I am revisiting my favorite Harlan Ellison paperbacks -- (1) Deathbird Stories; (2) Gentleman Junkie; and (3) Ellison Wonderland.

I am not re-reading them systematically, but rather looking at them with a critical eye towards Ellison's writing style. (For the unfamiliar, these are all short story collections).

Which of these is the best and why? Or which stories are the best and why? Or why are you here?

Excellent question.

I recently acquired SHATTERDAY via AmazWAN after wanting it for many years. It will, after I read it, take its place on the shelf alongside THE ESSENTIAL ELLISON, DEATHBIRD STORIES, ANGRY CANDY, WATCHING, DANGEROUS VISIONS, THE ILLUSTRATED HARLAN ELLISON, the NIGHT AND THE ENEMY graphic novel (drawn/painted by Ken Steacy), THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER, all four volumes of EDGEWORKS, and SLIPPAGE.

I can not tell you which collection, or story, is best, because they are all brilliant. We are lucky to have them.

Harlan Ellison is, in my opinion, the world's greatest living writer. Hands down.

My Ellison collection consists of,

Alone Against Tomorrow
Deathbird Stories
Shatterday
Stalking the Nightmare
Medea: Harlan's World
Harlan Ellison's Watching
The Essential Ellison
Angry Candy
Mefisto in Onyx
I, Robot The Illustrated Screenplay
The City on the Edge of Forever
Edgeworks 1,2,3, & 4
Slippage
Dangerous Visions
The Deadly Streets
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream
Ellison Wonderland
Run For the Stars
Gentleman Junkie
Memos from Purgatory
Partners in Wonder

Like Frank, there's no way I could pick which is best, it's all good stuff.

He's not my cup of tea at all. The only Harlan Ellison work I've ever really liked was the "Night and the Enemy" adaptation done with Ken Steacy. The only original story of those that were adapted that I've read was "Life Hutch."

I have one paperback collection of stories: I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream. The titular story disturbed me quite a bit. I don't recall the name of it, but I enjoyed the storyabout the slot machine very much.

I've read a number of his stories and liked most of them. Read "A Boy and His Dog" and some others in a college course once. The only paperback of his I've read is "Memos from Purgatory", which is about his stint in a NYC street gang. I bought it from him at a show and had it signed. He told a story at one of his talks that I attended, where he described a deal he has with his publisher, or somesuch, where he gets dibs on all the remaindered books of his that were unsold and returned by book sellers. He gets to buy them all for whatever the market price is, when the publishers are ready to blow those out to discounters. It's pennies on the dollar. He brings stacks of books with him to con appearances and everyone in line for an autograph has to buy one, or he berates you publicly. "Memos from Purgatory" was a paperback from the late 60's, and he had a stack of them. It was the cheapest book he had. $5, I think.

Sounds like "Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes," from DEATHBIRD STORIES. Genuinely creepy.

I don't have the IHNMAIMS collection. Does that story appear there as well, or is there more than one story about a slot machine?

I think that is it, Frank. Thank you.

The [lilred]Harlan Ellison's Watching[/lilred] book that Ron included in his list is about to be reprinted in softcover format by Dark Horse, nearly 20 years after it was last in print:



[title]Harlan Ellison’s Watching[/title] documents twenty-five years of this award-winning author’s writings on his demented obsession with motion pictures. Includes over fifty essays!

Most overviews of film are written from some high, sunlit mountaintop. In this first collection of Harlan Ellison’s cinema criticism (with expanded, never-before-collected articles as well as an essay written especially for this volume) come from the darkened interiors of a thousand movie houses where this most peculiar of all Observers of the Passing Scene has spent much of his life. The view is guaranteed to make you grind your teeth in anger, nod your head in blessed agreement, and open your eyes in a manner of judging films that is definitely not plebeian. Harlan Ellison’s love affair with movies is obvious. As an essayist, he has no equal; as a film critic he has no friends. Take care.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1595820566/?tag=imwan-20

FWIW, Underwood Miller released a softcover of this in 1989. That's the edition I have.

Thanks, Ron. I've fixed the description accordingly.

And I fixed the mistake in my post.

I can not recommend this book highly enough.

And I stood there in my kitchen, holding the volume in my had, thinking Seriously? Harlan Ellison? There isn't a mountain of material they could/should reprint before they get around to HARLAN ELLISON??

Just out of curi, Steve, whom was JB slamming when he said what I'm assuming you're spoofing, there?

Booster Gold Showcase, Frank.

Hopefully this thread won't be deleted because I answered for Steve.

There's a Showcase edition of BOOSTER GOLD?

That's surprising.

Okay, I'm reading SHATTERDAY, and it is kicking my ass. Some of these stories are new to me, and they're fantastic.

And hey, the long-awaited documentary is coming out this weekend. I don't imagine it'll be playing anywhere near me, but I look forward to the DVD.

See both the trailer and a pretty cool segment covering the first private showing (to the press and friends, I imagine) here:

http://www.creatvdiff.com/harlan_ellison.php

Robin Williams and Neil Gaiman and Peter David (Harlan was best man at PAD's second wedding) are all in the movie, and Ron Moore gives a nice introduction in the "Evening with Sharp Teeth" segment.

There's Part 1 of an interview with Ellison up at CBR:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page ... e&id=17926

Great, great Ellison stories not yet recommended here:

"'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman"
"The Man Who Rowed Christopher Columbus Ashore"
"Jeffty is Five"

Nice avatar, Stephen. Isn't that the painted cover for the paperback edition of The Naked Sun, circa 1983? I became an Asimov fan during that time, reading all of his books within a year.

Jay -- so, so close! The Robots of Dawn. Its release brought along new editions of The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun with matching Michael Whelan covers.

...um, I guess Robot Weekend is over now, huh?