This collection of 18 short stories is centered on the theme of death. Ellison writes a great introduction and I really enjoyed a lot of these stories. My favorites were Paladin of the Last Hour, The Region Between, Chained to the Fast Lane in the Red Queen's Race and The Function of Dream Sleep. ( )

I am awed, inspired and a little disappointed. Whoever reads this will be most attracted by the last description–but wait, there's more.

Harlan Ellison is one of the finest story tellers that has ever lived. No arguments. I'll not entertain them. His metaphors and colorations are so unique and strange that his ability to transport a reader into a scene is nothing less than immersive. The stories I read here were tight, at times intellectual, at times challenging, at times humorous with a pinch of gross. Stories like 'The Paladin of the Lost Hour' were so believable one might go a looking for the current holder of that arcane pocket watch. The story 'Broken Glass' was a master class in the art of story, character, and setting. Readers who found no pleasure in this collection of important works are either put off by Ellison's reputation as an asshole, or lack the intelligence to read with a "critical eye". It's not often I'll knock someone's opinion as founded on idiocy, but if you like fiction and didn't like this collection, there's something wrong and it's not the book.

Having gushed a bit, there are problems. Ellison's characters are always intelligent and have a rather authorial way of noticing things. Now, this is just his style, which is fine, but far too many narratives give way to authorial intrusion and Ellison at times wishes us to note how great a writer he is. Which we all understand, but perhaps his characters should remain in the dark on the matter. This complaint is petty, but I must counter a gush with a slam lest I be accused of the old "sack-riding" epithet. I don't ride scrotums, certainly not to gain favor with any group of people who think they're literary critics, but I do like Ellison's work. I'm not a critic. I'm a dude.

Now that that is settled, I have one more minor complaint. Actually it's a big one and it is closely related to the previous complaint: Far too often Ellison likes to tell us what his politics are. This to me is not OK. It robs the story and ALWAYS stops it cold. We all get it, Ellison's a big liberal and he hates republicans. This is fine, but when it crops up it feels so forced and blatant that it turns me off to the story. Not because the hero is always a liberal (which is always the case) but because I feel like Ellison is creeping in on the story I'm trying to enjoy. Granted, he is subtle and quick about it, but I HATE it when religious authors do it and I would like to think Harlan is above that preacher-as-author nonsense.

It's a five. Don't argue, just read it. You'll be entertained and a better thinker for it.

That was a good review...nailed it.




( )

I wept when I first read the introduction, since many of the deaths he referred to were still fresh. Even now, it makes me sad. I'd like to read this again, some day, but for now, it still hurts.

(Jack Gaughan is credited for the design and graphics for The Region Between on that story's title page.) ( )

I quite enjoyed this death-themed collection, in particular the opening story, "Paladin of the Lost Hour", "Laugh Track" (which I found quite funny) and "Eidolons". ( )

This isn't Ellison's best, in my opinion, but it's still good reading. ( )