Repent Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman

And so the Ticktockman purrs...And I join right in. It's wonderful to see a writer take so much joy in what he has been given to create with. Words. Language. Sound and the breath that supports it. That alone endears him to me. But Ellison doesn't stop there. He adds to the chaotic atmosphere dazzling characters. Everything in this world he has created seems so simple, but deceptively so. And then you get to what seems like a rather abstract ending, but it's so much more simple than that. Like I said, chaos. But mark my words, you will want to dance on jelly beans after you finish reading this remarkably memorable novella. And after that, you'll want to read everything else Harlan Ellison has ever written.

When the subject of what one must do in order to enable real social change comes up, and the inevitable names are mentioned - Jesus, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X (the list, sadly, goes on and on) - someone inevitably makes a remark along the lines of, "Yeah, and look what happened to THEM". One of the things Mr. Ellison's fine story points out is that sacrifice is a necessary part of change. Ellison's parable-like tale shows us that someone must be willing to play the fool, the harlequin, to rage against convention, in order for any real change to be made. Form follows content perfectly on this story - like Joyce, like cummings & Kerouac, Ellison delights in playing with language, just as his story's hero delights in playing with the rules of his society. Ellison has sometimes gone overboard in trying to show how hip & clever he is, but in this instance, he gets everything right.In short - highly recommended.

Ellison is frustrating because he is so uneven - he's so uneven, because he's so fearlessly prolific. That being said, REPENT is Ellison at his best as GREAT AMERICAN AUTHOR. The Ticktockman's rebellion in our Future Shocked world is even more relevant today than it was when written. There are obvious spiritual connections to CATCHER IN THE RYE, but Salinger's work is becoming dated. Ellison's short fable is a bit more universal than Salinger's novel. Perhaps in a world where we're all pressed for time, REPENT as a fast read is more accessible. There is some small irony here. I personally liked the artwork, but the star is Ellison's prose. You don't need to get this version (though I still recommend it). This would make a perverse gift for a harried CEO.

Tremendous illustrations by Rick Berry add to harlan Ellison's prose, but the story speaks powerfully even without illustration. Noting that the publication is (appropriately) two years late for a thirty year anniversary of publication, Ellison shows us who the Harlequin and Ticktock man are - us... I hope Ellison has a *lot* more time to show the world the mask of the Ticktock man, and live the life of the harlequin. Now, it's time to find some jellybeans, and a place to scatter them like seeds in the wind....

Sitting around with some old, moulding jelly beans in your pockets and wondering just what you should do with them? My advice would be to drop them into the power supply box at your train station, short out the trains for a good hour or three and, with that time, read this gem before arriving at work in the afternoon (there must be lunch, chat, and perhaps some aimless strolling as well).So, you're probably asking what that has to do with "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman (with fine illustrations by Rick Berry). Well, the answers a numerous and then perhaps they mean nothing at all. I figure I won't tell.Ellison's book as about an outlaw existing in a totally controlled society, where time is measured and ruled by the Ticktockman. Now the idea is not a new one (at least, not now) but Ellison gives the Harlequin such gusto, the story such a smooth, enjoyable ride, that one can not help but be caught up in it and cheer as the jelly beans are dropped down.And the message the tale contains (for it does have one, make no mistake) does not make for a message written story. It's a good story, with or without the message, and one has to thank Ellison himself for that. He has a strong voice in his prose--equally as strong as that of himself in person, I am told--and his clearly driven prose leaves no dry points.So there.And if you do order this book and it shows up late, well yes, it's the postal system again... but imagine if everything happened on time? Imagine if you had to be one time for everything? What consequences...Excuse me, got carried away. Buy the book, you'll not regret it. Now, I'm off to drop some jelly beans...