but Salinger's work is becoming dated. Ellison's short fable is a bit more universal than Salinger's novel. Perhaps in a world where we're all pressed for time, REPENT as a fast read is more accessible. There is some small irony here. I personally liked the artwork, but the star is Ellison's prose. You don't need to get this version (though I still recommend it). This would make a perverse gift for a harried CEO.

Sitting around with some old, moulding jelly beans in your pockets and wondering just what you should do with them? My advice would be to drop them into the power supply box at your train station, short out the trains for a good hour or three and, with that time, read this gem before arriving at work in the afternoon (there must be lunch, chat, and perhaps some aimless strolling as well).

So, you're probably asking what that has to do with "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman (with fine illustrations by Rick Berry). Well, the answers a numerous and then perhaps they mean nothing at all. I figure I won't tell.

Ellison's book as about an outlaw existing in a totally controlled society, where time is measured and ruled by the Ticktockman. Now the idea is not a new one (at least, not now) but Ellison gives the Harlequin such gusto, the story such a smooth, enjoyable ride, that one can not help but be caught up in it and cheer as the jelly beans are dropped down.

And the message the tale contains (for it does have one, make no mistake) does not make for a message written story. It's a good story, with or without the message, and one has to thank Ellison himself for that. He has a strong voice in his prose--equally as strong as that of himself in person, I am told--and his clearly driven prose leaves no dry points.

So there.

And if you do order this book and it shows up late, well yes, it's the postal system again... but imagine if everything happened on time? Imagine if you had to be one time for everything? What consequences...

Excuse me, got carried away. Buy the book, you'll not regret it. Now, I'm off to drop some jelly beans...

This is one of my favorite short stories ever but unless you're really into pictures and pretty books on your bookshelf buy one of his compilations (the Essential Ellison is excellent) and get more story for your money.

"not everyone can be sold into slavery quite so easily."

This coffee table edition of Ellison's anti-establishment classic will please fans {who will enjoy Harlan's new intro, "Stealing Tomorrow"} as well as making a wonderful children's book that serves to connote something crucial, yet, from what I've found, is sorely lacking in many children's stories: that is, "Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman," with its mischievous, jelly-bean-bombardier anti-hero, is an insightful, modern parable of individual rights and freedom of expression.

As the dark stains of totalitarianism spread across the land, as the people are deceived into believing that relinquishing their civil liberties will result in greater safety and "security," as they are further lulled into obedience through deceptive, technological, dual-purpose conveniences, there need be now more than ever, young minds and spirits raised in full awareness of the illusory "reality" in which they exist. The hero of this parable is alive with the spirit of critical thought and non-conformity; this resonates quite well with my daughter, who understands his position of telling fascist bogeymen to "get stuffed." Ha, indeed.

In this particular version, the thematic 'Orwellian' "1984" substance of the story is presented in a way your child will understand. As I tell my daughter {who is learning to read and has an immense appetite for words} when she grumbles over school: "there are some fine things there to learn, and friends to find, but a school is an institution, and an institution, in some ways, is inherently repressive." Which is why, even at a tender age, many children instinctively don't care for being herded this way and that, or told when to stand or sit, or required to tow those many lines which deeply ingrain irrational attitudes of mindless submission to authority and conformity.

Harlan's timeless tale will also introduce your child to Henry David Thoreau: "He serves the state best who opposes the state most."

And so the Ticktockman purrs...

And I join right in. It's wonderful to see a writer take so much joy in what he has been given to create with. Words. Language. Sound and the breath that supports it. That alone endears him to me. But Ellison doesn't stop there. He adds to the chaotic atmosphere dazzling characters. Everything in this world he has created seems so simple, but deceptively so. And then you get to what seems like a rather abstract ending, but it's so much more simple than that. Like I said, chaos. But mark my words, you will want to dance on jelly beans after you finish reading this remarkably memorable novella. And after that, you'll want to read everything else Harlan Ellison has ever written.

For those of you who didn't know, this is one of the most reprinted stories in the English language, of any genre, and vintage Ellison at his best. I'm honored to say I once celebrated my birthday with a gift from my friends of my weight in jelly beans after having them read the book...mrmeee, mrmeee, mrmeee..... It's truly one of the classics of literature, and not just Sci Fi; it's a short read, but you'll think about this story for a long time after you read it....

This book is a fantastic printing of what is unquestionably one of Ellison's best stories. Many a young rebel of the '60s was probably influenced by it. And the TickTockMan's description seems like a precursor to Darth Vader. Anyone who hasn't read it yet should.

The signed book, though a rarity because of Ellison's signature, may be a bit overpriced. As much as I like a lot of his work, he has an arrogant attitude based on the overestimation of his self-worth. One would think he'd have an adjustment at his age, rather than becoming a cranky old poop.

For those unfamiliar with his history, it might be good to look up some of his seminal work, such as his writings on the street gang he infiltrated in the 1950s. That, his experiences with TV via Star Trek, the Starlost, and Babylon 5, all demonstrate his devotion to hard work. No one can take that sort of success for granted.

Still, his boorishness puts him at odds sometimes with his own readers.

Hey, Harlan! Buy yourself some time with Dale Carnegie!

I thought that this book was an accurate portayal of the fast paced american lifestyle that I have chosen not to be a part of. I live in Minnesota as well and was surprised at the comment made by the other Minnesotan. It takes a lot of courage to look at your life and realize your shortcomings. It's hard for me to believe that anyone could read this story and not feel a certain kinship with the characters.