Harlan Ellison ® discussion

What was your first book or story by Harlan Ellison? What is your favorite one?

When I was 10, we didn't have a local library. A book mobile came around to a town not too far away every couple of weeks, but the old biddy in charge had very strong, conservative opinions on what youngsters should & should not read. Age appropriate only, nothing with gore. IOW, boring stuff.

My estranged father died & I got several boxes of his books. A lot of SF & fantasy. Much of it was way over my head, but I read it all voraciously. We lived out in the country & we didn't have much TV then (3 channels, B&W set) so I had plenty of time. In the boxes were Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, a lot of old pulp magazines, Mickey Spillane, & I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.

I didn't get to it first. I got hooked on ERB's Barsoom series & Conan. I finally got to Ellison's book & my mind was blown. I've never forgotten the title story. I'd never read anything so raw before. Of course, at that age I didn't really understand it fully, either. I think I read it every other year or so for the next 10. Loved the collection all my life.

My first was the Incredible Hulk story “The Brute That Shouted Love at the Heart of the Atom” (Hulk #140)

I think the first book I had was Alone Against Tomorrow, but I’m not really sure. I spent years looking for any and all of Ellison’s books, but I think that may have been first.

Favorite story changes all the time... right now I’m tempted to say “All The Birds Come Home To Roost.”

Deathbird Stories was the first book I read of Harlan's. It blew my mind and nothing I've read since has had the same impact. I can't think of a favorite story, but next to this, Strange Wine is my favorite collection.

KEW was also a fantastic author, at least his early work, & he did great editing horror stories. I was first in line buying his books from Centipede Press. I'd like to see Jared do Ellison's books. He gets fantastic artists. Someone should put the HEP on Kickstarter in touch with Centipede or with NESFA. They did a great job on the Collected Works of Roger Zelazny. Chris, one of the editors, is a member of our Zelazny group. Super resource.

I have wondered why there aren't any LOA editions of his work.

I find it odd that there are these cheap, generic (same photo of him on every cover) paperbacks of his work now. Maybe after a certain age he just didn't care about presentation any more.