Alone Against Tomorrow: Stories of Alienation in Speculative Fiction

by Harlan Ellison

By law, one cannot copyright a title. If someone were stupid enough to do it, novels could be written and published with such titles as " Moby Dick," " Alice in Wonderland" or "Gone With the Wind." But also, by law, ownership of a title can be guaranteed if it can be proved that the original author has established such a connection with the title that any duplication would infringe that linkage.

How famous is this most famous of all Harlan Ellison's books? Well known enough that an English film company was stopped in its attempt to make a movie called " I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream." It's Ellison's title, the company was told.

For more than sixteen years this work has been considered a classic of imaginative fiction.

Isn't it about time you found out why? Discover why no one who has read this story has ever been able to forget it!

Contents:

· The Song of the Soul · in
· I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream · ss If Mar ’67
· The Discarded [“The Abnormals”] · ss Fantastic Apr ’59
· Deeper Than the Darkness · nv Infinity Science Fiction Apr ’57
· Blind Lightning · ss Fantastic Universe Jun ’56
· All the Sounds of Fear · ss The Saint Detective Magazine (UK) Jul ’62
· The Silver Corridor · ss Infinity Science Fiction Oct ’56
· “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman · ss Galaxy Dec ’65
· Bright Eyes · ss Fantastic Apr ’65
· Are You Listening? · ss Amazing Dec ’58
· Try a Dull Knife · ss F&SF Oct ’68
· In Lonely Lands · ss Fantastic Universe Jan ’59
· Eyes of Dust · ss Rogue Dec ’59
· Nothing for My Noon Meal · ss Nebula #30 ’58
· O Ye of Little Faith · ss Knight Sep ’68
· The Time of the Eye · ss The Saint Detective Magazine May ’59
· Life Hutch [Kyben] · ss If Apr ’56
· The Very Last Day of a Good Woman [“The Last Day”] · ss Rogue Nov ’58
· Night Vigil [“Yellow Streak Hero”] · ss Amazing May ’57
· Lonelyache · ss Knight Jul ’64
· Pennies, Off a Dead Man’s Eyes · ss Galaxy Nov ’69

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Horror, Anthologies

312 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Harlan 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".

Reviews

[J.G. Keely · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish Harlan Ellison's books were as good as his editorial work. Somehow, his cleverness and mastery of language gets left behind once he starts hashing out fiction. I know this is an earlier work of his, but comparing the stories here, even 'I have no mouth but I must scream' to something like his introduction to Gaiman's Sandman shows two very different styles. Unfortunately, the former failed to engage me.

[Dang Ole' Dan Can Dangle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will rate each short story individually as I read them, though the final overall score is not necessarily an aggregated average.

I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream: 5/5
Perhaps my favorite Ellison story. I've read it about a dozen times and I'm still not completely sure why I like it so much. Just very enjoyable to read.
The Discarded: 4/5
Deeper than the Darkness: 4/5
Blind Lightning: 3/5
A good story, I just didn't care for it too much.
All the Sounds of Fear: 2.5/5
I may have to re-read this one because I've heard many say that they loved this one. I will admit this would make an awesome Twilight Zone episode.
The Silver Corridor: 3/5
Not bad. A little idiotic but enjoyable.
"Repent, Harlequin!" said the Ticktockman: 5/5
Another Ellison classic. Very much enjoyed, plus the main character shares my first name. I also wonder if Vonnegut got his "So it goes" line which he uses in Slaughterhouse-five from here. This was published years before and it uses the repeating phrase "and so it goes" just like Vonnegut did. Very curious.
Bright Eyes: 5/5
Holy shit, the imagery in this one is amazing and grotesque, Great atmosphere.
Are You Listening?: 5/5
An eerie, Twilight Zone-esque story. In fact, I think an episode may have been based on this.
Try a Dull Knife: 3/5
In Lonely Lands: 1/5
This story completely left my mind about 10 seconds after I finished it.
Eyes of Dust: 4/5
To me, this is Ellison's most poetic and beautiful story.
Nothing for My Noon Meal: 3/5
O Ye of Little Faith: 2/5
The Time of the Eye: 4.5/5
Life Hutch: 4/5
He he, this one is such typical sci-fi but it's awesome.
The Very Last Day of a Good Woman: 3.5/5
An odd story.
Night Vigil: 3.5/5
A great atmospheric story but still somewhat unsatisfying. It's kind of funny that the guy set to watch was relieved and fulfilled only by the enemy's arrival, just so he can warn Earth.
Lonelyache:
Pennies, Off a Dead Man's Eyes: 4/5

In conclusion Ellison is one of my favorites. Though he can sometimes be a mixed batched. I like that this collection has a theme of loneliness and alienation and every story deals with that subject. It's a subject I'm quite fond of. Yeah, thumbs up.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harlan Ellison is a fantastic story-teller--even when every story in a collection is not up to his usual standard (as here), his less-than-best is miles ahead of others. So, let me just qualify my star rating on this collection upfront: the three stars represent a rating on the Ellison scale, not an Ellison versus others scale. I simply could not rate this collection as highly as Shatterday or Slippage because the overall quality on the Ellison scale is not equivalent.


These twenty stories focus on man's alienation--alienation from his time, from his fellow-man, and even from himself. He is numbed by future-shock; propelled by his noblest dreams but often prevented from fulfilling them by his inadequacies and the challenges of a universe determined to hold on to its secrets. Ellison takes us into the unknown, to a place full of conflict and awe to show us the grandeur and terror of men and women facing their deepest fears--alone and unaided.

Among the most powerful stories found here are the classic "I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream," the haunting "All the Sounds of Fear," and the disturbing "The Discarded" and "Eyes of Dust," as well as two versions of Ellison's take on Orwell's 1984: "Repent Harlequin Said the TicktockMan" and "Are You Listening?" Nearly as good are "Blind Lightning" and "The Time of the Eye," but unfortunately the remainder (12 stories) are all just good Ellison stories or even not-so-good. But don't forget "just good" Ellison, is pretty darn good. ★★★

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[KWinks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I somehow found out about Harlan Ellison while looking up Margaret Atwood, don't ask. Long story short, I became obsessed with the idea of reading this man whose work so many love and hunted down this story collection which seems to feature many of his most well known stories. I won't review the stories one by one, but will agree that "Repent Harlequin" and "I Have No Mouth" are amazing pieces of work that stick with you long after the reading. Ellison's stories are less stories and more like windows into a strange world (most that you would never want to visit). He drops you in, unprepared, and you must muddle through with the character in sorting out what is happening, why, and how it will end. Sometimes the stories don't end, they just finish telling you about the bit they wanted to examine. What happens next is up to the reader (Life Hutch). I had particular love for "The Silver Corridor" and "Are You Listening?". Some were meh. I didn't feel the stories were dated, despite when they were written and the mostly futuristic settings. The ones that didn't work for me were the ones in modern settings. The longest story is only about 20-some pages, but they have a great many ideas in them, so I read about one a day. I couldn't imagine trying to plow through this in one sitting, there are too many ideas here. Overall, a great writer with great stories. Hideous cover ;)

[Marc Goldstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

6 “I Have no Mouth and I Must Scream”
A powerful AI has killed all of humanity (Skynet from Terminator?). It continues to vent its hatred of mankind by torturing a small group of survivors.

7 “’Repent Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman”
Future dystopia where any deviance from the orderly scheduling of events results in an equal amount of time shaved off of the offender’s lifespan. Into this the Harlequin appears, spreading mischief as a form of civil disobedience.

[☆ Rebecca ☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

i honestly just do not like his style of writing, like, at all........

[C]

Review of each short story to be completed
The Song of the Soul ★★★★★
Beautiful introduction to this compilation of stories

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream★★★★★
Read previously individually.

The Discarded ★★☆☆☆
Well put, but boring for me.

Deeper Than the Darkness ★★☆☆☆
The story wasn't my favourite, but it made good use of the trolley problem.

Blind Lightning ★★☆☆☆
Interesting to see the unutterable scream motif repeated here.

All the Sounds of Fear ★★★★☆
Beautiful for its silence, the silent screams, the erasure of means to express it.

The Silver Corridor ★★★☆☆
Interesting concept of how an argument can be materialized and fought for.

"Repend, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman ★★★★☆
I loved the disruptive character. He made me think of the Joker, the Green Goblin and Loki all at the same time. Well distilled comment on the use of time.

Bright Eyes

Are You Listening?

Try a Dull Knife

In Lonely Lands

Eyes of Dust

Nothing for My Noon Meal

O Ye of Little Faith

The Time of the Eye

Life Hutch

The Very Last Day of a Good Woman ☆☆☆☆☆
No comments

Night Vigil

Lonelyache

Pennies, off a Dead Man's Eyes

Alone Against Tomorrow

[Ben King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorites were:

- I Have No Mouth (obviously)
- Deeper Than The Darkness
- The Silver Corridor
- Bright Eyes
- Try A Dull Knife
- Night Vigil
- Lonelyache

This being my first dive into Ellison's work besides THE Star Trek episode, I'm starving for more. Wowsers!

[Malcolm Little · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alone Against Tomorrow is a mixed bag of short stories from the classic writer Ellison. None of the stories contained within the collection are particularly bad, but in contrast very few are transcendently good. Instead, most fall in the middle, ranging from forgettable mediocrity – pretty decent tales. The result of that mixed bag was that I found few elements in each story worth the price of temporal admission. Unlike a truly bad movie, truly bad writing can never be “so bad it’s good”. The real question with this collection was: What is good and what is bad about the overall product?

The common thread of alienation was maintained with aplomb, so good on the editor who compiled the collection for realizing which of Ellison’s stories fit with the theme. Nevertheless, very few of Ellison’s writings struck at the heart of the subject of alienation. When it did strike, such as with “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream” and “Big Eyes”, it floors the reader with the power of a lightning bolt. One strength I consistently noticed with the majority of the stories was Ellison’s effortless ability to create a situation drenched with emotion and grief. To me, Harlan comes off as a poet in disguise, wrapping his ideas in the cloth of science fiction, when his true talent lies far more towards the ‘fiction’ aspect than it does with the ‘science’ aspect.

Even though I tend to eschew quantified ratings for subjective mediums, a short story collection like Alone Against Tomorrow is actually better attuned to receiving a star rating. Three out of Five seems appropriate because, on average, three out of five stories within the bookends felt worthwhile. The other two amount to either throwaway ideas or poor narrative executions of a good idea.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a retrospective collection of the best speculative stories from early in Ellison's career. They've all appeared in previous and prior collections, and all are interesting and entertaining. There are some well acknowledged and award-winning classics along with earlier tales; it's a good sampling of his early genre work.

[David Dort · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the masters of the genre of dark speculative (science) fiction, Ellison's short stories are thoroughly disturbing at their best, and thought-provoking at their least. Perhaps quaintly experimental by today's standards, this book ranks with the best of Dick and LeGuin as groundbreaking works that brought sci-fi out of the dime novel and into serious literature. The stunning dystopic vision of a future hell "I have no mouth and I must scream" should be required reading for any fan of the genre.

[Nymphicinae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and disturbing set of short (and I mean really short!) stories. I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream remains brilliant, but I was pleasantly surprising by the selection of other stories. The only thing I've never liked about Harlan Ellison's writing is his uncomfortable portrayal of the women in his stories. Still a great writer, but much like with Stephen King, I just can't get behind the objectifying language used.

[David Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the prolific, and variable, Ellison's most consistent collections, a retrospective (circa 1971) that focuses on alienation and loneliness. Has several of his most renowned stories up to that point. Must have had a decent print run because even 40 years later, it's the Ellison book you're likeliest to find in a used bookstore.

[Carla Remy · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I have no mouth, and I must scream" is original, creepy and rather proto-Gibson. As the stories went on - well, just, honestly I read only half the book. Maybe the end was phenomenal. Obviously, had I been entranced with his "voice" I would have read the whole thing.

[Big Enk · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

I have become convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ellison can write extremely well. His prose style can vary from story to story, but it is always rich, detailed, and lavish. His stories always seem to have a sharp and engaging hook that rips you away from your other concerns, and focuses your attention inward on the world he creates. It was, for the most part, a joy to leapfrog from scene to scene in this anthology and wrap myself the horrors of alienation.

This is not to say that all the stories were equal in quality. Twenty stories is quite a few, and as it seems that about half of them were from the beginning of his career, it makes sense that some were unpolished, occasionally even mediocre or obviously dated/offensive. There were also times that I sensed a formulaic style to these stories, a lot of the middle-tier ones falling into the same structure and beats, with slightly difference male protagonists. Conclusions were sometimes rushed, in a way that made me feel like Ellison forgot that he had a word limit for whatever SF magazine he was writing for at the time, and suddenly had to wrap things up quickly. That being said, the floor in terms of quality in this anthology was higher than I expected, and the ceiling was tremendous.

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is one of the best pieces of evocative, gripping, and horrific fiction I've read, certainly in the past year, but perhaps ever. Ellison is able to do so much with such a slim page count, which is really where he shines best. He creates a vivid and textured world, with characters that are just as believable, emotions that practically drip off the page. I see this same ability in "Repent Harlequin!" Said the Ticktock Man, The Discarded, Nothing For My Noon Meal, & Try a Dull Knife, among others.

What I especially appreciated was the strong theme of alienation and loneliness that was perhaps the one uniting factor that tied these tales together. Ellison explores one of the most relatable human emotions from so many different perspectives and styles. While most of the stories are science fiction/horror in nature, some are practically literary fiction, some pure fantasy.

As far as anthology collections go, I think this one is rather strong across the board, and contains some really excellent work that is unmarred by tons of dead weight. Very stoked to get into more of Ellison's work in the future.

[Noah Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The absurd cover and existential title of Alone Against Tomorrow drew me to it. I went into the book blind off of a recommendation, but it's the type of book I would find intriguing now that I've read it.

One thing the book has going for it is because it's a collection of short stories, it's fast paced and the stories don't have time to get boring or old. No matter how absurd the plot of one of the short stories, you can always take something away about it on the nature of humanity or of the cold war. Like all good futuristic stories should, you can take away some truth or moral or lesson about the present. However, there's a wide gap in the effectiveness of some of these lessons. For many of the short stories, I was blown away by the mood of the story and I felt like there was something I could take away from it, but for others, I questioned for what purpose the story was written. Most of the stories were amazing, but a few stand out as being kind of pointless.

All in all, I really liked the book. I'll give it 4 stars out of 5 because if a handful of the short stories had been revised or removed entirely, It'd make for a cohesive set of stories which are all great and those excess stories bring the score down a star for me.

[Derek Nason · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the record, if I read a book of short stories, and even one of them is a 5-Star story, I’m rating the book 5 stars. But, this book is full of 5 star stories.

I found out about Harlan Ellison from Neil Gaiman’s essay. I had also been aware of I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST SCREAM and some tv episodes as being canonical, but I had no real awareness of what reading him was like. Well, now I know. It’s one of those moments where I find out how deprived I am; like there’s a giant beating heart of a world right next to my face, and I’m 34 and have never bothered to just turn my head and acknowledge it.

He is a maser of describing the corporeal, not as a means for an external body-horror scene, but an internal, psychological horror. In Ellison’s stories, we are all—first and foremost—trapped in fleshy ships. It’s like a Dali painting inside an Egon Schiele.

After reading DEEPER THAN THE DARKNESS I fantasized about turning it into a film. After reading more about the man, and how litigious he is, I guess that’ll stay a fantasy forever. That’s okay. In the meantime, I’ll rush to read every other thing he’s ever written.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story collection by Ellison includes two of his most celebrated stores - "Repent Harlequin, said the Ticktockman" and "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" - as well as nearly 20 other stories, virtually all of which make you think. Ellison's tales tend to be somewhat dated in their wording - his prime was the 1960s and the "hip" slang he sometimes uses will sound quaint or even silly to a modern reader. Also, he's hit or miss with his tales. They can run from truly great to downright mediocre, although I'm sure he would say they are ALL great literature.

That said, this collection, which I think is out of print, is worth a try if you happen across it - as I did - in your local used bookstore. For my money, "Repent Harlequin..." is one of the truly great speculative fiction stories. "I Have No Mouth..." runs a bit long and think Ellison kind of beats you over the heard with the point he's trying to get across. Still, you be the judge. The writing is wonderful, occasionally slipping into greatness. If only all writers wrote as well as he did. (Note: Harlan Ellison passed away in 2018.)

[Kathei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book.
Contents:

· The Song of the Soul · in
· I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream · ss If Mar ’67
· The Discarded [“The Abnormals”] · ss Fantastic Apr ’59
· Deeper Than the Darkness · nv Infinity Science Fiction Apr ’57
· Blind Lightning · ss Fantastic Universe Jun ’56
· All the Sounds of Fear · ss The Saint Detective Magazine (UK) Jul ’62
· The Silver Corridor · ss Infinity Science Fiction Oct ’56
· “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman · ss Galaxy Dec ’65
· Bright Eyes · ss Fantastic Apr ’65
· Are You Listening? · ss Amazing Dec ’58
· Try a Dull Knife · ss F&SF Oct ’68
· In Lonely Lands · ss Fantastic Universe Jan ’59
· Eyes of Dust · ss Rogue Dec ’59
· Nothing for My Noon Meal · ss Nebula #30 ’58
· O Ye of Little Faith · ss Knight Sep ’68
· The Time of the Eye · ss The Saint Detective Magazine May ’59
· Life Hutch [Kyben] · ss If Apr ’56
· The Very Last Day of a Good Woman [“The Last Day”] · ss Rogue Nov ’58
· Night Vigil [“Yellow Streak Hero”] · ss Amazing May ’57
· Lonelyache · ss Knight Jul ’64

[Ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is by far the best I have read in this genre, Ellison creates intricate settings and places in them a diverse cast of characters, he weaves entire universes throughout his stories, enticing the reader in with a tempting perspective of humanity, the genre of most of these stories being sci-fi, they are startlingly down to earth, the raw emotions expressed by the characters show us the unique outlooks on life that so many humans share and disagree about. Ellison places these complex characters in horrific situations, being denied control of their life, they are stripped down to the instincts of the human mind, fear, loneliness, hope and rage. Ellison crafts stories in which we, the reader, can process them.

[John Gueltzow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic collection made only more relevant in a degrading, isolating age of humanity. I don't suspect Ellison would have thought much of 2025 had he made it this far. He clearly didn't think much of 1975 and I don't know that the world has changed to his liking since then.

"I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" and "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktock Man" are classics for a reason.

The rest, as the title suggests, examine human alienation from societies that are uncaring, unwilling to change, or are downright hostile. Some are excellent, some less so, but Ellison's voice is one worth continuing to explore as sometimes it feels as though the future he tried so hard to warn us about is precisely the one coming to pass.

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Favorites: Deeper than Darkness, All the Sounds of Fear, “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktokman, Are You Listening?, Try a Dull Knife, Eyes of Dust, O Ye of Little Faith, The Time of the Eye, Pennies, Off a Dead Man’s Eyes

Meh/Dislike: Life Hutch, The Very Last Day of a Good Woman, Night Vigil

Lots of incredible, thought-provoking stories. A few that are just meh. Taking away a star for the complete lack of any well developed woman characters. Overall great writing with an unfortunate sprinkling of misogyny.

[Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid collection of Ellison short stories. For the most part they are quite good and engaging and as the title suggests they are indeed stories about alienation. A few of the standout stories here are "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream", "Repent Harlequin, Says the Ticktockman", and "The Silver Corridor". Some of these are very sci-fi types and actually set in space or the future. Some are more of a trip into the deep consciousness of the troubled individuals. It's a good mix.

[Casper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this immensely! Had many of my favorite short stories. I recommend picking it up completely! My favorites include:

"I have no mouth, and I must scream"
""Repent, harlequin!" Said the ticktock man."
"Night vigil"
"life hutch"
"Nothing for my noon meal"
and finally, but definitely not least - "all the sounds of fear"

I enjoyed all the short stories in this book but rhese I just wanted to point out.

[Zach Cross · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more research I do on Ellison, the more I am endeared to- or at least better understand- his writing. This book is solidifying him as a favorite author of mine, no truly offensive clunkers yet (not being reminded of his less pleasant tendencies is definitely helping me warm up to his work) and what's been good has been very good. I will rewrite this and talk about the stories themselves when I have more time.

[Bruce Stephenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of short stories by one of my favorite authors of 'speculative fiction' (I don't think Harlan liked the term science fiction)! Engrossing and humorous with a streak of the macabre - favorites have to be "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman, Try a Dull Knife, and Life Hutch. Great stuff!

[David]

A great Ellison collection with a few of my favourites in it, especially "All the Sounds of Fear" which is about a Method actor who loses his mind in a regressive mode. As is so often the case for me, I love best the speculative fiction which I can see as plausibly happening; no monsters or aliens in this one, no time travel, no strange planets. Just the human mind in decay.

[Miroslav · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Ellison, I havent come across any longer novel by him, which is a little bit of bummer. But he is stil very much engaing today. Also I recognised a story by him which I saw televised in Love death and robots, which was a cool suprise.

[Safa]

DNF at 20% I think
I read the first 4-5 stories before quitting. They were pretty interesting but just not really my thing. Mostly I picked this up to read I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, which I did enjoy so this is a success for me lol.

[Dale Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories I enjoyed were I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, Deeper Than the Darkness, "Repent, Harlequin" Said the Ticktockman, Life Hutch, and Pennies, Off a Dead Man's Eyes.