Greatest Hits (Herald Classics)

Harlan Ellison is a legend, not just for his extraordinary body of work, but also for his electric personality. And that power and passion is all over the page in this matchless collection of his work. None of these tales have lost one iota of impact in the decades since they were originally published. Every single one is as fresh as the day it was written, even while giving us a bit of a time machine into the social mores of decades past when Harlan was on the edge of everything. There are the crown jewels of his literary life such as “‘Repent, Harlequin,’ Said the Ticktockman”, a dystopian, terrifying look into a future - well, maybe our present, I'm afraid - and what happens when the clockwork engine of technology rolls right over our humanity, and then there are humorous gems such as "Djinn, No Chaser", a delightful and slightly goofy magical tale of a genie, a bottle, a young couple, and all the Jewish jokes you can cram into a short story. I cannot recommend this enough. It is as close to meeting Harlan Ellison you will ever get, and if anyone deserves literary immortality, it is this man. Enjoy.

Great reads

A solid compilation of some of the best stories from a man who wrote over 1,700 of them in his lifetime. Yes, they're all short stories, but some of them manage to be heavy enough that you need time to digest and you're not going to be reading all of it in one sitting. I've been trying to read this book for about a month now, on my lunch breaks at work, and I'm still not done. In any case, once you read this, you'll see why so many other writers from various forms of media were so heavily influenced by Harlan Ellison, even if before this point you and everyone you know have never even heard of the man before. Just be aware of going into this, Harlan Ellison was a product of his time, very outspoken about every cause he was involved in, and the characters in his stories reflect that. Some characters can be very sympathetic, while others are very very easy to hate. Just remember that the emotions you feel are the intention of the story. Harlan Ellison had a lot to say about a lot of things, and love him or hate him, you cannot deny the man was a literary force.

Book came in great condition. Despite amazons insistence on shipping it in a loose plastic bag. Whatever happed to the cardboard box? Contains some of the best work, from one of americas greatest writers.

If you don’t know who Harlan Ellison is, or know but don’t know where to start, start here. Pulled from various decades these are many of his best and most well-known short stories. Leaning mostly on sci-fi and fantasy, he resembles a darker and more literary Ray Bradbury. I’m glad I got the kindle edition as I had to define several words while reading that I was unfamiliar with. Really great stories. Highly recommended.

Ellison was ahead of his time. Absolutely must read “I have no mouth..” a short story in this collection about AI. This book inspired me to start writing. The short stories are excellent quick reads full of thought provoking topics. Some of it is hard to read regarding violence, racism, sexism etc, but Ellison was always on the right side of history from my perspective.

The book is new and as described. Pleased with the purchase.

Worth it just for I have no mouth but I must scream.