Customer Reviews

Strange Wine

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It is good news that this book is soon to be republished. It's about time. I've been a fan of Ellison for a quarter of a century and this, by far, is my favourite book of his. If you have never come across Ellison before, you're in for a treat. A master story-teller, he breaks new ground with practically every story, whether it is in the style of the telling - such as "From A to Z, The Chocolate Alphabet"-, or in the subject matter - "Croatoan." Whatever the style or the subject matter, the voice of Ellison is unmistakable, -uncompromising, vivid, funny, and perceptive- so that even if an Ellison story did not have his name above it, you would quickly guess whom it was. The stories range from the humorous "Mom" to the serious "In Fear of K." Whatever he writes, he is thoroughly entertaining. What makes this collection of stories different from his others is that this collection has an introduction for every story. With any other writer, this would be an intrusion; but with Ellison, it works, because the man is funny, wise, and entertaining. They are basically a miscellany of anything that Ellison wants to talk about: How he came to write this or that story; where he wrote it; the ideas behind it- and sometimes the connection to the story is tenuous." The New York Review of Bird" for instance. You won't care. It is all good stuff. I usually find at least one story in any collection that I don't like, and this book is no exception. "Seeing" I found unreadable. This is a mere quibble. Everything else in here is just dandy. It even has a wonderful cover by Leo and Dianne Dillon. What more can a person want?

Every story in this collection is truly strange, ranging from the humorous (Mom), to the outright terrifying (Croatoan). This book is a good sampling of the whole of Harlan's work. Strange Wine has stories of caustic satire, like Hitler Painted Roses, and The New York Review of Bird. At times Harlan slips into outright moralizing like in Emissary From Hamelin and The Boulevard of Broken Dreams, but when one reads these stories, one realizes that the moralizing may be very necessary. But never does it get boring. In one of his most unusually written stories, From A-Z In the Chocolate Alphabet, you get the full effect of Harlan's strange brand of storytelling. A great treat in this book is the intro which gives us a stern talking on the dangers of . . . can you guess . . . TV, that's right, TV. For those of you new to Harlan's brand of fiction this book will give you an appreciation for this extremely underrated writer. For those of you already familiar with Harlan, you already know what treasures there are in his stories.

The biggest problem with Harlan Ellison's short story collection "Strange Wine" is that the introductory essay is so good. "Revealed at Last! What Killed the Dinosaurs! And You Don't Look So Terrific Yourself" is one of the best of Ellison's introductions, combining biography with diatribe, in this case a denunciation of watching television as being "soul deadening, dehumanizing, soporific in a poisonous way, ultimately brutalizing." Ellison finds watching television to be "a bad thing." In contrast he offers "Strange Wine" as a metaphor for imagination, the key element that the dinosaurs lacked that turned them into fossil fuels.

The fifteen stories collected in "Strange Wane" do not include any of the acknowledged classics of speculative fiction that Ellison has written over the years, but there is certainly enough food for thought here to make it well worth the reading. "Mom" is a nice tribute to Ellison's own mother (is there any other way to read this one?), and "From A to Z, in the Chocolate Alphabet" is the product of one of those stunts Ellison does when he writes in the window of a bookstore, but what he can do with one paragraph about a nonsense word is pretty impressive. "Lonely Women are the Vessels of Time" is a rather short, short story, but it is about loneliness, which is one of Ellison's better themes. "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is a harrowing little tale about a man having dreams of dead Nazi war criminals. "The Diagnosis of Dr. D'arque Angel" does a nice little twist on Faust, and "Hitler Painted Roses," another one of those stories written as a stunt, is based on the chilling idea that it is humanity and not God who determines who gets to go to Heaven and who gets dumped in Hell. Then again, "Working with the Little People" is actually rather cute, which is a rather disquieting idea when you are talking about the writings of Harlan Ellison.

There are a few misfires in the bunch: "Killing Bernstein" has a great premise when a toy company executive kills his ex-lover, only to have her show up the next day as if nothing had happened. I was thinking that this one would go in a different direction, so the ending rubbed me the wrong way, while "The Emissary from Hamelin" strikes me as being a trifle not worth Ellison's time. Even "CROATOAN" seems heavy-handed, despite the subject matter, although the final image is certainly disturbing enough. The rest of the stories are middling, with the title story being something of a disappointment given how the essay makes the phrase so significant.

So, if we were grading all of the stories in "Strange Wine" I think it is safe to say that Ellison would come out with a solid "B" average. I still maintain that once you read the essay you have gotten your money's worth with this collection, but with Ellison there are always going to be several unforgettable stories that you will enjoy having read, whether you are a big time fan or just checking out the book to see what he is ranting and raving about this time around.

Harlan Ellison may be the only contemporary American writer I know of whose work contains the well-crafted irrelevance of Mark Twain's best, the brooding, foreboding tones of Edgar Poe's best, and the lyrical, often youthful optimism of Ray Bradbury's finest. He may be, along with Bradbury, our best writer of short fiction in any genre, but especially, in the realm of science fiction and fantasy. "Strange Wine" is the long overdue reprinting of a short story collection comprised of terse, and quite peculiar, tales published originally back in 1978, but reprinted finally only a few years ago. It remains memorable because of Ellison's hilarious, extensive introduction that's nearly twice as long as many of the short stories included in this collection, and, of course, for the stories too. These often intriguing tales range from very good to great, and do demonstrate Ellison's extensive range from horror to tragedy and comedy (and sometimes all three). My personal favorites include "Mom" (His science fictional Mother's Day "valentine"), "Killing Bernstein" (An odd, hilarious take on cloning and psychotic behavior which only Ellison could write,) and "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (On a congested Manhattan street, the protagonist witnesses the ghosts of Nazis he had executed, years after the end of World War II.). Anyone interested in Ellison's work will certainly wish to add "Strange Wine" to his or hers own private library; without question, it will be a most welcomed addition too.

Harlan Ellison, once widely respected, now almost forgotten for his forays into the comic world, Had his last great stand with this collection. Not a master of dialouge but with a almost unequaled imagination ellison shows us worlds undreamed. Never scared to tackle controversial issues the very first tale deals with abortion with bone chilling results. He takes pot shots at ethnic ghosts, hack best selling authors, and even the grimms brothers but it is the haunting Hitler Painted Roses that lingers in the memory. One of the most disturbing and thought provoking stories ever written, it deals with, at its core the age old idea that you are what popular opinion says that you are. Strange Wine is one of the best ways to spend your money and your time....

This was the first Ellison collection I ever read from cover to cover, and it remains a sentimental favorite. Finding it available for Kindle was a treat! I described "Croatoan" to one of my classes as "inspired variously by the Lost Colony of Roanoke, the myth of baby alligators flushed down toilets growing to full size in the New York sewer system, and the author's own deep contempt for waste (as in wasted lives, wasted time, wasted potential)." Needless to say, they were intrigued. Other favorites in this volume include "Hitler Painted Roses" (a frequent theme of Ellison's work is 'God as poseur'; here he uses the Lizzie Borden legend to fine effect), "Mom" (funny and charming), "The Diagnosis of Doctor D'Arqueangel" (be careful what you wish for!) and the title story (beautifully written, with a kicker of an ending that will have you thinking not only about the story itself, but about your own attitudes towards life). But even some of the stories I didn't 'get' the first time have aged well and revealed their strengths to me with rereading ("The New York Review of Bird")

This collection was the beginning of my decades-long one-sided love affair with the writing of Harlan Ellison. I recommend it to anyone with an open mind and heart.

Harlan Ellison is one of; if not the most award winner writers alive today, in any language. I think the Noble Prize is the only thing he has not won. Ellison is STRONG stuff though, and not to be taken lightly. He is an author with very strong convictions that not only cover the page, they bleed through. But along with this, you get a wordsmith unlike any other. Too many authors today can be compared to someone else, which is not true with Ellison.

As for this collection, it is indeed a "Strange Wine". The stories within are a heady brew for the reader. The works here range from uber-short tales, "A - Z in the Chocolate Alphabet", to the essay on media - "Revealed at Last! What Killed the Dinosaurs! And You Don't Look So Terrific Yourself". There is also some pretty dark stories- "Croatoan" and "Hitler Painted Roses". Heck, there is even a semi-comedy superhero story - "The New York Review of Bird". As you read through this, I really suggest you treat it like a fine wine, sip it, read these stories and allow them to sink in. Before you know it, you're finished with this book, and like with all other Ellison collections, you will be wanting more.

[...]

Harlan Ellison is definitely a genius! I've read "Strange Wine" several times, and the stories still astound me. This is what sci-fi/fantasy should be. The first time I read "Strange Wine" was about 15 years ago, when I was in grade school and it has had a profound effect on my reading tastes.

Strange Wine is a marvelous collection of dramatically different short stories. From terrifying to hilarious with a little heartbreak in between, this book takes you an a very strange and fulfilling ride through Harlan Ellison's imagination.

My favorite? "Mom." The story of a young jewish man being relentlessly haunted by the nagging ghost of his meddling mother. All Mom want's is for her son to settle down with a nice Jewish girl and she'll stop at nothing to make it happen.

Ellison is amazing - you probably already know that (and if you don't - where have you *been*???!). "Deathbird Stories" may be the flashier and get more press but "Strange Wine" is my favorite of Ellison's collections. The stories are moving and lyrical and funny and intense and subtle and purely Ellison at his best.