The Collected Ellison: The City on the Edge of Forever

This book is a great place to start with Ellison. You get two shining examples of each type of the writing he's known for: short-stories and essays. Collecting re-vamped versions of two of his classic books, you're treated to solid stories (though better stories eixst, these are fine to dabble in) and probably his best collection of non-fiction essays/editorials in one place. Some of the references may seem a little dated, but the ideas...ah, the ideas.Incredible, smart collection for the open-minded.

So far there have been four volumes of Harlan Ellison's series of books EDGEWORKS books. Which is an attempt at a complete collection of Ellison's work, I believe. So far it is very good. I have greatly enjoyed each of the four volumes that have been released. I am looking forward to the other 16 volumes as well. Right now, they appear to be on-hold due to publisher concerns or some such. As soon as Ellison and a publisher get this all squared away, the better for all us folks who want to read them will be. This first volume includes a lot of non-fiction essay's Ellison wrote over the years. In them, Ellison leans into everything he considers wrong with modern society. Because of this, if you are new to Ellison, you may be easily offended. But don't worry, he isn't doing it on purpuse, he just doesn't care if he offends you. He would rather tell the truth as he sees it than worry about hurting somebody's feelings.Ellison is a very refreshing take in modern America, where Republicans and Democrats have decided that the only difference worth noting between the partys is who is in power at that moment. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Ellison is also one of the great writers in the modern United States.

Harlan Ellison is a credit to his species. This book contains a number of his short stories and essays were he attacks all that is evil in society. But beware this book will probably also offend many people. If you think gun control is simply a matter of using two hands or if believe that Jesus would not have wanted us to give up the Panama Canal then this book is likely to bother you. But that is what is so wonderful about Ellison, he makes you think. He invigorates the brain cells that atrophied from watching too many episodes of the Brady Bunch or Star search. Order this book immediately. "God reads Harlan Ellison and so should you."

Woah. I must be denser than concrete because all I noticed was the great writing Ellison puts on the page. The articles I found to be thought provoking in the extreme. If Ellison is a "crazy uncle" than he's one who's fought the good fight against the evils of society so long he needs throwing in the booby hatch. "Xenogensis" is the scariest essay on the issue of Sci-Fi (and I use the term cynically. I hate that phrase) fandom I've ever come across in twenty years of reading. Now thats not to say all of the essays are grand and stimulating. Rereading the book I often find myself skipping his more dated pieces. But despite what you may think of the man, you have to admit this: he's passionate about the work, and he'll dare anything SAY anything to make you feel SOMETHING about issues you'd rather just slink away from. He's got guts, and his articles show it. I'm a bit new to Ellison (I've only the first 4 edgeworks books) but from what I've read the man has passion. Reccomended. END

I bought this book having read some other short "speculative" fiction by Ellison, and was disappointed to discover that only half of the volume is fiction, the other half being a series of non-fiction essays and articles. So, I worked my way throught the fiction, dreading turning the page into the boring non-fiction. But when I did... I was stunned, awed, delighted. Ellison's voice is that of an incredibly wise man. He has done more than just live, he has EXPERIENCED so much and so intensely that he can make us experience with him. From the seemingly trivial to the world-changing, Ellison's point-of-view from the heart of the story makes our emotions soar and plummet through the whole gamut of human experience. What comes through his writing is a sense of the man's awesome intelligence, sensitivity and down-to-earth level-headedness. After finishing An Edge in My Voice, I had to drastically re-evaluate my perception of Harlan Ellison as a writer. Despite his acclaimed skill with the short-story form (hardly challenged in recent decades by any writer in English), his superlative fiction is far outshone by the humanity of his non-fiction, whether amusing anecdote, thought-provoking philosophy or spleen-venting tirade. Everyone who considers themself a student of life should hear what this man has to say. So let's not get too upset about typos. Yes they're unfortunate, unnecessary, annoying, but some things are worth putting up with.