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Over the Edge/An Edge in My Voice
"Razor Sharp Beyond the Edge. Harlan Ellison's stories and essays have been on the cutting edge of contemporary American Literature for over 40 years, but he stubbornly refuses to abandon the use of a manual typewriter. He's involved in every medium from television drama to comic books, and his works have been translated into 26 languages. Although he's won more awards for his writing than any living fantasist, Harlan still refuses to eat lima beans. In May 1996, White Wolf announced what is still its most ambitious publishing program for a single author: the first 20 volumes of the collected fiction, essays, teleplays and columns of the writer whom The Washington Post calls ""one of the great living American short story writers"." The first volume of this series, containing An Edge in My Voice and Over the Edge, is now available in trade paperback. Both books have been completely revised, updated and expanded for the hardcover publication, and this trade edition has been re-edited as well".
574 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
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205 people want to read
About the author
Harlan Ellison
1,078 books2,767 followersHarlan Jay Ellison (1934-2018) was a prolific American writer of short stories, novellas, teleplays, essays, and criticism.
His literary and television work has received many awards. He wrote for the original series of both The Outer Limits and Star Trek as well as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; edited the multiple-award-winning short story anthology series Dangerous Visions; and served as creative consultant/writer to the science fiction TV series The New Twilight Zone and Babylon 5.
Several of his short fiction pieces have been made into movies, such as the classic "The Boy and His Dog".
His literary and television work has received many awards. He wrote for the original series of both The Outer Limits and Star Trek as well as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; edited the multiple-award-winning short story anthology series Dangerous Visions; and served as creative consultant/writer to the science fiction TV series The New Twilight Zone and Babylon 5.
Several of his short fiction pieces have been made into movies, such as the classic "The Boy and His Dog".
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 10, 2023
The shorter first part of this volume consists of a few short stories, none of which I really remember after having read the longer, second part of the volume, which is a collection of columns Ellison wrote in the early 1980s. I don't remember anything particularly bad about the stories, so I suppose they must have been fine if not memorable. I found the columns much more interesting, and whether you find Ellison to be an egocentric raving loon or a champion of the peoples or something in-between, the columns were almost always an interesting look in to what was going on at the time and how, often, those things seen as injustices stay pretty common over the decades (and more). If you hadn't previously read the columns and are amenable to Ellison's writing, certainly worth a read.
March 14, 2019
First in a projected 20 volumes that became 4 volumes, another aborted series that aimed to present the complete Ellison and stopped even sooner than Pyramid/Ace did. Behind a somewhat generic cover lie two very different books with "edge" in their titles, one collecting fiction and the other nonfiction. The fiction side swaps in some otherwise-unreprinted stories, and there's a new, long introduction. Completists will want this, but otherwise, collecting these volumes seems unnecessary.
March 19, 2021
Harlan has been one of my Top 5 writers since I was in High School. (Long ago!) These Edgeworks books collect his very best books in a nice, hardback edition. This one is filled with his commentary. Not fiction this time. Excellent.
August 16, 2018
All of Harlan Ellison's collections are worth reading but each may have a story or two that will leave you cold. Collects two older books into one volume.
September 25, 2011
Edgeworks was a projected series of twenty definitive volumes comprising the complete works of Harlan Ellison. Only four were ever published. This first volume contains Over the Edge (originially published 1970) and An Edge in My Voice (originally published 1985).
Over the Edge is a collection of stories and a few essays. I read this part of the book several years ago, so my memory of most of its contents is fuzzy. However, I do remember "Xenogenesis," Ellison's shocking expose of science fiction fandom; it's pretty hard to forget. There used to be a ridiculous but persistent rumor that Ellison had once dropped a fan down an elevator shaft at a convention. After you read this piece, you wouldn't have blamed him if he had.
On the other hand, I've just finished An Edge in My Voice, a collection of editorial columns written for Future Life and later L.A. Weekly from 1981-1983. Ellison writes with passion about the ERA, NRA, the Middle East conflict, the moral majority, censorship, creationism and a myriad of other topics. Sadly, not much has changed since the chilly Reagan years; right-wing ignorance, misinformation and anti-intellectualism are still drowning out reason across the board. These writings are as relevant today as they were thirty years ago; only some of the names have changed. Someone needs to pick up the rights to this book and reprint it. People need to read it.
Harlan Ellison: writer, activist, conscience of a nation. We're going to miss him when he's gone.
Over the Edge is a collection of stories and a few essays. I read this part of the book several years ago, so my memory of most of its contents is fuzzy. However, I do remember "Xenogenesis," Ellison's shocking expose of science fiction fandom; it's pretty hard to forget. There used to be a ridiculous but persistent rumor that Ellison had once dropped a fan down an elevator shaft at a convention. After you read this piece, you wouldn't have blamed him if he had.
On the other hand, I've just finished An Edge in My Voice, a collection of editorial columns written for Future Life and later L.A. Weekly from 1981-1983. Ellison writes with passion about the ERA, NRA, the Middle East conflict, the moral majority, censorship, creationism and a myriad of other topics. Sadly, not much has changed since the chilly Reagan years; right-wing ignorance, misinformation and anti-intellectualism are still drowning out reason across the board. These writings are as relevant today as they were thirty years ago; only some of the names have changed. Someone needs to pick up the rights to this book and reprint it. People need to read it.
Harlan Ellison: writer, activist, conscience of a nation. We're going to miss him when he's gone.
August 20, 2009
Though it seems somewhat odd, now, Edgeworks 1 was my introduction to (arguably) America's best fantasy writer.
Ellison himself would denounce that title, calling himself "an Ellison writer for Ellison fans" more than once in his long and storied career - but make no mistake: the man can write his ass off.
Edgeworks 1 is a collection of two previously published sets of essays - one on a variety of subjects near and dear to HE's heart, the other a collection of columns for now-defunct publications - and from cover to cover, everything about the book pulled me in. Purchased while I was stationed in Japan in probably the middle of 1996, I took the book with me on deployment and had it in my hand during much of my free time. Since that first volume, I purchased the other three (White Wolf, why aren't you making any more?) volumes and started a search for what I could find by him.
While admittedly, HE is not for everyone's taste - too acerbic for some, too much an oddball for others - but if you can stand the trip, it's a hell of an introduction.
Ellison himself would denounce that title, calling himself "an Ellison writer for Ellison fans" more than once in his long and storied career - but make no mistake: the man can write his ass off.
Edgeworks 1 is a collection of two previously published sets of essays - one on a variety of subjects near and dear to HE's heart, the other a collection of columns for now-defunct publications - and from cover to cover, everything about the book pulled me in. Purchased while I was stationed in Japan in probably the middle of 1996, I took the book with me on deployment and had it in my hand during much of my free time. Since that first volume, I purchased the other three (White Wolf, why aren't you making any more?) volumes and started a search for what I could find by him.
While admittedly, HE is not for everyone's taste - too acerbic for some, too much an oddball for others - but if you can stand the trip, it's a hell of an introduction.
July 10, 2009
At the 2008 SXSW film festival in Austin, I saw a documentary called "Dreams with Sharp Teeth" on the famous sci-fi/fantasy (or 'speculative fiction', as he'd probably prefer) author Harlan Ellison. After the film, we had a chance to hear from the subject himself in a Q & A session, in which he freely offered his unfiltered, opinions, completely devoid of any attempts at political correctness or self-censorship.
And that's when, somewhat to my chagrin, I developed an odd sort of crush on Harlan Ellison, a 70-year-old crotchety old Jewish man famous in the worlds of Trekkies and Babylon 5. I feel as if I should be embarrassed to admit that but whatever. I have a soft spot in my heart for cocky smart asses, especially of the septuagenarian variety, so I checked out this book shortly thereafter.
And that's when, somewhat to my chagrin, I developed an odd sort of crush on Harlan Ellison, a 70-year-old crotchety old Jewish man famous in the worlds of Trekkies and Babylon 5. I feel as if I should be embarrassed to admit that but whatever. I have a soft spot in my heart for cocky smart asses, especially of the septuagenarian variety, so I checked out this book shortly thereafter.
August 9, 2016
This first volume includes a lot of non-fiction essay's Ellison wrote over the years. In them, Ellison leans into everything he considers wrong with modern society. Because of this, if you are new to Ellison, you may be easily offended. But don't worry, he isn't doing it on purpuse, he just doesn't care if he offends you. He would rather tell the truth as he sees it than worry about hurting somebody's feelings.
Ellison is a very refreshing take in modern America, where Republicans and Democrats have decided that the only difference worth noting between the partys is who is in power at that moment.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that Ellison is also one of the great writers in the modern United States.
Ellison is a very refreshing take in modern America, where Republicans and Democrats have decided that the only difference worth noting between the partys is who is in power at that moment.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that Ellison is also one of the great writers in the modern United States.
March 29, 2007
Harlan Ellison is a damn good writer. This is the start of what was to be a collection of his complete works. Unfortunately the publisher stopped after four volumes. However, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It's filled with lots of his short stories and nonfiction essays.
January 13, 2023
First volume of White Wolf Press' Edgeworks series, dedicated to reprinting Harlan Ellison. I like his essays more than short stories - they are more direct. In this volume, Ellison lets fly squibs of Reagan and plastic eighties with fervor.
February 17, 2021
"If you haven't read Harlan Ellison, you haven't read." ~ Richard Halasz
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews