I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream: Stories

First short story is amazing, but every other short story is no good.

I first read this paperback back in the late 60s, I was pretty impressed at that time. After giving it a reread recently, I was still impressed but not quite so captivated as when I was much younger. This is a very, very good group of short stories. My favorite was the title story, of people trapped in a computer. This was quite forward looking of the author when you consider when the story was first published. I do have to agree with a couple of the other reviewers in that I am not at all sure if the author had full control of his narrative at all times. On the other hand, this is sort of a part of the charm of the book. I can well see how this book recieved the Hugo and Nebula Awards during those times. If you are a student of the SiFi genre, then this is one you will probably want to read and own. Recommend it highly.

Having never read Ellison, and having a bad first impression of him personally from his conduct at the World Horror Convention 2000, I didn't start listening to this in the best frame of mind. In fact, at first I cringed to hear his voice again--but by the end of the first story, a real tear-your-face-off classic with the same title as this collection, I couldn't stop listening. I have never heard an author--or actor, for that matter--read so well. From the accents to the cadence to the pacing, Ellison seems born for the stage. And then there's the stories themselves, displaying such a virtuosic breadth of style that each seems written by a different author. It spanned from horror to science fiction to humor, to some real classy drama with characters portrayed with great humanity and sensitivity. The endings were twisted nicely, too. So, how can I reconcile the grouchy old man I saw with this unbelievably well-written and well-performed audio collection? Perhaps Ellison is like Mozart; personally off-putting but a genius at his craft. The Horror Writers Association, at the convention, must have felt the same way, because they gave this audio book a Bram Stoker Award.

On May 13th, 2000, author, Harlan Ellison, was given the Bram Stoker Award by the Horror Writers of America for his audio recordings contained on The Voice from the Edge : I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Dove Audio.

This is a great sampling of Ellison's stories, and Ellison's performance of them gives the listener a sense of the fervor which Ellison must have when he sits down to write. Thought provoking, and great entertainment. Favorites included in the collection: I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST SCREAM, GRAIL, and REPENT HARLEQUIN, SAID THE TICKTOCK MAN.

This volume of Mr. Ellisons' imaginative fiction was the one that hooked me on his writings, years ago. He quickly became my most favorite author and has steadfastly remainded so. There are few other authors who can touch and infect your mind with such vivid imagery, and certainly those few others are only his peers and not his betters. If you are reading these reviews to determine if you should buy *this* book, do it. At least check it out from the library. You will not be disappointed, you may wonder why he is not better known or why it is so hard to find his books in the Mall. I know I still wonder. His name as a contributor pops up in the most unusual places, since I am a fan I notice it. Do yourself a favor, read something by this author, you won't be disappointed.