The preface, by Ellison's executor J. Michael Straczynski, is aimed at the reader unfamiliar with his work; the foreword, by Neil Gaiman, a little less so. Both are still worth reading - they have anecdotes I didn't know about someone who seems to be the star of a limitless fund of them. But I am not that curious newcomer, meaning I didn't read everything here this time around. I got to I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream and "Repent, Harlequin," Said The Ticktockman early enough that I don't need to inhale them again, though I'm sure they'd still fizz if I did; I made it through Deathbird Stories a year or two back, so with those it was more that I couldn't bear to revisit. As such, I can't tell you what it would be like to read Greatest Hits right through - and isn't that at once an ingenious and a slightly outdated name for a book? - let alone to do so as its intended audience. But from the stories I did read, some of them not for the first time, what struck me as much as anything were the times Ellison wasn't being Ellison, the spiky bastard Star Trek immortalised as the deranged McCoy when it mangled his script and still made its one great episode, the poet-incendiary whose language splinters on impact for maximum penetration. Because that was a thing he could do, brilliantly, but he wasn't just that thing. Jeffty Is Five, say, with its childhood friend who stays a child while the narrator is weighed down by all the disillusions of adulthood, feels like something Ray Bradbury might have dreamed, and its resentful awareness of how fiercely the Present begrudges the Past even carries a whisper or Dunsany. Not that these chameleon moments always come off, admittedly - On The Downhill Side is one of the more puzzling inclusions, feeling like a story Peter Beagle could have pulled off but which really doesn't play to Ellison's strengths.

Elsewhere, though, there's plenty of core Ellison. The Beast That Shouted Love At The Heart Of The World is one I did reread, with the difference this time that Omelas has a much bigger cultural footprint now than whenever the last time was, which feels unfair when this did the central dilemma four years earlier, and with a much closer parallel to real world injustice, but also - silly Harlan! - much more pyrotechnically, and gleefully, and without that desperate earnestness which always improves SF's odds of crossing over. How’s the Night Life on Cissalda? can't claim prescience in the same way, coming five years after Tiptree's And I Awoke And Found Me Here On The Cold Hill's Side, and playing a similar concept for laughs. But its opening sentence is impressive: "When they unscrewed the time capsule, preparatory to helping temponaut Enoch Mirren to disembark, they found him doing a disgusting thing with a disgusting thing." So is the fact that it hasn't been suppressed either then or now for its enthusiastic catalogue of hypothetical libels, at least one of whose subjects is a byword for vigorous reputation management attempts. At the other extreme, How Interesting: A Tiny Man reminds us that Ellison made it closer to now than one necessarily recalls, not just through its mention of "handheld repugnancies" and fable of resurgent mob mentality, but by referencing Kanye West (though bracketing him with Black Sabbath, now quite rightly suing the arsehole, reminds us that it has been a few years still).

So is this really the greatest? Don't ask me; sure, I've read Ellison before, but nothing like everything, and in particular I have no grasp at all of the more recent work so couldn't begin to tell you whether better choices were available there. But as a survey and introduction, containing a decent quantity of the unimpeachable classics, at the very least it's sound. Although I do think the attempt at organisation by theme was a fool's errand; the categories Angry Gods, Lost Souls and The Passage Of Time inevitably overlap, and what kind of illustration of The Lighter Side is a story where a toymaker has captured everyone who ever died in vain on every battlefield in history? But one choice which comes off perfectly is ending with The Last Word, which contains only one tale, the longest here, All The Lies That Are My Life. A farewell to a remarkable, infuriating writer, it couldn't be a more apt conclusion, and somehow brought home to me both that Ellison's gone, and that he'll be hanging around for a good while yet.

(Netgalley ARC)

This book serves a wonderful introduction into the mind and art of one of science fiction's icons. Harlan Ellison had always been on my TBR list, and this volume serve as the perfect vehicle. May of the short stories found within are winners of various awards, such as, The Hugo Award, The Bram Stoker Award, and the Edgar Allen Poe Award. After reading this book, I know I will be reading more from this author. Enjoy.

I can’t say I understood every single one of those short stories, but the ones that I got I liked.
I did not know who Harlan Ellison was before finding this book but he seems like an interesting person and I‘m intrigued to find out more about him.
The main reason for my interest in this book at first was probably the cover. The person who designed it did a really good job.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC!

Some of the greatest hits in sci-fi horror! Of course my favorite was I have no mouth but I must scream, one of the classics, but others really held their own as well. I love older sci fi horror, as it focuses on a lot of diverse topics and ideas.

This collection was my first experience with Harlan Ellison, although my dad has raved about him for years. Mr. Ellison’s command of the English language was nothing less than masterful. Some of the stories were bizarre, but they were all beautifully written.

I have never read anything by Harlan Ellison before, but I want to read more sci-fi and short stories so I figured this would be good to try. I'm happy I did! While I didn't love every story, there are definitely some hits that I'm so glad I read.

If you like sci-fi, you're going to find something to enjoy in this collection.

Rated 4 stars. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

I knew about Harlan Ellison. I'd seen The City on the Edge of Forever (he hated it). I saw his rants on Sci-fi (not Syfy) and on the internet. I read the article where he talked about "what really happened" with The City on the Edge of Forever. So I knew about him.

I had even tried, a year ago or two, to read his stories for the first time. I couldn't get into them. I wanted to. I just couldn't.

When I heard that J. Michael Straczynski was going to get his stories back into print with Harlan Ellison's Greatest Hits, I knew I had to read them. I planned to buy the book. Then I saw that Net Galley had the book up for review request. So I requested it and got an early digital copy.

And now I want to yell at all of you for not telling me how great Harlan Ellison's stories are. Maybe you just thought I'd read his stuff. Thats possible. He had been writing for a long time. He had written a lot of stuff. He's gone from the world now but his stories live on. In March, they will be back in print. WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME HOW GREAT HE WAS?!

If you've never read Harlan Ellison's stories before, then stop reading this. Just go hang your head in shame, wait till March, and buy this book.

As for the rest of you, yes, he was brilliant. But you knew that. Didn't you?!

From the first story of this collection "Repent, Harlequin," Said The Ticktockman" till the very last "All the Lies That Are My Life", every single one of these stories are gems, pearls, diamonds rainbows. Yes I'm definitely channeling Harlan here. I know he would not forgive me. I'm not sorry either.

Harlan Ellison was a genius. Someone online said that Harlan made them want to write better. ME TOO. I want to be a better writer. I wish I could write like Harlan. No, I wish I could write better than Harlan. May lightning strike me now.

Harlan Ellison's Greatest Hits should be taught in schools. Wannabe writers should study it. They should read it and read it and read it again.

Yes, I liked some of the stories better than others. My favorites: Repent Harlequin, I Have No Mouth, The Deathbird, Shatterday, Paladin of the Lost Hour, Eidolons. But every single damn story in this collection is brilliant. All of it is well written. All of it will make you think and feel and you'll laugh. You might even cry. We should be on our knees thanking J. Michael Straczynski for bringing these stories back. We should plead for him to bring us more. MORE!

You may think I'm over doing it here. He could not have been that good. Right? Wait. I thought I told the people who hadn't read him to stop reading this review. Get out of here!

Harlan Ellison was brilliant. This is an amazing collection of stories. And yes, I do plan to get a copy of the book when I can. I reviewed a digital copy. I need to hold this collection in my hands. And I'll reread it. Again and again and again.

Harlan Ellison's Greatest Hits comes out on March 26, 2024. BUY IT. Thank you to Net Galley and Union Square & co. for providing me with a copy of this book. Thank you Harlan. Thank you J. Michael Straczynski.

Firstly, to get the ergonomics out of the way, I do not know if this was to do with my kindle, or the electronic edition, but I would have valued a contents page with clickable links. I enjoy being able to go back to stories at the click of a button, and I did not have that here. However, if you buy this in print, you won't have that problem.

The book is divided into sections, and I liked being able to see which award Ellison won in regards to which story. He won a lot of awards and I imagine it was hard choosing his greatest hits.

Now, the book itself. The range of Ellison is more than impressive. He's funny, witty, but some of the stories can leave you with an overpowering dread. I have read some of these stories before, such as, "I have no mouth, and I must scream". A very famous story that just sticks with you, But some were also new to me and I like that I was able to discover more stoires, even though with a writer so prolific and famous, there are plenty to choose from.
I enjoyed these stories the most: The Whimper of Whipped Dogs, Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes and How's the Nightlife on Cissalda?
But overall, the collection was very good, there is such a range here that they'll be something for everyone and I would recommend it to any Science Fiction fan, but as it's Ellison, any Science Fiction fan would buy it anyway!

Just like the title of the book says the book consists of some of the greatest hits of Harlan Ellison. This book also works as one of the best books to start reading Harlan Ellison. As usual with every collections this book has some hits and some ok books for me. There are some other of his works i think as his hits are not included in this book too. Totally a good book to read if you want to try Harlan Ellison or if you want to read short story collections.

Greatest Hits by Harlan Ellison- This is it! If you never read Harlan Ellison, this is the book to introduce you to the finest speculative fiction writer ever. If you are familiar with his work, this is a celebration revisiting a cultural icon at his best. Among the stories here are award winners, amazing flights of fancy, and somber tales of burning vision. Don’t pass this one up! Thanks NetGalley for this amazing ARC!

If you love science fiction and stellar reading then you need to know Harlan Ellison.
I had to read this when I came upon it because I remember Ellison from my youth, and recalling not caring for all of his work. Well, I'm a tad bit older now and my views and experiences have changed. I can now see the genius in which this man crafted his tales.
I'll admit he can be a little hard to get in the beginning, but keep going...you'll be glad you did.
Highly recommended
Thanks to @@netgalley for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Harlan Ellison was a genius. I first heard of him through Star Trek, which I love to this day. Just now, I read trivia on him on IMDB and found out yet more hilarious stories about him. He was quite an unusual man, and it shows in his stories. This stuff is OUT THERE. I’d love to be able to get outside his mind and find out what made him tick.

You can’t ever accuse Ellison of being boring. I guarantee you will come away from this book smarter and more introspective. It’s well-worth a read.

I do want to mention that I immensely disliked the story based on Kitty Genovese. Growing up, my mom encouraged us to say we “disliked [something] immensely” because “hate” was a strong word. Mom, I intensely and immensely disliked that short story. En gran manera, even.

However, my worldviews have been expanded, and my mind is flooded with ideas after reading this collection. It’s phenomenal. I would say that I wish I had met the man, the myth, the legend himself, but after reading about him, I think I’ll avoid the vitriol I would have received had I visited or called him. 😉😂

My thanks to NetGalley and Union Square & Co. for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

AS sson as I saw that the foreword was by Neil Gaiman, I knew I needed to read this book and I am so glad I did. I had not heard of Harlan Ellison before, and I am so glad to have been introduced to such a profilific figure in the world of speculative fiction and screenwriting.

Not only does the book begin with a foreword from Gaiman, but praise from a litany of the greatest writers of our time

Favourite short stories in this anthology are "Djinn, No Chaser" and "How Interesting: A Tiny Man". It did take a while to get into Ellisons writing style, which is very much screenplay style, but once you do, the stories are absolutely unputdownable

I am inspired to get more of Ellisons work as this compendium was fantastic

Thank you to NetGalley for the fantastic eARC. The review is left voluntarily

A collection of classics, nothing surprising except I didn't appreciate having all of Ellison's best work together, reading them back to back allows for comparisons I haven't had before.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Union Square & Co. for an advanced copy of this collection of works by a man that meant much to many, had the best enemies, lived like he wrote, and wrote like every word would, could and should be his last. A man whose compilations still stun, whose writing will live far longer than humans will, and whose criticisms still reflect the world we have allowed to be created.

I probably read my first Harlan Ellison story in one of the numerous Best of collections I would Hoover up at tag and and library bag sales. When I first started reading science fiction, I felt I had a lot of catching up to do, and and went for quantity without paying attention to the quantity. Later I began to slow down, and look at names, and stories. Why did I like this, why didn't this hold me. I also began to collect sci-fi (a term the author of this book hated but fits my narrative) magazines, and began to see a lot of a Harlan Ellison. Stories, criticism on books movies, and television. And one day I hit the motherlode. A whole bunch of Pan and Sphere ( I know because I still have them) paperbacks with Dangerous Visions 1, 2, 3 (not the real three just a split of volume 2) and the Deathbird Stories. Oh and Glass Teat, which confused me being about television. I was enamoured. Especially Deathbird which blew my little pre-teen mind. And still does. Harlan Ellison was a complicated man but a writer of rare and raw vision. Greatest Hits is a good place for the neophyte to start, with some of Ellison's best works ready for discovery.

The book is edited by friend and fellow artist J. Michael Straczynski, creator of the show Babylon 5, and probably only editor to create a role on his own television show for an author he would later edit. Neil Gaiman provides the foreward, and Cassandra Khaw the Introduction. All three detail their relationships with Ellison, his writing and more, and give a good overview to what is expected. And what is expected are stories that still surprise in many ways, even the ones that should seem dated. And explain why Ellison won so many awards. I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream looks so far forward from when it was written it seems even more prophetic today, with our dealings with technology. Whimper of Whipped Dogs, with a little tweaking of adding cellphone camera to those watching at the end, could again be a study of where we are as a culture. I'm not going to go into the stories, I prefer if one is unaware to let the person find out for themselves. There are not bad stories here, just stories well worth reading.

Harlan Ellison to me wrote as if every word was coming out of his flesh, leaving him depleted and lying next to his typewriter wondering why he continued to do this, and yet proud that he still could. That might explain some of the procrastination the projects that never will be done, only appearing in Neil Gaiman's character of Morpheus's library, where every book imagined exists. Ellison never wasted words, and the afterimage of many of his stories remain for years with the reader. My favorite Batman story is one that took him years to write and they just made a fill-in issue out of it. And yet I still can see it. A great collection for people just starting to get into Ellison. One to give to friends who talk about how much they love to read, but stories seem so boring now. They will either thank you, or disown you. Win-win in my book.