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Description
Fifteen masterpieces of speculative short fiction, including Hugo and Nebula Award-winning stories from the acclaimed author of Shatterday. "These are not stories that should be forgotten; and some of you are about to read them for the first time . . . I envy you." --Neil Gaiman, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of American Gods, from his Foreword In a post-apocalyptic future, fifteen-year-old Vic wanders the wasteland with Blood, his genetically-altered telepathic dog, in a struggle for survival against violent marauders, deadly radioactive insects, and an underground community desperate to restore the human race in the Hugo Award-nominated and Nebula Award-winning novella, "A Boy and His Dog,"--the basis of the cult classic film. An intergalactic conspiracy infects the minds of the most powerful politicians in the Republican Party--and only one jolly old elf can save them in "Santa Claus vs. S.P.I.D.E.R." And in the Hugo Award-winning title story, disparate threads of violence, conflict, and conversation weave an intricate tapestry across worlds and times in an experimental tour-de-force of the imagination. This groundbreaking collection brings together some of Harlan Ellison's most innovative and intriguing stories, frightening and funny visions of human nature that can only come from the peerless Grand Master of Science Fiction. "One of the great living American short story writers." --The Washington Post Includes: "The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World," "Along the Scenic Route," "Phoenix," "Asleep: With Still Hands," "Santa Claus vs. S.P.I.D.E.R.," "Try a Dull Knife," "The Pitll Pawob Division," "The Place With No Name," "White on White," "Run For the Stars," "Are You Listening?," "S.R.O.," "Worlds to Kill," "Shattered Like a Glass Goblin," "A Boy and His Dog"… (more)
User reviews
A collection of speculative fiction by the one-and-only Harlan Ellison. Many of the stories here, including the title tale, were award winners. Should make for a strong outing. Does it?
My Thoughts
This was a somewhat strong collection. The title story sets the pace with some very strange,
Among my favorites here are “Along the Scenic Route”, which I’ve seen a lot of people mention. It was quirky, funny, exciting, and saying all that, it has the recipe to be a great movie if someone were so inclined. “The Pitll Pawob Division” was short and very amusing, made all the more punchy for its quickness. “S.R.O.” has a wonderful twist that’s parts both funny and chilling. And I have to mention “Run for the Stars” as a wonderfully paced action/science-fiction story that forces you on with white knuckles.
But there’s a downside. I hate that there is, because so many of these stories are so strong. “Santa Claus vs. S.P.I.D.E.R.” is not only made up of cheesy humor that relies on mocking the spy genre as it was at the time and seems very outdated now, it’s final punchline is a rape joke. The story wasn’t very compelling up to that point, and upon reaching said point I was actively pissed.
Possibly the most controversial thing I’ll say in this review is that “A Boy and His Dog” is the most misogynistic, ugly waste of paper I’ve ever read. The girl’s personality changed to suit whatever mood Ellison wanted her to be in, going from being the love of Vic’s life to expendable because she was shrill at the drop of a hat. And should I even get into the way sex is handled in this story? I understand that a culture with a lowered population of women is going to be skewed about sex, but things get even more problematic than that.
So it lost a star. My rule is when a book is a collection, I rate it based on a ratio. Good stories to bad. So obviously, the good far outweighs the bad. It’s worth your time save two stories. And those stories? I’d skip them.
Final Rating
4/5
A boy