I read a review that said the language is dated, but I disagree. The language is compelling but easy to understand, and what a wild imagination! I don't read Harlan Ellison to laugh, and I would recommend taking a break between stories just to refocus on the world while thinking about the implications. Because even when there doesn't seem to be a lesson, I always end up realizing that there is some sort of social commentary. I highly These short stories are science fiction but often cross the line into horror; I have no mouth and I must scream stayed in my mind for weeks. I highly recommend this collection. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Harlan Ellison
5/5
Harlan Ellison is an amazing horror writer, and "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" is my favorite horror short story. It is so haunting but also absolutely amazing and you will never forget it. I am so glad I had the chance to read his other works because they are truly amazing. Highly recommend!

I learned about Harlan Ellison through watching Babylon 5, so it's great to see JMS involved in this anthology. While aware of his work, this is the first time I ever had the opportunity to read his stories. And I am so glad I did. "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream", "Mefisto in Onyx", and "Deathbird" haunted me for days after reading. "Jeffty is Five" and "Repent, Harlequin!, Said the Ticktockman" have permanently lodged themselves in my imagination. Some of the stories may not be quite on par with those giants, but I couldn't say any were bad. "Looking for Kadak" does require some knowledge of Judaism/Yiddish for full appreciation though.

I learned about Harlan Ellison through watching Babylon 5, so it's great to see JMS involved in this anthology. While aware of his work, this is the first time I ever had the opportunity to read his stories. And I am so glad I did. "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream", "Mefisto in Onyx", and "Deathbird" haunted me for days after reading. "Jeffty is Five" and "Repent, Harlequin!, Said the Ticktockman" have permanently lodged themselves in my imagination. Some of the stories may not be quite on par with those giants, but I couldn't say any were bad. "Looking for Kadak" does require some knowledge of Judaism/Yiddish for full appreciation though.

These works are classics for a reason, and their lessons evergreen.

This novel was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Worth the price of admission alone with I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream. Simply a fantastic collection from a very good author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read a collection of sci-fi short stories that demonstrates an author’s range and love for humanity over the course of his career? They’re not all bangers, but even if you don’t pick up this book, you should pick up Mefisto in Onyx.

Pre-reading:
I tend to love short story collections. I think this cover is unbelievably gorgeous. I don’t think I’ve ever ever read this writer. I don’t even know what this collection is themed after. I love going in blind.

Thick of it:

Does anyone read these praise blurbs at the beginning of the book? I never do. I also feel like they’re spoilers.

OK, so these are a bunch of short stories that he wrote that won awards, but he’s a man and they are from a long time ago, and by a long time ago, I mean Samantha was not born. Color me afraid.

Oh no, not the book beginning with the disclaimer that things are gonna be outdated and offensive. Oh no. (By many people’s standards I am a liberal-ass snowflake, and I was not offended by anything in here. It’s so obviously written in a way advocating for equality and with such genuine love for humanity as a whole.)

~Preface

I don’t know where Jakarta is lol. (I always include these dumb bitch reactions just in case anyone gets the idea that I take myself seriously as a qualified critic. She’s a blonde on an iPad.)

That is so many stories.

Amanuenses

Cupidity

Expiration

I like stories with teeth.

What a nice foreword, er preface I guess because now we’re getting a foreword.
—————
These writers clearly like him. I'm excited to read. But like can we get to the stories already haha.

————-
Atavistic

Aphorism

Welter

I should read this a boy and his dog story if it's not in here. (It's not. Dunno why. I feel like the collection should include the stories it name drops.)

I like the inclusion of a complementary yet critical voice, but it doesn’t mean much to me because I haven’t read him before.

(For the sake of my sanity, I have labeled the stories as I give commentary on them and I’m gonna put my little summary of what they were after I give the review. So like this is your spoiler warning.)

————-
~Repent, Harlequin

Cornice

This audiobook is wonderful.

Ha ha, the money was also my first question.

OK, but I’m such a scheduled girly. It’s on anxiety, homie.

I know it’s outdated terminology, but it’s still trying to be inclusive from way back. That’s good.

There’s something Toon Town about this. It’s so charming.

billet-doux

Dole

Niche reference, but he reminds me of Fizzo from Helluva Boss

3/5 it’s a little kid-friendly for me. but it’s charming. There’s something vaudeville about it that I enjoy.

In a society super scheduled and into conformity, some guy named the Harlequin disrupts the factories by dumping jellybeans on the workers so there’s a delay in the production schedule. The higher-ups call the Tick Tock man on him. The Tick Tock man is responsible for managing peoples life time cards, and he can shorten them to kill someone, or fine someone time if they misbehave. They catch him eventually, and he’s like this sucks. Non-conformity shouldn’t be a crime. And they’re like too bad and execute him, but this throws off the TickTock man’s schedule. And the moral lesson is that a revolution is worth it even if good people die because even a tiny bit of impact is a step forward.

————
~No Mouth

I’ve heard lantern jaw in so many of the books I’ve read in the past year and I had never heard it before now.

Oh.
We’re starving, but we’ll still force a woman to have sex with us. I hate it here.

I-
you know tell me it’s written by a man.

Oh, homeboy’s fully insane.

OK, homegirl critiqued this story in her forward saying that we didn’t need to know that Ellen didn’t like to have sex with the dudes, but like we definitely did? It helps illustrate that he’s a biased observer. I don’t think this story is anti-feminist just because it includes a woman suffering. I actually think it reads pretty feminist. We’re getting the male narrator’s opinion on why she likes Benny, not the author's. Not hers. The author is never speaking for her.

That’s funny.

How do you tell a fat woman’s laugh from a thin one’s?

Damn, that was good. 4/5

There’s a crew of people stuck inside a computer at the end of the world. AI destroyed the rest of humanity. They’re starving to death and the computer sends them a message that there’s a cache of canned goods on the other side of the world, so they start hiking towards it. The group is made up of a handful of men and one woman so obviously they had to create a fucking schedule. The narrator is unreliable and biased. One of the men tries to escape, so the computer blinds him. Eventually, they reach the stash, and the narrator is able to kill his companions so they can finally be at peace, but more importantly, the narrator can get revenge on the computer for fucking with him. The computer changes him into a barely sentient blob, and he’s forced to live on forever, which is its own form of torture.

————————-
~Deathbird

I don’t understand what’s going on, and I’m getting cranky.

Me in Sunday school.

I still don’t understand.

I think he’s rewriting the Garden of Eve myth saying that the snake is an alien sent to save the people from God which like fun concept, but this is hard to read.

Why are we always killing the dog?

God, I love dogs.

Oh god, and now I’m cuddling my dog.

OK, and now I’m ugly crying, and it’s very Marley and Me, and I love dogs.

Widdershins

I really like this author. I’m gonna give this story five stars.

Scintilla

catafalque

I don’t quite understand the ending, but I like the concept of rewriting the story of man. I like the MCAS-style questions. I like how quickly we got the sense of Nathan as a person with his mom. It’s so efficient. The dog essay wrecked me.

I don’t understand the Mark Twain bit at the end. I’ve got to do some Googling

OK, so Wikipedia says I understood the plot of it perfectly, but has nothing about the bits that I didn’t fully understand.

OK, yeah no, I understood that bit too. Mark Twain called God a bitch.

The ending’s such a bummer. I mean, yeah everything has to end but I’m a slut for immortality.

5 stars tho. Experimental. Emotional. Unique. Big, big fan.
—————-
~Anubis

More Sam lore: when I was like ten, I had an Egyptian and Greek mythology phase definitely because of those Ology books, which according to TikTok is like peak weird kid pipeline/ rampant undiagnosed autism. So I am DOWN for an Anubis story.

Oh yeah, open like a TED talk, baby. That’s dirty talk right there.

Also, am a Capricorn. Am still horny for immortality.

temblor

The oasis of JoJo Siwa? I’ll leave.

OK, but why is two museum nerds investigating the center of Earth giving romcom?

It’s the way my dumbass was like crampons are tampons for extra crampy days.

Crampons

OMG, Harlan also said it’s giving romcom. You love to see it.

alluvial

Fun, but like give me more 3/5

Himbopop- and yes, I’m choosing that to be the masculine form of girlypop-Wang is a researcher sent to investigate after there’s an earthquake. He and his museum nerd girlfriend sneak into the dig site that leads them to the center of the Earth where they find a tomb guarded by Anubis. Anubis says he’s the god of revenge and he’s punishing Moses for killing all the Egyptian gods by converting the people of Egypt to another religion.

——————
~Whimper

I don’t like dead dog stories. (Not a dead dog story.)

I feel like I would be the girl given the slush pile trying to rewrite it.

I pick the bear.

I pick the bear. I pick the bear. I pick the bear.

American Psycho written by Fredrik Backman.

4 stars. I think this could be a longer modern horror novel.

I think this is the other story that the introduction cited as not feminist. Hard, hard disagree.
4/5

Girlypop witnesses a murder in her apartment building and does nothing to stop it. She’s like does this make me a bad person? And her scummy boyfriend who’s a tenant in another apartment like nah baby, that just makes you a New Yorker. We have no choice but to be this way. And she’s like that’s a little too cynical for my country girl roots. I’m gonna try and make this city fall in love with me. And the universe is like sweetie, this is New York, and quickly dispels her of this notion. One night her apartment is broken into and the guy tries to kill her and none of her neighbors will come to her aid. And she’s like dear god or devil of New York, if you just let me live, I’ll become as scummy as the rest of them. I promise. So she does.

————————
~Jefty

Fun. 3/5. There’s something Shel Silverstein about it or like a Twilight Zone episode. It’s charming. I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel that tragic cause it’s all new stuff anyway. As long as we’re still getting new art to enjoy…

Homeboy is friends with an unaging five-year-old. He realizes that when he hangs out with him, he gets to see new episodes of old franchises. He has fun with the nostalgia. One day he accidentally shows the kid the present media sitch because he’s too busy handling the grown-up activity of working for a living. Jefty starts aging after that, and he no longer has a link to the past.

———
~Pretty

So unfortunately, I don’t understand casinos or this film director.

pennon

What did he ask for?

I really, really like his writing.

3/5 Fine. Effective descriptive writing. Reads like another Twilight Zone episode. No real emotional bite to it though.

Girlypop was born in poverty, so she’s forced into being a hooker to survive. She dies in front of a casino slot machine, and her soul is so hungry that she gets trapped in it. And she makes a gambling addict switch places with her because he’s world-weary.

————-
~Shatterday

Wild that you would waste time arguing about which one of you is real and not just be like let’s go fuck ourselves for science. (Samantha, your pervert is showing again.)

Literally, why waste your time fighting with yourself? That’s so dumb.

Didn’t like this one as much. 2/5 Again, it reads like a Twilight Zone episode. (Was so interesting to Google and find out that a lot of these stories did become Twilight Zone episodes.)

Homeboy accidentally calls his own number and he answers himself. They argue about which one of them is real. One of the selves gets his shit together, so he gets to survive, and he has to say goodbye to his old self.

—————
~Mefisto

This audiobook is a mess to try and follow along with the actual book. It’s very annoying.

This could be a whole book.

It’s giving Samuel Little, but FUCK that guy.

This author really likes the word scintilla.

Gooood twist.

I have a hard time believing that it’s gonna end on a better last line than just the call back to I slept with her once.

Second twist!

Loveeeeeee it.

Third twist? So. Good.

And he’s like lol I know I was faking ignorance that I didn’t understand your plot so that you would come to glow and I could trap you in this executed body and I could go live with Allie in yours

I wish it had ended with a third call back to because I slept with her once and had it be a full circle love story rather than ending on this sort of moral message that I don’t think I totally agree with, but the story and the plot itself is phenomenal.

5 stars. Goddam, I wish this was a full thriller. It’d be so, so good.

Homeboy can read minds, and one of his old friends asks him to go see a prisoner she prosecuted because she’s fallen in love with him and thinks he might be innocent. So he goes to see him and reads his mind. And he’s like wow, you are innocent, and you do really love my friend. And the prisoner is like how do you know that? And he’s like plot twist, bestie. It’s because I’m the murderer! But I really love my friend, and I just want her to be happy, so I’ll confess to my crimes so that you can be freed and can go and live your life with her. So homeboy is set to be executed, and his friend and the “innocent man” are in the audience. And the man is like plot twist, bestie. I have the same power as you, and not only can we read minds, we can also control them, and jump into other bodies. I was never in danger of being executed. It was a trap. I learned about your existence from your friend, the lawyer. I wanted to be the only one with superpowers. So I lured you to me, and then I used my mind-control powers to convince you that you had done all the murders. It was actually me. And homeboy is like plot twist again, bestie. I knew you had those powers and this was actually all an elaborate long-game trap to trap you. See, I’ve been following your exploits through the ages being various baddies of history. I knew you would come to gloat, and I can body swap faster than you. So homeboy jumps into the body of the innocent man. The killer is trapped in his old body and is executed. And homeboy gets to live in the body of a handsome white boy with his lawyer friend lover.

————

~Downhill

I don’t understand what’s going on.

I don’t get it. I don’t get this one. 1/5 I’m tired of men fetishizing virgins. I just don’t find it romantic that she’s stuck being with this guy. I don’t like him at all. And her big crime that she needs to suffer and atone for is being a frigid bitch. I don’t like that messaging. Women don’t owe you love. They’re not denying themselves full lives just because they don’t want to shack up with a man.

Homeboy is in New Orleans riding a unicorn and runs into a ghost girl who died a virgin. Supposedly they’re both in trouble with the god of love him because he loved too many people although from his memories, it doesn’t sound like he actually loved anyone, and girlypop is in trouble because she never loved anyone and died a virgin, which also doesn’t seem like a crime, but together they’re gonna merge souls and be a complete human being who loves the appropriate amount after their unicorn sacrifices himself for them unprompted.

————————
~Paladin

This book has talked to me about grilled cheese and cheeseburgers and it’s making me hungry.

Me it’s me. I want a library of everything I’ve read.

4/5 This should be gay but it’s not.

Dude makes friends with an old man who is keeping an hour of time that must never be used to bring back the dead or the world will end. The old guy needs to find a successor to be the new guardian of the watch, so he has the young guy take care of him and they become friends. He’s like great. You took care of me, so you can be trusted. You’re a selfless human being. And the young guy is like actually I feel real guilty because I went to war, and some other man distracted the enemy and was killed so that I could survive. But I don’t understand why he did it because we weren’t friends. And the old guy is like here use a minute from the watch to ask him. And the dead soldier is like didn’t even know you were there, bro, but I’m glad I didn’t die in vain. And Samantha‘s like why isn’t this gay? Anyhooters take care of the watch, peace!

———————

~The Beast

This narrator almost sounds like Dr. House. (I did not look up if it actually was him reading, but I assume not.)

I don’t understand this story.

osseous

exigency

I’m bored. It’s trying to history lesson me.

They’re going to execute a seven-headed dragon prisoner by changing him into a man?

I don’t understand the story at all. I gotta go Google.

OK, no I understand it. It’s just stupid.
1/5

Aliens drain madness out of their prisoners so that they can make a utopian society, but the scientist who invented the draining machine releases the vaporized madness out into the greater universe rather than containing it, and it infects human beings with madness. It’s just too incoherent to get its message across, and then I don’t think it has anything to say about the nuance of madness because how are they draining madness out of their world but then their citizens are still mad, and what defines madness? It’s just not well done, and I didn’t like it.

—————-
~Kadak

He’s got a lot of people who die by seizure in his stories.

I don’t care about religionnnnn

I want to be done with this. I don’t like it.

Did not like 1/5

Jewish alien has to relocate to another planet, and they’re holding a funeral for the old planet, but Jewish tradition says they need more dudes at the funeral so he’s gotta look for a dude. He finds the dude. Mazel.

——-
~Tiny Man

Alternative title, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived. (I’ve never been a Swifty in my life until this album, but I love this one so much I’m considering merch.)

1/5 didn’t care. These are going downhill fast.

A scientist made a little dude and it made him really famous, but then society decided it was dangerous, so then they didn’t like the little dude. The end.

——————-
~Djinn

I don’t like this one either

Like women getting it done, but I didn’t like the story. 1/5

A young couple is trying to decorate their apartment and buy a magic lamp, but it only unleashes plagues on them since the genie is pissed that he’s stuck in the lamp. Girlypop opens the lamp with a can opener, thus freeing the genie, and they get to live happily ever after.

—————-
~Nightlife

This one’s funny. Kinda comedy club sounding on the audiobook.

I don’t understand these celebrity namedrops, but I bet it would be funny if I did.

Funny but that’s really all it was. 4/5

An astronaut returns home to Earth and when essentially NASA opens up the spaceship, he’s fucking an alien. The alien is a scout for the rest of its species, and hoo baby, are they breeders, so they teleport to Earth and everyone fucks themselves to death, but because they separated the astronaut when he first came back to Earth he has to die alone, but at least he was the best fuck. Men.

————
~Chocolate

porphyry

lambent

This just seems like a collection of story prompts.

I think there’s something romantic about the fact that it comes across that this author is so in love with humanity that he cannot fathom that the worst of the human race are actually humans and he keeps trying to explain them away with aliens.

Entertaining but empty 2/5
————
~Eidolons

roustabout

ossuary

I don’t care about this one.

nidus

reify

analeptic

madrigals

carillon

I don’t know what’s happening in the story, and I’m annoyed again.

Why is the strip steak THE steakhouse cut? It’s bad. It’s bad. I’ll die on this hill. Give me a ribeye first and a sirloin second, but do not give me a strip. They’re always fucking overcooked. (Samantha orders her steak blue.)

I’m boreddddd

It reads like half-baked self-help

Don’t get this one at all 1/5. I don’t think it had enough time to cook. I do love that the author is so in love with humanity as an idea though.

Some immortal creature is obsessed with toy soldiers and goes to buy some from a man, but the man dies during the shopping spree. He’s so moved by the man’s death that he decides to grant miracles to humanity and then lists off some of the ones he’s done like fractured self-help, but they’re incoherent.

———————
~All the lies

Neologism

Jigger

How many times has this book talked about biting tinfoil? I don’t think I’ve ever done that.

Putting ketchup on steak is disgusting.

Esurient

Ratiocination

Glossolalia

Moue

Soupcon

Probity

Sobriquet

Cadge

Defoedation

I get why we’re ending the anthology with it. It’s a good ending. I just personally didn’t like the story so 1/5

Homeboy reminisces about his adventures with his now-dead fellow writer frenemy. At the will reading, he is put in charge of managing the dead man’s publications, so even though they were rivals, he will have to promote him forever.

Post-reading:
As a collection, I think I have to give this three stars.

I was not a fan of the back half at all, but that first section was brilliant. It was a great introduction to a writer I hadn’t read before. It’s well organized and grouped. I think maybe some short commentary on the significance of each story after it concluded would have been helpful. I did a fair bit of googling. It would make it more accessible to a modern audience who hasn’t read him before.

I love love loved that crime story. I wish it was a whole full-length novel. It’s almost Hannibal-y. I will be attempting to purchase it.

I think his dark stories are the most successful. When his humor hit, it was genuinely funny. Other times the humor felt a lot like dad sci-fi humor. Which makes sense, he was an old guy writing sci-fi.

I would definitely pick him up as an author again. There’s something so charming and endearing about his writing. There’s such hope and love for humanity in it even as he’s criticizing it. I wish his successful ideas in this had been full-length novels. I think they would’ve been phenomenal.

There is such a wide range in this collection that I think you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who could pick this book up and not like at least one of the stories.

Who should read this:
Short story fans
Sci-fi fans
Fredrik Backman fans. Hear me out-it’s a different style, but it has that same genuine love for humanity feel
Tender is the Flesh fans. There’s some stories in here that are fantasy dystopia for the purpose of social commentary

Do I want to reread this:
I wouldn’t read the whole collection again. I will reread Mefisto. I think I would reread the other stories that I liked, and I would pick this author up again.

Similar books:
* Anxious People by Fredrik Backman-ensemble cast, quirky narration, author is in love with the idea of humanity
* How High We Go In the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu-interconnected sci-fi short stories used to relay life lessons
* Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link-dark short story collection
* Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado-dark short story collection
* Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird by Augustina Bazterrica-dark short story collection
* Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica-dystopian horror, social commentary
* The Men Can’t Be Saved by Ben Purkert-white man creates his own problems, mild social commentary
* You’re An Animal by Jardine Libaire-modern classic version of Of Mice and Men, but make it a white trash biker gang, a deaf girl, and a cheetah. Lots of imagery, character studies
* Shark Heart by Emily Habeck-magical realism horror to examine dementia and degenerative diseases, character studies

A collection of short stories, many of them award winning by Harlan Ellison. A found some of these absolutely brilliant (‘Shatterday’, ‘Mephisto in Onyx’ and ‘Passage of Time’) and others just were mildly amusing or I didn’t understand. The stories range from humour to hard science fiction, to time travel and aliens. It’s an entertaining read and probably a good cross section of his work.

This is an excellent collection of Ellison's work. I am going to suggest that my library purchase this edition as it distills Ellison's oeuvre down nicely into one volume.

Greatest Hits is a retrospective collection of 19 shorts by Harlan Ellison. Released 26th March 2024 by Union Square & co, it's 496 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

There are respectable scholars whose special field of research is speculative fiction. Harlan Ellison was a titan of SF, and not just SF, but a master of the short form. He was, simply, a fantastically gifted writer whose sometimes incandescent prose changed people. Scratch any middle-age+ SF fan and there will be a story about sitting thunderstruck by something Ellison wrote.

He won more awards than anyone really has managed to enumerate. There were Hugos, Locus (Loci?), Nebulas, Lifetime Achievement awards, grandmaster awards... he won for short fiction, essays, novelettes, screenplays, scripts, novels, anthologies, and the list is almost neverending. Everyone who knew him in any capacity knew he could be irascible, difficult, reclusive, and volatile. He changed the world and he changed the people around him.

This collection is a wonderful primer of some of the better known and a few lesser known short works. “Repent, Harlequin,” Said the Ticktockman is there as is I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream. Most of the selections are from his early/middle years of production, though How Interesting: A Tiny Man (which won the Nebula 2010 in the short story category) is included as well.

Fabulous collection of stupendous fiction. Much of it is *challenging* and all of it is wonderfully well crafted.

The foreword and introductions are touching, expect to sniffle.

Five stars. This is an important collection. Well worth acquisition for public or secondary school libraries, home reference, and for science fiction fans.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Absolutely awesome! I avidly enjoyed each of the 19 Harlan Ellison stories in this collection. Words like creative, thought provoking,and entertaining are just the beginning. Although each of the stories is clearly either science fiction or speculative fiction, the Ellison's gritty style makes them feel quite realistic. It is unsurprising that these stories won a total of 21 prestigious awards. (e.g., Hugo, Nebula, Locus, etc.)

I consider this the funnest ever mandatory reading for anyone that considers themselves to be a science fiction fan.

I thank the publisher and editor for kindly providing a temporary electronic review copy this anthology.

Whether you are already familiar with Harlan Ellison's work or not, this collection of stories is an absolute treat. This is quite literally Ellison's greatest hits. Any science fiction fan will find this collection to be necessary reading.

An excellent introduction to a legend. Ellison is just an outstanding writer, regardless of genre. I was already familiar with the first two stories, but everything else was new to me. Tremendously inspiring.

As a lifelong sci-fi fan, I have long been aware of Harlan Ellison, but this is my first dive into his work. Since this is my introduction to his stories, I can’t say how it compares to other collections of Ellison. What I can say is that there were stories here that moved me to tears through beautifully-written prose and a melancholy nostalgia, but then there were others that I found annoying and even offensive. There are stories that fall into classic sci-fi tropes and some than fall into no discernible categories. I’m glad I finally got around to Harlan Ellison. He was obviously a rare intellect and not at all afraid to push boundaries. Like all short form fiction writers, Harlan Ellison sometimes fails. Sometimes, though, he really hits gold. On a final note, I believe Ellison chose some of the greatest, most memorable titles in the business.

GREATEST HITS by Harlan Ellison
Published: March 26,2024 by Union Square & Co
Page Count: 496



The title says it all. Collected into one volume are hand-picked short story gems over the course of Harlan Ellison’s prolific career. If not Award Winners ( like Hugo, Nebula, Bram Stoker) they have been nominated for these awards. Presented by an insightful foreword by Neil Gaiman, these hand picked stories are culled from his prestigious output by his friend and executor of his estate, the wonderful writer, J Michael Straczynski. Horror writer, Casandra Khaw provides a wonderful introduction. This collection is an excellent starting point for new readers, as well as old fans, who want to revel once again in his amazing oeuvre. There are no stinkers here … all are great to amazing.
The following few are some of my personal favorites:
“I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream” (1966) …. An amazing prediction and discussion of current thoughts and disputes regarding artificial intelligence
“Mefisto In Onyx” (1993) … a mind reader applies his skill to a mass murderer”
“Jeffty Is Five” (1977) …. He never grows old and has the ability to access on his radio current
episodes of programs cancelled a long time ago
“Paladin of the Last Hour” (19896) …. the story source of a great episode of The Twilight Zone
“Repent Harlequin, Said TheTicktockman” (1966) …. In a dystopian world “wasting time” is a capital offense

Ellison was a prolific writer of speculative fiction, who carefully chose his words … often to express his opinions regarding both social and political issues. He frequently veered into many controversial and current issues; censorship, misogyny, racism, corporate greed, exploitation of artists, and even political corruption. His words were sometimes whimsical, but always vibrant and thought provoking. This is an excellent primer to explore his genius.
Thanks to NetGalley and Union Square & Co for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. Harlan is sorely missed for his many insightful stories.

As the preface by J. Michael Straczynski hinted, I had never heard of Harlan Ellison before, yet he was a prolific writer and activist. I am so thankful for this collection of some of his short stories to be being released now as these are some powerful and inspiring stories that have teeth.

I especially enjoyed “Repent, Harlequin,” Said the Ticktockman; I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream; Jeffty Is Five; On the Downhill Side; and Paladin of the Lost Hour. Reading through this collection has me rethinking storytelling and making me want to read more short story collections, especially from authors whose novels I currently read.

Additionally, I really enjoyed the preface by J. Michael Straczynski, the foreword by Neil Gaiman, and the introduction by Cassandra Khaw; all people that knew or were affected by Harlan Ellison in some way.

Greatest Hits is a collection of award-winning short stories by the great twentieth century science fiction writer, Harlan Ellison.

If you are jaded and think you have read every plot imaginable, read some Harlan Ellison. The man was completely bonkers! His stories are totally original. They do take some getting used to. These plots are not the space soap operas of Robert Heinlein or the science-based ideas of Isaac Asimov. Nope, these stories were gonzo fantasies before that sub-genre was even invented. 4 stars!

Thanks to Union Square & Co. and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

Anytime a collection purports to contain an author’s “greatest hits,” most readers take the title with a grain of salt. The contents of such a collection often depend more on what works an anthologist has access to than a qualitative assessment of the author’s output. Editor J. Michael Straczynski had no such problems in assembling “Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits.” As literary executor of Ellison’s estate, Straczynski controlled the rights to much of the author’s work. In making his choices, Straczynski used external criteria as much as possible. Almost every story in this collection won or was nominated for a Hugo, Nebula, Edgar, Bram Stoker, or similar award. For readers, this means that Ellison’s best-known and most widely anthologized works are here. This may diminish the book’s value to veteran sci-fi buffs. But most will still find some great works that hold up well the first or the tenth time they are read.

“Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits” begins with, perhaps, the author’s two best-known short stories. “‘Repent, Harlequin,’ Said the Ticktockman” from 1966 sounds like a Batman title. Actually, it’s a tale of a dystopian future where wasting time can be a capital crime. An even better introduction to Ellison’s work is the second story, “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream,” written in 1967. In it, the last five living humans are held captive by an artificial intelligence known as AM that ran amok and became self-sustaining. AM is a precursor to Skynet in the Terminator movies and is also amazingly predictive of today’s disputes about artificial intelligence.

My favorite story in the collection is “Mefisto in Onyx,” written in 1993. The story reflects Ellison’s commitment to social issues. (It also contains several racial slurs that probably wouldn’t appear in a story written today.) The protagonist is Rudy Pairis, a black man with the remarkable ability to get inside people’s minds and read their thoughts. A close friend is a District Attorney who got a conviction of perhaps the most prolific mass murderer in Alabama history. But as the execution date approaches, she becomes convinced of the alleged killer’s innocence and asks Rudy to find out for sure by reading his mind. I won’t reveal more except that I was utterly stunned by the ending, and I doubt any readers will guess it in advance.

Another great story is “Jeffty is Five.” It’s the tale of a five-year-old in the 1940s who never grows up while his best friend, the narrator, becomes an adult. The narrator later discovers that not only does Jeffty stay five, but the time around him also seems to remain in the 1940s. “Paladin of the Lost Hour” from 1986 may be familiar to TV viewers since it was made into one of the best episodes of the 1980s version of “The Twilight Zone.” A troubled Vietnam war veteran befriends an old man who is the keeper of an earth-shaking secret. The story’s ending packs the greatest emotional punch of any tale in the collection.

Some of Ellison’s works are more whimsical in nature. “Djinn, No Chaser” from 1983 is a variant of the genie-in-a-lamp story. In this version, however, the genie is terrible-tempered towards the couple who buys the magical lamp. “I’m Looking for Kadak” from 1974 is Ellison’s critique of organized religion. It features a Jewish 11-armed blue creature on a distant planet who is looking for a fellow member of his tribe who left years ago in search of a better religion. This story will be much more understandable for people familiar with Judaism, but the author’s point, although cloaked in humor, is quite clear.

Throughout these stories, Ellison’s views on subjects like organized religion, social justice, race relations, and the Vietnam War come through repeatedly. None of the stories are overly preachy, however. Instead, Ellison makes his points within the context of an entertaining story. In reading these works, I was also impressed by the depth of knowledge Ellison had on many subjects. I don’t know if he researched these stories or relied on his own knowledge, but these stories have more factual detail than many full-length novels.

Most of these stories range from very good to excellent. A couple are just okay, and there is only one I really didn’t like. “The Deathbird” contains a lot of gimmickry, including a multiple-choice “quiz” in the middle of the story. It took me two readings to figure out the story, and I still didn’t like it. But the story won a Hugo, so I’m obviously in the minority here. I suspect many readers may have the same reaction as I did when reading this collection, except for different stories. Harlan Ellison’s work was unique, so some stories won’t appeal to various readers. But for casual sci-fi fans or those somewhat familiar with Ellison’s work, this “Greatest Hits” collection offers a great introduction to the author and his writings.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

I was so excited to read this book. I've been wanting a full collection of Ellison's short stories for quite some time because of how fundamental he has been in modern horror and sci-fi works. It was a treat to read and appreciate these stories, even if some of the material is a bit retro. Ellison was a man of his time and it reflects in the themes involving women and race especially. The value of the stories becomes much more significant with the addition of notes preceding a story to explain the significant historical event/s that inspired it.
The prologue by Gaiman was especially enjoyable.

3.5 rounded up.

I've heard of, but never read Harlan Ellison before, so I figured a collection called Greatest Hits would be a great place to start. The book is broken up into four sections each containing stories with that theme. I liked this, as it gave me a chance to read a few stories that showed different ways in which he wrote books under that theme. As with all short story collections, some of these were hits, some were misses, and some were just ok. I don't believe anyone is going to like every story in a collection like this.

For me, it took a little bit to get used to Ellison's writing style, and when I did, I liked many of the stories better. There were a few I didn't like and a couple I lived, but overall, many of these were just ok. It's not that they were poorly written, because they aren't, I just didn't connect with them, or I wanted more. The few I didn't like, I felt were all over the place and I wasn't sure what was happening and I had to look them up to see what exactly I just read. My favorites were Mefisto in Onyx and Paladin of the Lost Hour. I also enjoyed the Introduction and Foreward that paid tribute to Mr. Ellison.

My thanks to Union Square & Co. and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.