Customer Reviews (6)

PERTINENT EVEN TODAY
Having read most of the works of Harlan Ellison, I was a little scared by all the low-star reviews about this book before I started reading it. I am also from a different generation from the one portrayed in this novel and don't particularly care for "Rockabilly"-type music.

I kept my expectations low going into this novel.

In spite of this, Harlan Ellison's "hold nothing back" way with words grabbed my attention like a tractor-beam and sucked me in all the way to the end of the novel.

The story is your basic, "country bumpkin gets a taste of the fame-drug and rides that roller coaster as far as it will go" sort. What adds a nice extra dimension to the work are the perspectives of the "puppet masters", the guys who hold the contract of their budding young talent.
Add in to the mix a series of unfortunate events and some unique observations about the human condition and you have yourself another superb story by Harlan Ellison.

But what really makes this book worth reading comes only after one has finished reading it. When you read about the fate of this 50s and 60s-era protagonist you can't help but realize that so many of the things that happened to him are just as pertinent and relative when one looks at the tabloids and Hollywood scandals of today, 2010.

Some things haven't changed in 50 years.

THE book on Rock & Roll
I can't believe the bevy of 2-star reviews regarding this work!by people who claim to be H.E. fans, no less!!should i mention this is routinely cited as one of the best rock & roll stories EVER?!people, this novel was published in 1961, it's one of Harlan's early works & like many such pieces it has a very gritty & urban quality about it.the story may seem trite in this day & age, but remember that 1961 was far before the whole "debauched rock star" persona was etched into the collective American unconscious.and even though the story might be familiar, don't forget that the protagonist of the tale ISN'T the rock star!and his story makes the book that much better (btw, it wasn't Elvis that the rockstar character was based on, it was Jerry Lee Lewis.)i believe there are a cabal of "Harlan purists" who chafe at the idea of a young H.E. cranking out such hardboiled non-fantasy-oriented material, and as such seem to roll their eyes at anything this isn't I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, or Beast That Shouted Love At The Heart Of The World.possibly because Spider Kiss is one novel that you don't have to be a rabid H.E. fan to enjoy.pick this one up and judge for yourself.not to mention, it's always worthwhile picking up an Ellison book before it goes out of print, as they all-too-often do.

Before your time, kids
I suspect that some of the reviewers here were not born yet when this book was written (1961). It is very much a piece of its time and era, back when Ellison really *was* an Angry Young Man (and not a Cranky Old Fart).It wasn't his best book, by any means, but it gives a cynical view of an industry that even then, used people.Yes, the rockabilly star might remind you of Elvis, but what happens might also remind you of the much older tale of Fatty Arbuckle. I read the book in the early 70s, and some of the imagery is still with me.I can still remember the off-hand comment about the visual effect of one-piece girdles, and I remember having to ask someone what it meant to have the cylinders in one's Mercedes re-bored. If you've read The Web of the City, you should read this too.

Disappointment
Ellison's novel of a 50's-era rockabilly star (the book was originally titled "Rockabilly") is energetically written and a page-turner, but it's marred by Ellison's own outlook.Ellison's contempt not only forthe character but also for rock`n'roll in general drips off every page.Itspoiled the book for me, one that I genuinely tried to enjoy.

Sci Fi writer tries to Rock and Roll.
Pre Fab Four novel of the ups and downs of being an up and coming "Rock" star.Not for the Sci Fi fan, more of a Stephen King novel in some ways. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of fantastic short fiction by an award-winning author is complemented by richly detailed, surrealistic images from a renowned Polish painter. Simultaneous. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Mind Fields
I open this book every now & then, and enjoy it all over again.It's odd, it's beautiful, it's evocative.I got Mr. Ellison's autograph and would love to have Mr. Yerka's also.

Ellison is redundant in this book
I admire Yerka's paintings, but I agree with some of the reviewers here that those stories by Ellison may distort or ruin what Yerka wanted to say. Those stories just don't go well with the paintings.

Ellison completely misses that warm Eastern-European feel that one can get from Yerka's paintings. That actually why some people from the western world may find it hard to get a feel of what Yerka tried to show. Just visit Yerka's official page on the internet!

As a comment to an earlier review by some reader (from December 16, 1997) I have to say that the car transformed to a lizard on the cover of the book is not Volkswagen beetle. The make of the car is "Pobeda", it was made in the 50s in USSR and Poland. Only people with high status in society could afford to have such a car then.

Perhaps a good one for Ellison fans
Yerka's paintings capture many things. In the most literal sense, one (e.g. Afternoon with the Grimm brothers) might include a cat, antique block planes, what looks like an old tube TV, a workbench-turning-piano, and possibly the monster under the bed. The detail goes on, and many of his paintings present the same collections of oddities, neatly arrayed like words on a page. Others (including Please Don't Slam the Door, Foraging in the Field, and Eruption) suggest an uneasy truce between the things of man and the forces of nature. Yet others (Susan, for example) imply intimacy between people, and with the world.

In too many cases, though, I see the catalog of Yerka's personal icons arrayed across the page, and feel as if the picture's meaning is not meant for me. Perhaps his personal language is too personal. For whatever reason, the imagery says very little to me.

Harlan Ellison, on the other hand, says far too much. Most of this book alternates pages, Ellison's writing on the left and Yerka's painting on the right, plus commentary by Ellison at the end of the book. Long ago, Ellison's favortie topic became Ellison, and I was no longer able to enjoy his writing. I would have liked the book better with Ellison's part missing.

Yerka's work is competent; some people may find it legible. Ellison has a following, and those readers are sure to find something here to like. Unfortunately, I am not in either group.

//wiredweird

still my favorite
The day I stumbled on this book, I was merely looking for a fantasy art collection with pretty pictures.As I plunged into the book, realizing what it was really about, I couldn't and, to date, haven't put it down. That was five years ago.Never has a collection such as this forced me tocontinually look into and out of each picture in order to find somethingnew.Both Ellison's and Yerka's imagination form a synergy unrivaled inthis genre.While I have since collected another collection of Yerka'sart, I have snatched everyhthing I can find from Ellison.While I am oftendrawn into each of his stories with a similar intensity, ("The Beastthat Shouted. . . " is my current favorite) none of his work affectsme as much as "To Each His Own", "Foraging in theFields", "Amok Harvest", "Darkness Falls. . ." andmost others in this collection.For a quick jaunt into the minds of thesetwo artists, I thoroughly recommend this book.For those new to Ellison,his author notes at the end of the book give a brief view of some of hisopinions of the Real World.

my last name is yerka too:)
my last name is yerka so i think its cool:)...b/c not that many people have the last name of yerka. ... Read more

Product Description
Mercurial, belligerent, passionately in love with language and wild ideas, Harlan Ellison has, for half a century, steadily gathered to himself and his thirty-seven books an undeniably fanatical readership. Winner of more awards for imaginative literature than any other living writer, he is the only scenarist ever to win the Writers Guild of America award three times for outstanding teleplay. Though his contemporary fantasies have been compared favorably with the dark visions of Borges, Barthelme, Poe and Kafka, Ellison resists categorization with a vehemence that alienates critics and reviewers seeking easy pigeonholes for an extraordinary writer. The San Francisco Chronicle writes, "The categories are too small to describe Harlan Ellison. Lyric poet, satirist, explorer of odd psychological corners, moralist, purveyor of pure horror and black comedy; he is all these and more." In this, his thirty-seventh book, setting down as never before the mortal dreads we all share, Harlan Ellison has put together his best work to date: sixteen uncollected stories (half of which are award-winners), totaling a marvel-filled 105,000 words and including a brand-new novella, his longest work in over a dozen years."Harlan Ellison is the dark prince of American letters, cutting through our corrupted midnight fog with a switchblade prose. He simply must be read."--Pete Hamill"Ellison writes with sensitivity as well as guts--a rare combination."--Leslie Charteris, creator of The Saint ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

QUESTION
Hi,

Does anybody know the difference between this 99 cent Kindle version of Shatterday and the $9.99 version (and please don't say $9.00).

Thanks!

The Mad Conqueror, Entropy
Throughout this book Harlan Ellison, in the introductions to the short stories herein, talks about how writers take tours through other people's lives. But you can tell that Ellison usually takes tour through his own life, and brings us along for the ride. That ride can encompass all the emotions you could think of, which can be seen in the highly varied stories in this great collection. Great examples of emotional introspection here include a man wrestling with his own dark side, almost literally, in both "The Fourth Year of the War" and"Shatterday," while a guy's disastrous relations with women over the years come back to haunt him in "All the Birds Come Home to Roost." Loneliness and disconnection are tackled in the highly moving "Count the Clock That Tells the Time," my favorite of the collection.

Ellison's habit of exercising his own demons does, however, lead to some tiresome bitterness in some stories. The overrated "Jeffty is Five" has won awards as a touching treatise on the loss of childhood innocence, but I find it to be little more than a tirade of cranky things-ain't-like-they-used-to-be nostalgia. The novella "The Lies That Are My Life" is little more than Ellison complaining (symbolically, of course) about his poor relations with other hot-headed writers. But despite those two troublesome entries, this collection is still a powerhouse of Ellison's highly unique and biting brand of speculative fiction. Some great not-so-personal selections add to the book's success, such as an unusual take on war and the human spirit in "Django," the bizarre sci-fi comedy "How's the Night Life on Cissalda," and the PKD-like future dystopia tale "The Executioner of the Malformed Children." You can't categorize Ellison, but you can surely be moved by his unique visions. [~doomsdayer520~]

Taking tours in other people's lives
This is a 1980 collection of works culled mostly from magazine sources as well as two pieces that were originally done as live readings for radio and television.It isn't one of Ellison's themed anthologies, so the content is varied.

The book opens with one of his most well-known stories, "Jeffty is Five."It concerns a child who not only stops aging, but who exists in a kind of temporal stasis with regards to his perception of the world.In other words, the world as it was continues on as such, even though it has moved into the future for everyone else.I found it to be largely an exercise in nostalgia.

"How's the Night Life on Cissalda?" is an uncharacteristically silly story about sexually voracious aliens.It is outrageous, hilarious, and merciless in its satire.

"Would You Do It For A Penny?" is a fascinating study of an expert manipulator who plies his psychological trade on vulnerable women.

A radio call-in show becomes a medium for spreading demonic gospel.An man's thirst to right a wrong alters the reality of others, while another's builds gradually, rising to the surface and emerging as a murderous personality, many years later.A man who has wasted his life finds himself in a limbo specially reserved for such sinners.All the women in a man's life return to him one by one, leading to an inevitable and terrifying confrontation.A woman desperately searches for escape from the world.A man who has always given of himself at last learns to take what he needs to truly live.A writer learns that a person's death does not always free you from him.And we finally find out what the deal is with those odd magical curio shops that always turn up in fantasy fiction.

The title story, and the last in this collection, is about a man who finds himself split in two and helpless as his other self gradually takes over his life.I still remember this as the premiere episode of the 1980s Twilight Zone series.

Preceding each entry is an introduction in which Ellison talks about the inspirations and circumstances that led to its creation.While these are always interesting, occasionally they give a little too much away, making parts of some stories seem contrived.Many of them would have been more appropriate as afterwords.I actually would suggest reading the stories first in most cases.

SHATTERDAY STORIES FOR SATURDAY
This is the perfect book to read during the weekend. Help yourself to a healthy helping of Harlan, the short story master. Unlike some of his collections (Deathbird Stories, Angry Candy) which deal with certain themes, Shatterday has a nice variety. What's really nice is that each of these stories is prefaced by an introduction, which is both entertaining and informative. Now for my personal favorites: FLOP SWEAT: an impromptu short-story that Harlan wrote in 6 hours appears unedited here. It deals with a radio talk show host and an evil guest. COUNT THE CLOCK THAT TELLS THE TIME: A very moving piece of fiction that shows us the value of LIVING our lives instead of just wasting our time. I believe this one won an award, and rightly so. There were several other stories that I found enjoyable in this book, but the two mentioned above are the ones I like best. These stories certainly make this book worth reading.

Stories from the edge of somewhere nasty.
Different from Philip K Dick, but Ellison was in similar territory in away here.You can't read these stories without being affected by them. Even the less grinding stories like Arlo - The Great White Hunter have anedge to them. ... Read more

Product Description
The original teleplay that became the classic Star Trek® episode, with an expanded introductory essay by Harlan Ellison'The City on the Edge of Forever' has been surrounded by controversy since the airing of an "eviscerated" version-which subsequently has been voted the most beloved episode in the series' history. In its original form, 'The City on the Edge of Forever' won the 1966-67 Writers Guild of America Award for best teleplay. As aired, it won the 1967 Hugo Award (the only teleplay ever to do so!).'The City on the Edge of Forever' is, at its most basic, a poignant love story. Ellison takes the reader on a breathtaking trip through space and time, from the future, all the way back to 1930s America. In this harrowing journey, Kirk and Spock race to apprehend a renegade criminal and restore the order of the universe. It is here that Kirk faces his ultimate dilemma: a choice between the universe-or his one true love.This edition makes available this astonishing teleplay as Ellison intended it to be aired. The author's introductory essay (expanded by 15,000 words from the limited edition) reveals all of the details of what Ellison describes as a "fatally inept treatment" of his creative work. Was he unjustly edited, unjustly accused, and unjustly treated? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

Ellison is a global treasure
The true story of Star Trek's (TOS) best episode, by the author himself.Highly recommended.

For Ellison Fans Only
If you haven't read Harlan, this is not the place to start. Ellison put a lot into his teleplay, and there are surprising, literary aspects, primarily in asides and instructions for the director ( if, indeed, tv directors every took those seriously ). The "screenplay" is not first-class Ellison; for that, see his short story collections, or The Essential Ellison and many other anthologies of his great fiction. Aside from the screenplay, there is a long, rambling rant about the grave injustices Harlan suffered after writing the screenplay. The rant is funny and interesting for the details it reveals about the television industry. But I can't recommend this book to those who aren't big Ellison fans.

Harlan's original script and more
This is not only the original script and a few of the re-writes, it is an epic essay on why Harlan Ellison is so angry with Star Trek. Seems that all the twisted stories told by Gene Roddenberry because they got a laugh or promoted the Star Trek mystique tended to have victims. Harlan was one of them, and he isn't gonna take it anymore.

Although he is justifiably upset, he sort of comes out firing an uzi in each hand when maybe wagging a finger would have done. I get it Harlan. I don't need to have 50 pages of the same thing over and over to get it!

But it's a good look into the Hollywood TV production business. And maybe into the area of fragile Hollywood egos. I am not sure that truth, justice, and purity can explain why Harlan is doing this. Clearly some of his own stories are exaggerated and become rhetoric. His is guilty in his own book of what he seems so upset about in others.

Despite all this, Ellison is a great writer and this book is well worth the read. Be forewarned that Ellison spares no expletives or insults for the likes of Gene Roddenberry, Gene Coon, Bill Shatner and others. In fact, it seems as if he can not say enough about them.

An interesting read...
He does go on and on and on a bit, and you have to be careful not get bile on yourself as it gushes out of the book, but if you're hungry for behind-the-scenes ST info, whether truthful or not, it's enjoyable.

Watch the film and compare it yourself
The book was well designed and allows you to start from any point.Now you must purchase the episode (28) also and see that the changes were necessary to keep within the TV parameters.The sleeve on the VHS box suggests that you count the number of people beaming down and the number of pads on the transporter.I thought it was interesting that everyone was addressed as his or her position (MOS).

I will not go through every change as that is the fun of reading the book; however to keep the story and characters consistent with the TV shows several changes have been made. Whether these changes are for good or evil you must decide. Some of the obvious is when Kirk and Spock have to steal close to be unconscious in their new environment. Harlan said whatever you do not make them fit. Sure enough they look like designer duds that were will tailored. The worse case is the final interaction with Edith Keeler. The whole prime of the story is changed in one moment.

Other books/movies that work well to compare are "The Razor's Edge"; see how Larry Darrell changes from the book to Tyrone Power to Bill Murray and Bill pushes Somerset Maugham completely out of the story.I also enjoyed reading about the controversy over the original "Six Days of the Condor" that was changed by Robert Redford to fit his criteria in "Three Days of the Condor."Drugs are out and oil is in.Three days fit better on a two-hour tape.

Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 28: The City On the Edge Of Forever [VHS]
... Read more

Product Description
A survey of Ellison's writing career. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

An ambitious, flawed shared-world project: 3.5 stars
..
MEDEA was an an ambitious shared-world project based on a seminar Ellison taughtat UCLA in 1975. I reread part of it in 2002. Niven's Flare Time is the standout story, one of his finest standalone shorts. The Silverberg and Poul Andeson stories were OK, and I barely rememember the other stories. Google for TOC, eg at Wikipedia.

The introductory and world-building matter is alternately dull and pretentious, and there is a stunningly self-indulgent transcript of a panel discussion of the project that goes on and on and on -- it's like reading a 20-year old Usenet discussion: there's a certain queasy fascination at the start, but tedium quickly sets in.As usual, Niven's backstory essay is worth rereading. The others weren't.

Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman

GENIUS!!!
This book is a work of sheer genius! If I were to pick between these guys and Einstein, I would pick these guys!!! Read this and it will definitely get your mind going. I loved this book and I always will. It is a must read if you are a scifi fan.

This one needs to be printed reprinted and updated
Back in the middle 80's I remember purchasing this book. It has to me been one of the best I ever got because it has a meeting of minds of all the best science fiction has to offer.If only there could have been a sequel.It has great illustrations by Kelly Freas and compelling stories that can be read more than once.I hope Harlan if you're reading it's a place that can be updated with writers like Bruce Sterling and William Gibson.Why can't we see more like this one?

A Meeting of Minds
This book, inspired by HE, was a collaboration of many of sf's finest talents, including Hal Clement, Ursula K. Leguin, Fred Pohl, and Robert Silverberg.Together, they created the worldMedea, defining the world,its indigenous creatures, and the interaction between these creatures, andhuman colonists.Forthe intricasy and detail of the shared-worldconstruct, there is no finer work.The collection of short stories thatresult isbrilliant! ... Read more

Product Description
Introducing the long-awaited return of the Green Hornet and Kato, and their rolling arsenal, the Black Beauty! With his faithful valet Kato, Britt Reid, daring young publisher, matches wits with the Underworld, risking his life so that criminal and racketeers within the law may feel its weight by the sting of the Green Hornet. Featuring stories by the likes of Harlan Ellison, Greg Cox, and Robert Greenberger, The Green Hornet Chronicles is the first anthology featuring all-new, original crime fiction tales of the man who hunts the biggest of all game - public enemies that even the FBI can't reach!This limited edition hardcover features exclusive bonus material, including Harlan Ellison's "liner notes" on his Green Hornet-Phantom team up story, and the once-aired origin of the Green Hornet radio episode adapted into a thrilling prose story by Anthony Tollin. ... Read more

Product Description
Harlan Ellison was awarded an honorary degree from UCLA for the excellence of his imaginative writings. Some smartass might even call him "Dr." Ellison. But only once. Because even though Ellison has come a long way since he started writing in the Fifties, he's still the street fighter who assumed a phony name and joined The Barons, the toughest gang of juvenile delinquents in Brooklyn's Red Hook area, just so he could write a novel about life in the slums. The real-life story of those ten weeks in hell was published as MEMOS FROM PURGATORY. But the actual novel that came out of that period has been out-of-print for quite some time. Now, with its original title restored, e-reads is pleased to re-issue WEB OF THE CITY, the book by a streetwise "Dr." who risked his tail and talent to write about the dark underbelly of city life."Harlan Ellison is the dark prince of American letters, cutting through our corrupted midnight fog with a switchblade prose. He simply must be read."--Pete Hamill "Ellison writes with sensitivity as well as guts--a rare combination."--Leslie Charteris, creator of The Saint ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

HIS FIRST NOVEL
After reading this, it puzzles me why Harlan Ellison doesn't write more novels than he did. Especially considering that this is his first novel, he did an amazing job. Before I go on let me clear up one thing: this is a work of FICTION based on FACT. Harlan Ellison ran around with a group of Brooklyn gangsters for 10 weeks to get background for this story. And it shows. Parts of this book make the movie On the Waterfront with Marlan Brando seem tame. Basically it is the story of Rusty Santoro, President of a gang called the Cougars. But he feels that he can do better in life, so he drops out of his gang--they aren't too happy about it. And just as soon as he's about to break loose, he gets snared back in again. This is what Harlan Ellison means by The Web of the City. Harlan Ellison does everything well in this novel: from the distorted language of the lower class, to the atmosphere of the bad parts of town, and the types of people that live there. Although written in the 1958, this book reads as if it were written not too long ago. This book was first published as Rumble, but Web of the City is the title that Harlan gave it. I highly recommend this book, this author, and anything he writes.

Ellison writes about his experiences in a gang.
Really cool stuff.As a very young writer, Ellison went undercover and joined a street gang as their "war counsellor".He spent a while living this life and then wrote this novel (also published as "Rumble") about it.Reading the book may feel a bit like watching "West Side Story" in its almost quaint depiction of 50's-era teenage life, but once you get past the dated lingo, it's a scary and heartfelt portrayal of very real people.The novel gives us some real insight into Ellison too, as he writes not only about the kids whose lives he describes but also about the ways in which those lives touch his, the decisions he must make during his time with them, and his discoveries about himself.As a story it's not his most neatly-crafted... but then, it's not a work of fiction ... Read more

Product Description
Out-of-Print Science Fiction, 2 Novels in 1! July 1972 Belmont/Tower Books Paperback, No. 505-50244-075. Doomsman by Harlan Ellison: "High in the Rockies, the school stood grey and silent. It had been built to withstand the winds of time. Its walls were molybdenum steel, reinforced with cross-grained layers of duroplast and concrete blocks. This was America State's little known, deeply feared School for Assassins. Men trained there lived by a philosophy hard as diamond, cold as ice. Their lifework was Death." The Thief of Thoth by Lin Carter: "Quicksilver was the most famous and deadly of all the Licensed Legal Criminals and Confidential Agents in the Near Stars. He lived in a castle of organic pink quartz on the planetoid Carvel in that asteroid belt known as the Chain of Astarte. The castle clung to a sheer crag of dark green coral which rose from a sea of heavy opal smoke. Its master had grown rich on the proceeds of interplanetary crime." Doomsman: 68 pages; The Thief of Thoth: 82 pages. ... Read more

Product Description
This new collection of stories by award-winning author Harlan Ellison includes "Midnight in the Sunken Cathedral," "Jeffrey Is Five," "Prince Myshkin, and Hold the Relish," "The Resurgence of Miss Ankle-Strap Wedgie," "Anywhere But Here, With Anyone But You," "The End of the Time of Leinard," "In Lonely Lands," "Rat Hater;" and one all-new story. This first audio collection of one of the great American short story writers is read by the author with a voice that The New York Times has called "liquid lava." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Harlan's best
If you never heard Harlan narrate and bring his characters to life you are really missing out.I am a long term fan and I never tire of listing to Harlan no matter what!

A great author and also a great reader.........
I bought this CD with trepidation.Why trepidation?Because often when I've listened to an author read his own work I want to write that person and tell him/her to stick to writing.NOT in this case.Harlan Ellison has always been one of my favorites, ever since discovering the anthologies he edited: 'Dangerous Visions' and 'Again, Dangerous Visions'.I could not stop listening to the stories in this cd set.My gosh whatrange of voices this man has!What a delight!He really made his stories come to life.All I can say is 'thank you, Mr. Ellison!You delighted me and made me think with your work on the printed page and now you give me further pleasure via this means.Thank you for adding to my life (and I don't say that lightly).For those of you thinking of getting this cd set -- stop thinking.You deserve the treat of Mr. Ellison.

Expecting a scary/suspensful story?? You WON'T find it here!
Driving back and forth from Cleveland to Chicago, I use suspenseful Stephen King stories to pass the time and keep entertained. I purhased this CD thinking it was along those lines because that's how Amazon catagorized it....I was DEAD wrong. The stories in the collection were purely science fiction. There was no suspense or intrigue in any of the stories but merely strange tales of aliens and space ships all trying to give some deeper meaning that I couldn't begin to follow. I was extremely dissapointed. I kept thinking the stories would get better, but they only got worse. Eventually I gave up and threw the CD away. If boring science fiction stories aren't your thing...don't waste your money like I did.

Wonderful listening -
Harlan Ellison writes with an edge, to say the least - and it's an edge I've enjoyed for years.

To hear him read his own stories allows you to hear the edge, though - and this provides a whole new perspective on his work.His voice was captivating from the very first moment of the first story, and lead me through material both familiar and new.His own commentary is offered at a few points in the tape - another fantastic addition.

I did occasionally find the recording quality somewhat questionable, but the pleasure of hearing this master storyteller in action more than makes up for the problems.

A true listening experience - I highly recommend it.

No One Reads Ellison Like Ellison
The market for Ellison's work is growing, slowly, ...There's something about picking up Ellison's work in an early or original edition that gets you closer to the author.It gives you a sense of historicity and a taste of the times when the work first hit the palate of his reading public.

The better way to get this feeling is by listening to Ellison read his own work.There is no better way to get into an Ellison story than to listen to the guy read it.He's a cranky, angry, loud man with a lot of opinions and I think he is heard mostly because he makes an articulate point when he opens his mouth.His commentary comes from his heart and it shows in his delivery.When he reads his stories, he has the same kind of passion and range, but add to it his spectacular storytelling ability.This is a guy you want around your campfire one night if just to tell one ghost story to the kiddies.

"Excuse me, Mr. Ellison...would you mind telling the one about the Function of Dream Sleep?The scouts'll love it."

Fair bet some of the scouts will leave camp with bed wetting problems for years to come.

Among the stories is the classic short story "Jefty is Five" which, in print eluded me for years.I just didn't dig the story.Once I heard Ellison read it, however, I had a Joycian epiphany and now hold it as one of the best stories ever written...scifi or otherwise.Get this collection for the car or home or wherever.You will love it. ... Read more

Product Description
Another double dose of Harlan Ellison's best--for aficionados and latecomers alike. Opening with a new Introduction, written for especially for this omnibus by the master essayist himself, this enormous volume presents Spider Kiss, a gritty, rockabillly novel, and Stalking the Nightmare, a collection of 20 of Ellison's best stories and essays.Amazon.com Review
The Edgeworks are designed as the projected 20-volume definitive version ofthis controversial author's collected works. Harlan Ellison is the mosthonored fantasist of the 20th century, and many of the books in thelong-awaited series have been out of print for decades. Each volume alsocontains new introductions, and often the original work itself has beenrevised or expanded by the author. Edgeworks 2 includes anearly (1961) novel Spider Kiss, originally titled Rockabilly.It was one of the very first--and still remains one of thebest--dissections of the wildly destructive rock & roll lifestyle.Stalking the Nightmare is a 1982 collection of assorted shortstories and essays, which also boasts an insightful foreword by Ellisonadmirer Stephen King. Sampling any part of Edgeworks 2 will givereaders a taste of this great writer's talent. --Stanley Wiater ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Love that bleeds
The jacket flap sums up this book perfectly, 'Here are two big books in one volume.Each has the word "love" in the title.But don't let that get your hopes up.Yeah, these are stories that sing... but they also draw blood.'That's the core of this book, real love, not the pampered and idealistic stuff that preaches "love will conquer all."This is about love that hurts.

This volume is divided into two books, I prefer the second, with all stories on the different kinds of love.My favorites are the two bookend stories that open and close this book."The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World" is beautifully crafted and shows how good a short story can be.The last story in the collection, "A Boy and His Dog," is a great way to end the book and the collection.The first book in this volume, although not my favorite, is still very good, and contains stories that reach into different faucets of life, and show the love between people and their different lives.

When Shakespeare saw love, he saw the kind that ends in a double suicide, Harlan Ellison hits pretty close to the same nail with this collection.Even though not every story in here is top notch, I still highly recomend this volume for a great look on real love, and for containing some of the best short stories Ellison has written.

Why 2 books in one ?
I adore Ellison's works.However, I have most of them (more than the Columbus Metropolitan Library system) and do not like the fact that they are being reprinted 2 per volume.I would recommend this to anyone who already likes Ellison, but am unsure that it is good for a 1st intor to him.

A Collection of Some of Ellison's better Stories and Novels
This book is really two books in one (high-quality) volume.

SPIDER KISS (original title, "Rockabilly")is a very good novel about the rise and fall of the fictional rock star Stag Preston -a fictionalization of Jerry Lee Louis.It is a very well-written novel, lightyears away from the cookie-cutter sensational "where are they now" biographies of rock stars (fictional, real, or fictionalized.)

The second book, STALKING THE NIGHTMARE, is a collection of science fiction stories interlaced with Ellison's typical "me against the world" essays (titled "scenes from the real world", parts I-IV.)The stories are good, varying from religious satire ("The outpost undicovered by tourists"), to dark science fiction("Transcending Destiny"), to adventure stories ("The Goddess of the ice").The problem is, one cannot really say too much about them without ruining the enjoyment of reading them.I will only say that the stories are VERY different, for good and bad, from "regular" science fiction and fantasy, despite often using the same tropes (other worlds, space travel, djinni in a bottle, etc.) used in those genres.

The three stars are given not because the stories, essays, or novel are average, but because the reader will either enjoy Ellison's work tremendeously or stop reading in the middle.Ellison is the kind of writer you either love or hate, but are never indifferent to.I cannot therefore reccomend it without reservation; you have been warned!But if you know Ellison or suspect you would like his work,

Harlan does it again.
Not much to say. Harlan Ellison at his best. Hell, he's ALWAYS at his best. This book contain two Ellison classics that make you feel all gooey inside after reading 'em: "Spider Kiss" and "Stalking theNightmare". " Spider Kiss" mainly concentrates on the careerof a rock star from his beginnings to his horrible finish. "Stalkingthe Nightmare" is the not-so-average collection of killer shortfiction and biting commentary. To all who have not read Ellison: Buy thisbook. Buy any book by Ellison. It'll change your life for the better. Forthose who have read him: obviously nothing here to be said.

"Ellison's white-hot writing will dazzle..."
This fourth volume in White Wolf's reprint series includes two of Ellison's finest collections.The first, "Love Aint Nothing But Sex Misspelled," contains stories reflecting the angst and turmoil of thesixties. "The Resurgence of Miss Ankle-strap Wedgie,""Neither Your Jenny Nor Mine," "A Prayer For No OnesEnemy," and "Punky & the Yale Men" deal variously withicons, abortion, politics and racism.The second collection examines loveand the various forms it takes: from the experimental title tale, "TheBeast that Shouted Love at the Heart of the World," which won Ellisonhis fourth Hugo, "Along the Scenic Route," which dealt with"road rage" long before the term was coined, and "Try a DullKnife," a story about emotional vampirism, to the cult classic,Nebula-winning novella, "A Boy and His Dog," in which afuturistic society is turned upside down and a canine companion educates aboy while teaching him the true meaning of love. Dressed up in aprovocative dust-jacket by John K. Snyder, this big, beautiful omnibusedition will capture the heart of longtime fans and dazzle the uninitiatedwith Ellison's white-hot writing. (from "Des Moines Register"Copyright 1998) ... Read more

Product Description
When he's down, kick for the head and groin. Avoid cops. Play it cool. There aren't many rules in the primer for gang kids, but they all count. They're all easily understood, because they use a simple and sound philosophy-it's a stinking life, so get your kicks while you can. The gang is home, take what you want, tell them nothing-and don't get caught.Two gangs of juvenile delinquents run riot in New York City. They constantly try to outdo each other with their clothes, weapons, language and lack of morals. They are not just kids playing at war-they mean business. The only person who can infiltrate the gang is someone they can trust, someone like themselves. Someone who knows how to handle a knife and a gun... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Classic Harlan Ellison street stories from the early Sixties
"Gentleman Junkie and Other Stories of the Hung-Up Generation" is the short story collection that got Harlan Ellison to Hollywood, which, in retrospect, may not have been a good move, but it was certainly an important move. The key factor is all of this was a book review in "Esquire" by the legendary Dorothy Parker whose description of "Daniel White for the Greater God," far and away the best story in this collection, deserves repeating: "It is without exception the best presentation I have ever seen of present racial conditions in the South and of those who try to alleviate them." When I was teaching "To Kill a Mockingbird" I had my students read Ellison's story, to give them some idea of what things were like in the South before they were born. It is, simply put, a short story that makes the purchase of this entire volume well worth the money.

For the record, or more specifically for those of you trying to find Ellison stories you have not read in other collections, here are the short stories you will find within these pages: "Final Shtick," "Gentleman Junkie," "May We Also Speak?", "Daniel White for the Greater Good," Lady Bug, Lady Bug," "Free With This Box!" (a personal favorite), "There's One on Every Campus," "At the Mountains of Blindness," "This is Jackie Spining," "No Game for Children," "The Late, Great Arnie Draper," "High Dice," "Enter the Fanatic, Stage Center," "Someone is Hungrier," "Memory of a Muted Trumpet," "Turnpike," "Sally in Our Alley," "The Silence of Infidelity," "Have Coolth," "RFD #2," "No Fourth Commandment," and "The Night of Delicate Terrors."

Since we are talking Harlan Ellison there is really no reason to engage in any further advocacy. I am either preaching to the converted or spitting into the wind. There is no middle ground with Ellison. Consequently the point here is to be informative. "Gentleman Junkie" is a collection of dark stories dealing more with the real world than you usually find in Ellison's more famous works of speculative fiction. These are stories about racial prejudice, drug addiction, juvenile delinquency, anti-Semitism, alienation, violence and other fun topics. Consequently, these are tales best consumed one at a time, because to sit down and read this book cover to cover would be a bit much for most souls.

A Slash Across the Cultural Vein
In this early collection of mainstream fiction, Harlan Ellison looks at the violent subculture of the punk, the addict, any person who finds themselves of the underside of life.Mr. Ellison has gone underground as amember of a street gang, among other jobs, and his experiences ring throughin every story. HE pulls no punches, and the cumulative effect brings atruth to these urban fables. ... Read more

Product Description
Abrilliant collection of Harlan Ellison's short fiction, featuring an introduction by Norman Spinrad. ... Read more

Product Description
Until his death in 1992, author Isaac Asimov would write more than 120 ingenious tales of detection and deduction, and in 66 of them he would present his armchair detectives, the Black Widowers, with the mind-teasing puzzles that they would strive to solve in often-quarrelsome conversation. The Black Widowers club is meeting again. In a private dining room at New York's luxurious Milano restaurant, the six brilliant men once more gather for fine fare served impeccably by their peerless waiter, Henry. At table, too, will of course be that requisite dinner guest to challenge their combined deductive wit: a man whose marriage hinges on finding a lost umbrella; a woman shadowed by an adversary who knows her darkest secrets; a debunker of psychics unable to explain his unnerving experience in a haunted house; or a symphony cellist accused of attacking his wife with a kitchen knife. In addition to six stories that have never before appeared in any collection, this volume includes the ten best-ever Black Widowers cases, among them the very first to be published, in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, as well as the first brand new Black Widowers story to appear in more than ten years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Great mysteries with a touch of humor
Enjoyed this book so much I bought 4 more copies for gifts.Great for Asimov fans and mystery fans.

Asimov at his Best
A compilation of his last written short mysteries, this is a breath of fresh air for those of us who love a story that can be finished in a few minutes. Just the thing to relax before going to sleep at night.

The Last Meeting of the Black Widowers
Back in 1990 on a rainy night (or maybe it wasn't) I happened across a book in a bookstore entitled:Puzzles of the Black Widowers.I thought it looked interesting...it was!In fact, it was awesome, and so are any of the Black Widower books you can lay your hands on.

Tales of the Black Widowers
More Tales of the Black Widowers
Casebook of the Black Widowers
Banquets of the Black Widowers
Puzzles of the Black Widowers, and now
The Return of the Black Widowers

Each story follows the same outline.A monthly meeting is held in a private room in an exclusive New York Restaurant.The members take turn bringing a guest.Over dinner a mystery is revealed.The members of the club try to work it out, but in the end, their faithful waiter, Henry, solves the mystery.Does the formula ever get old?Never!These are incredibly well written stories, each one being very different and unique.There are 12 stories per book.This book "The Return" is a posthumous volume.Asimov died in 1992 leaving only 6 unpublished Black Widower stories.These are collected here and grouped with 10 of his all-time classics.Also included are two, paying homage to Asimov.Although the book is paperback, it is larger in size than the standard paperback and a screaming buy at $10.

Asimov rises from the grave
The Return of the Black Widowers


The Return of the Black Widowers (2003) contains:

The Acquisitive Chuckle

Early Sunday Morning

The Obvious Factor

The Iron Gem

To the Barest

Sixty Million Trillion Combinations

The Wrong House


TheRedhead

Triple Devil

The Men Who Read Issaac Asimov

And some previously uncollected stories,including:

Northwestward

Yes, But Why

Lost In a Space Warp

Police at the Door

The Haunted Cabin

The Guest's Guest

The Woman in the Bar

The Last Story, by Charles Ardai

And an Afterword on the Birth of the Black Widowers







The Foreword by is by Asimov's Friend Harlan Ellison

If you've enjoyed The Black Widowers before or if you just enjoy a good mystery short story, I highly recommend this book.


Please be advised, it might be hard to put down.

GunnerApril,2007

The return of a great classic
This was one of my favorite series when I was younger, as I have a thing for short mysteries. The last of the Black Widowers books, this one was a good as any I've read. A must-have for any true Asimov or mystery fan. ... Read more