The Essential Ellison: A 35 Year Retrospective

In Egyptian mythology, Iai is the rebel, the tester, the stubborn resisting force of intellect and insight which donkey-like stands its ground, refusing to budge, and challenges what is accepted and valued and thought to be sensible and true. This book is a portrait of one artist as sublime Rebel. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be a “Best of” collection (though it does contain much of his finest work). Rather, it is a sound representation, “warts and all,” of the writing of someone who is perfectly, vigorously, cast as the Iai of his age. Though Harlan’s work is widely known and applauded, not enough is made of the sense of social responsibility that is central to it. In fact, this dimension often seems to be deliberately overlooked and the major thrust of his fantasy trivialized. He deals in ideas, sometimes so full of love and compassion that they stun with their simple honesty; sometimes set with barbs and hooks that catch and tear and make us gasp and make us feel. Dr. Johnson would have been proud. Shakespeare would have smiled fondly. Because that’s the dimension of achievement occurring here. Ellison is as close to the pulse of his age as Chaucer and Shakespeare and Dickens ever came to theirs.

Contents

1 • Introduction: Sublime Rebel • essay by Terry Dowling
5 • Beginnings • essay by Terry Dowling
11 • The Sword of Parmagon • (1949) • short story by Harlan Ellison
17 • The Gloconda • (1949) • short story by Harlan Ellison
23 • The Wilder One • (1955) • short story by Harlan Ellison
25 • The Saga of Machine Gun Joe • (1955) • short story by Harlan Ellison
27 • Glowworm • (1956) • short story by Harlan Ellison
41 • Life Hutch • [Earth-Kyba War] • (1956) • short story by Harlan Ellison
53 • S.R.O. • (1957) • short story by Harlan Ellison
63 • Worlds of Terror • essay by Terry Dowling
67 • Lonelyache • (1964) • short story by Harlan Ellison
83 • Punky & the Yale Men • (1966) • novelette by Harlan Ellison
107 • A Prayer for No One’s Enemy • (1966) • novelette by Harlan Ellison
125 • Worlds of Love • essay by Terry Dowling
129 • In Lonely Lands • (1959) • short story by Harlan Ellison
135 • The Time of the Eye • (1959) • short story by Harlan Ellison
143 • Grail • (1981) • novelette by Harlan Ellison
163 • That New Old-Time Religion • essay by Terry Dowling
167 • I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream • (1967) • short story by Harlan Ellison
181 • Corpse • (1972) • short story by Harlan Ellison
189 • The Whimper of Whipped Dogs • (1973) • short story by Harlan Ellison
205 • A Stab of Merriment • essay by Terry Dowling
209 • The Voice in the Garden • (1967) • short story by Harlan Ellison
211 • Erotophobia • (1971) • short story by Harlan Ellison
217 • Mom • (1976) • short story by Harlan Ellison
229 • Ecowareness • (1974) • short story by Harlan Ellison
231 • The Outpost Undiscovered by Tourists • (1982) • short story by Harlan Ellison
235 • Dept. of “What Was the Question?” Dept. • (1974) • essay by Harlan Ellison
237 • Dept. of “Trivial Pursuit” Dept. • (1986) • essay by Harlan Ellison
241 • Trouble With Women • essay by Terry Dowling
245 • The Very Last Day of a Good Woman • (1958) • short story by Harlan Ellison
253 • Valerie: A True Memoir • (1972) • essay by Harlan Ellison
267 • The Other Eye of Polyphemus • (1977) • short story by Harlan Ellison
275 • All the Birds Come Home to Roost • (1979) • short story by Harlan Ellison
287 • To the Mattresses With Mean Demons • essay by Terry Dowling
293 • The Tombs • (1961) • novelette by Harlan Ellison
333 • “Our Little Miss” • (1970) • essay by Harlan Ellison
341 • A Love Song to Jerry Falwell • (1984) • essay by Harlan Ellison
347 • Telltale Tics and Tremors • (1977) • essay by Harlan Ellison
357 • True Love: Groping for the Holy Grail • (1978) • essay by Harlan Ellison
377 • Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54′ N, Longitude 77° 00′ 13″ W • (1974) • novelette by Harlan Ellison
407 • Rococo Technology • essay by Terry Dowling
413 • The Sky Is Burning • (1958) • short story by Harlan Ellison
421 • The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World • (1967) • novelette by Harlan Ellison
439 • Along the Scenic Route • (1969) • short story by Harlan Ellison
449 • The Song the Zombie Sang • (1970) • short story by Harlan Ellison and Robert Silverberg
461 • Knox • (1974) • short story by Harlan Ellison
475 • Heart’s Blood • essay by Terry Dowling
481 • From Alabamy, with Hate • (1965) • essay by Harlan Ellison
493 • My Father • (1972) • essay by Harlan Ellison
499 • My Mother • (1976) • essay by Harlan Ellison
507 • Tired Old Man • non-genre • (1975) • short story by Harlan Ellison
517 • Gopher in the Gilly • [Scenes from the Real World • 4] • (1982) • essay by Harlan Ellison
523 • Strange Wine • (1976) • short story by Harlan Ellison
531 • Nights & Days in Good Old Hollyweird • essay by Terry Dowling
537 • The Resurgence of Miss Ankle-Strap Wedgie • (1968) • novella by Harlan Ellison
607 • Flintlock: An Unproduced Teleplay • non-genre • short fiction by Harlan Ellison
687 • The Man on the Mushroom • (1974) • essay by Harlan Ellison
691 • Somehow, I Don’t Think We’re in Kansas, Toto • [Scenes from the Real World • 3] • (1974) • essay by Harlan Ellison
707 • Face-Down in Gloria Swanson’s Swimming Pool • (1978) • essay by Harlan Ellison
711 • Petards & Hangings • essay by Terry Dowling
715 • Soldier • (1957) • novelette by Harlan Ellison
735 • The Night of Delicate Terrors • (1961) • short story by Harlan Ellison
743 • Shattered Like a Glass Goblin • (1968) • short story by Harlan Ellison
751 • At the Mouse Circus • (1971) • short story by Harlan Ellison
759 • Shadows from the Past • essay by Terry Dowling
763 • Free with This Box! • (1958) • short story by Harlan Ellison
771 • Final Shtick • (1960) • short story by Harlan Ellison
781 • One Life, Furnished in Early Poverty • (1970) • short story by Harlan Ellison
795 • Jeffty Is Five • (1977) • short story by Harlan Ellison
813 • Contracts on the Soul • essay by Terry Dowling
817 • Daniel White for the Greater Good • (1961) • short story by Harlan Ellison
827 • Neither Your Jenny nor Mine • (1964) • short story by Harlan Ellison
861 • Alive and Well and on a Friendless Voyage • (1977) • short story by Harlan Ellison
871 • The Classics • essay by Terry Dowling
877 • “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman • (1965) • short story by Harlan Ellison
887 • Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes • (1967) • novelette by Harlan Ellison
905 • A Boy and His Dog • [Vic and Blood • 2] • (1969) • novella by Harlan Ellison
939 • The Deathbird • (1973) • novelette by Harlan Ellison
965 • Dark Liberation • essay by Terry Dowling
971 • The Thick Red Moment • (1982) • essay by Harlan Ellison
989 • The Man Who Was Heavily into Revenge • (1978) • short story by Harlan Ellison
1003 • Driving in the Spikes • (1983) • essay by Harlan Ellison
1015 • Afterword (The Essential Ellison) • essay by Harlan Ellison